tontons: in oda news if we all agree 2 decease frm crime, d prison wil b an empty space n palace 4 d warders. So let @all SAY NO TO CRIME !!

You are right but you are also naïve. It's not only criminals or people convicted who are in prison. You can never tell, only prayers can help you from unforeseen circumstances.

Mee234:
The state of Nigeria prison is bad but the first look like some where other than a prison. That pic is too clear. ATM cells are too dark for this kind of pix. Moreover they don't sleep like that. Prisoners lay on their back with legs slithly apart while another sleeps in between the legs with the head on the tummy or chest of the person he is sleeping on. He too have his legs apart for the next person.
Those who are doubting the first picture are not wrong.

I can guess you are referring to police cells. That first pic look like a real Nigeria prison. Prisons have lights and good ventilation but the rooms are too small, hence they are over crowded particularly rooms for awaiting trials.

its a lie!!! There's someone there with 3,500# jean....I thot prisoners wear uniforms

cyco05: its a lie!!! There's someone there with 3,500# jean....I thot prisoners wear uniforms

People awaiting trials don't wear uniform because they have not been found guilty or convicted or sentenced by a magistrate. Some people can be there also because they were unable to meet their bail condition in the courtroom.

ujoinme: they should apply to be transfered to the akwa ibom new prison. i bet the condition there is better. lol

Of all developments na Prison and MOPOL base Akpabio carry come my village, chai we don suffer

Bros, there is a difference between police cell and prison. I have been privileged to work with organizations that help prison inmates in skill development and also provision of lawyers for inmates that cannot afford one. Like I said earlier, some of them are really overpopulated but they are not subjected to the kind of inhumane treatment like the picture depicts.

Imanuelle:

i didn't want to comment till I saw your post.
Listen up mister, I have been there.
The one I got locked up in, wasn't this wide, we were 31guys and 2 girls, we all couldn't sleep at once at night , so we rationed it.



For those who think they're undressed because they don't have clothes, forget it, the Nigerian police only allows you to go in with boxers and singlet.

How real and how True is these pictures and story, if indeed it is the Truth, which cell or Prison yard is this? we need facts here, because this is an emergency matter and as such we should not be waiting for any media house to make it an issue for us, because its already as worst as it can be, and that on its own is already an issue.

We are the youths and leaders of today not tomorrow, we ve to help our generation. We are spending our time, resources, and energy everyday online, on the social media, we aren't joking here, we are doing serious business.

I beg the OP to please give us more facts on this issue so that we can call the attention of the relevant authorities. Once it goes viral on social media, even President Barrack Obama of the USA wouldn't have any choice than to react, thank you.

I remember wen i was in der shoes at the Port Harcour prison,just for holdn a stolen fone for a frend while he plays ball. The first day we got 2d prison,and were escorted,the prisoners startd singing "KPOKPO DI KPO. U DON ENTER. TO COMOT E NO EASY" I tel u,dat was d worst song of ma life. And xperience so far. I tnk God i stayed for just 5days. But the oda guy was there fr up to a month.

elampiro:

I can guess you are referring to police cells. That first pic look like a real Nigeria prison. Prisons have lights and good ventilation but the rooms are too small, hence they are over crowded particularly rooms for awaiting trials.

No Bros. I'm taking about prison yard where they hold ATM IMMATE. U can't tell the difference between night and day. Ask those that have been to iyagoku.

Desric: How real and how True is these pictures and story, if indeed it is the Truth, which cell or Prison yard is this? we need facts here, because this is an emergency matter and as such we should not be waiting for any media house to make it an issue for us, because its already as worst as it can be, and that on its own is already an issue.

We are the youths and leaders of today not tomorrow, we ve to help our generation. We are spending our time, resources, and energy everyday online, on the social media, we aren't joking here, we are doing serious business.

I beg the OP to please give us more facts on this issue so that we can call the attention of the relevant authorities. Once it goes viral on social media, even President Barrack Obama of the USA wouldn't have any choice than to react, thank you.

Nigerian prisons: Horrors that inmates face

Friday, 21 October 2011

Abba Moro, Minister of Interior

Prisons are ideally reformative institutions, but the case is different in Nigeria. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Adebayo Waheed and Olalekan Olabulo write on the horrendous experiences by inmates of Nigerian prisons

A prison is not expected to be exactly a bed of roses as the inmates are there for penal purposes. But neither is it also supposed to be a bed of thorns and thistles meant to snuff life out of the occupants. However, for the 49,000 inmates in various Nigerian prisons (29,000 of whom are awaiting trial, while 856 are on death row), hell cannot be worse. The sanitary situation is not only repulsive but frighteningly demeaning and exposes the inmates to health hazards as inmates are forced to excrete in buckets and stay with their excreta for days. Feeding is a luxury, bathing a rarity, recreation zilch, reformation non-existent and privacy a privilege. Hence, most inmates leave the reformatory frail, fragile and with one debilitating disease or the other.

But that runs contrary to what the prison experience is meant to accomplish in the lives of those who transit through them. Prisons are essentially correctional and reformatory; they are not institutions for the dehumanisation of the incarcerated. According to the Nigerian Prison Act 1972, which spells out the goals and orientation of the Nigerian Prisons Service, prisons are charged with taking custody of those legally detained, identifying causes of their behaviour and retraining them to become useful citizens in the society. Apart from keeping inmates in custody, the prison officials hardly do any other thing as they are apparently not interested in the rationale behind the actions that got the inmates into prisons or bothered about retraining them.

In other climes, there is a difference between a jail and a prison; a jail is a transitional facility for those undergoing legal proceedings, those awaiting judgment on their trial. A prison, on the other hand, is for those whose judicial fate has been decided; those who have been convicted. Therefore, those whose trials are in progress and those whose trials have been decided should not ordinarily cohabit in the same facilities.

Nigerian Tribune findings revealed that the same correctional facilities are used both as jails and prisons in the country. There is no categorisation as those undergoing trial (called awaiting trial in local parlance), convicts and those already condemned to death are treated equally. They are all lumped together in various cells and stripped of their dignity. This is really because like all facilities in the country, the prisons amenities have been stretched beyond their original capacities. So, those undergoing trial are not treated any differently from those already convicted despite the fact that they might end up being left off the hook.

Thus, the prisons are brimming with inmates as there are more inmates than the original capacity of the prisons. For instance, the total inmates in the prisons in Lagos State are by far more than the number the prisons are meant to accommodate. As of Tuesday 18th of October 2011, there were 5,370 inmates at the Badagry Prison, Kirikiri Maximum, Kirikiri Medium, Kirikiri Female and Ikoyi prisons instead of the 2,945 they were built to rehabilitate.

A further breakdown of the inmates in Lagos prisons shows that 4,440 of all the total inmates are awaiting trial and are, therefore, not part of the plans of prison officials. The only thing that they get from the prison officials is food. They are not trained or allowed to undergo any vocational work. Just 936 inmates had been convicted and are facing jail terms, with about 70 of them condemned to death.
The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State command of the Nigeria Prison Service, Chuks Njoku, a Chief Superintendent of Prisons, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune stated that the major challenge confronting the state command was the congestion of the prisons.

A source at the Kirikiri Prisons informed the Nigerian Tribune that inmates at the prisons, especially those at Kirikiri Medium Prison, were not enjoying any form of rehabilitation. The source claimed that the number of inmates at the prison was by far more than the capacity of the prison. He added that the prison had a capacity of less than 2000 inmates but at present had more than 3000 inmates.
A top official at the Alagbon Lagos office of the Nigeria Prison Service, who pleaded anonymity, stated that the prisons were only rehabilitating the 936 inmates that had been convicted and that the 4440 who were awaiting trial were just languishing in the prison yards.

The prison official, however, blamed the congestion of the Nigeria prisons on the Criminal Justice System in Nigeria. He also accused the judiciary and the police of hiding under the ineffective justice system in the country to add to the woes of prison inmates. He called on the federal government to ensure a proper reform of the criminal justice system in the country

Nigerian Tribune learnt that the management of each of the prisons is always at its wits’ end concerning the welfare of the inmates because of scarce resources. The only respite for the managements comes from some Non-Governmental Organisations, religious organisations and public-spirited individuals who make infrequent donations to the correctional institutions.

It was gathered that the condemned convicts, some of who have been on death row for the past 15 years, are likely to be executed in six states across the country where gallows and shooting range are sited. The prisons are in Lagos, Abeokuta (Ogun State), Enugu, Benin (Edo State), Port Harcourt (Rivers State) and Kaduna.

The breakdown shows that Abeokuta has the largest number of condemned convicts of 143 living in eight cells, followed by the Kirikiri Maximum Prison with 79 from seven states; Enugu Prison has 53 living in 15 cells, Benin has 67 in eight cells, while Port Harcourt, Abia, Imo, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Ebonyi have 192 condemned convicts each.

At the Maximum Prison, Kirikiri, Lagos, there are 79 condemned convicts from seven states. The states are Oyo, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun, Edo, Delta and Port Harcourt.

Investigation revealed that under normal circumstance, three condemned convicts are expected to stay in a cell which is about 8 feet by 10 feet in dimension but because of the poor situation in between nine and 13 are put in a cell.

According to a source, consequent upon lack of space, no condemned convict can lie face down or up, they each have to lie down on one side all night. To worship, the convicts have no choice over where they face, Muslims and Christians face wherever they are placed, as there is no room for any of the worshipper (convict) to go beyond the specified spaces

Also because of space constraint, up to four condemned convicts are regularly put in solitary cells, which according to the Nigerian Tribune findings, are meant for convicts serving punishment.

It was out of the 38 solitary cells that the prison authorities cleared 19 for the 74 arrested members of the Boko Haram sect.

In Abeokuta Prison, there are five inmates convicted for armed robbery. A military tribunal set up by the military government before the advent of the fourth republic found them guilty and they were consequently sentenced to death. But after spending between 15 and 17 years, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

They are Lukmon Ajibola, who was convicted in May 16, 1995; Morufu Yusufu was convicted in May 16, 1995; Moshood Folaremi Oladipupo was convicted in September 1993; Paul Faforijin has been in a condemned cell since 1996; Asimiyu Babatunde since 1998; Musiliu Sule since 1990; Mathew Johnson since 1999, Funso Olanipekun since 1999, Julius Awe since 1999 and Dele Akinyele since 1999.

One of the inmates at the Maximum Prison, Kirikiri, Lukman Ajibola (75) was arrested on May 16, 1995 and sentenced to death on September 16, 1998. However, after spending 12years on death row, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on October 1, 2009.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the inmate had been moved from the cell to hospital for various ailments at various times. There was a time when he was partially blind and had stroke.

Origin of Nigerian prisons
The first prison in the country, the Broad Street Prison, was established by British colonialists in Lagos in 1872, with a capacity for 300 inmates. The inmates were meant to engage in manual labour in service of the colonial administration, and there were naturally no specially trained prison staff.

Between that time and 1910, additional prisons were established in Calabar, Sapele, Degema, Jebba, Onitsha, Lokoja, Benin and Ibadan. However, a document entitled Prison Regulation with a view to prescribing admission, custody, treatment and classification procedures, dieting, staffing and clothing was published in 1917 and, from 1937 onwards, attempts were made to modernise the prison system, with varying degrees of success.

Prior to the abolition of the Native Authority prisons in 1968 and the unification of the prison service, prisons in Northern Nigeria were administered by the Director of Prisons in the South Northern Inspector General of Police in the North. By 1972, a decree (Decree No 9 of 1972) established the mandate of the Nigeria Prison Service.
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/politics/30019-nigerian-prisons-horrors-that-inmates-face

One can conclude that the convicted have better life in prison than those awaiting trial or awaiting to perfect their bail. Those awaiting trials are far more and have less rooms and also are not being rehabilitated. What a world in Naija!

Mee234:
No Bros. I'm taking about prison yard where they hold ATM IMMATE. U can't tell the difference between night and day. Ask those that have been to iyagoku.

What is ATM inmates?

elampiro:

What is ATM inmates?

Awaiting trial inmates.

that place is called police cell..AKA SANKO, for those doubting the 1st pix, why not take a trip to d nearest state police headquarters to confirm, in case u don't know, Hell fire is Geographically located somewhere close to Nigeria.

Mee234:
Awaiting trial inmates.

Mehn see terms.

But this is horrible. Whys should awaiting trial inmates be subjected to such dehumanization? Anybody can be there for any reason. Take a simple scenario using a studen; you give a fellow student a lift in your car and he is found with substance like marijuana or your room mate is found with a stolen item. How are you going to explain your innocence? If you are unable to meet the demand of the IPO, you will be packaged together with the criminal and sent to court. Then the court may or may not grant bail and would want some sitting to hear the case before it can clear anyone. Then adjournment after adjournment and the innocent man languish in jail- Naija hell. There are a million and one reasons.

Naija we hail thee. Some of the innocent people will come out and be hardened if kept there for a long time under that condition.

iykak47: What is the difference between this and hell fire?

the big difference is Jesus can save here,but hell he cannot save u

Desric: How real and how True is these pictures and story, if indeed it is the Truth, which cell or Prison yard is this? we need facts here, because this is an emergency matter and as such we should not be waiting for any media house to make it an issue for us, because its already as worst as it can be, and that on its own is already an issue.

We are the youths and leaders of today not tomorrow, we ve to help our generation. We are spending our time, resources, and energy everyday online, on the social media, we aren't joking here, we are doing serious business.

I beg the OP to please give us more facts on this issue so that we can call the attention of the relevant authorities. Once it goes viral on social media, even President Barrack Obama of the USA wouldn't have any choice than to react, thank you.

good point! i am with you on this, this is a total violation of their human rights, lets make it go viral, here in UK prison this kinda thing will never happen the prison governo will be sacked immideately

It looks like,the last shipment of slaves to the new world.

Gracias!!!!

most of them becames gay from this kind prison.

nigeria jaga jaga

Nigerian Youths wake up, We have no other
country except Nigeria, We have been suffering
in silence while our Leaders put our future in
their bank accounts. How can we remain like
this? How can a youth go to school and suffered
to graduate at the end no job. You are almost 40
and still your future is as bleak as a dark room.
Did your parents send you to school to sit at
home because our Government have failed us.
Let us come out one day and say No. We must
not remain like this, we cannot all travel abroad to
find a better life, our better life is here in our
country. We have the money, oil and resources
but only a selected few have continue to suck it
dry why we keep believing God for a change,
wake up now I challenge you. We need 500,000
youths in each of the 36states to challenge the
Government. We say NO, we need rebuild this
nation, we will vacate those who stand on our
way as they are considered the enemy. A man
cannot have billions of naira while millions of
youths roam the streets every day looking for
daily bread. Our young men must not all be
kidnappers, our young girls must not all be
prostitutes. Get Ready I tell you. The time has
come for us to react, the only way our
Government listens is violence, they have shown
it to the Niger delta militants and now they are
planning to show it to the boko haram..whereas a
simple gesture of N20,000 per month to the
unemployed was rejected and you pay militants
N75,000 per month. How much do they pay as
minimum wage? How much do they pay to
elected officers, we are going to revolt. Nigeria
will burn to be rebuilt again like Libya, Iraq,
Egypt and Tunisia...please spread this message
unless you want to die in poverty in a country
where God has destined all of us to be happy and
prosperous...!!!pls join the group on facebook
tagged "nigerian youths movement for
revolution" Pls send this msg to all ur forum,
groups on facebook, 2go, whatsapp, twitter, and
social messengers, cos anytin can happen o!!!
The time is right for us all to say no bad
governance who take the youths for grante

......and they say we should do away with capital punishment? Not when our prisons are this congested.

elampiro:

You are right but you are also naïve. It's not only criminals or people convicted who are in prison. You can never tell, only prayers can help you from unforeseen circumstances.

implication here and ther, may God save us from all sort of problem. May we never encounter anything that will make us element of prison. May God deliver those that are suffering for the sin they did not comit, may justice be done soonest.

So can the OP tell us the exact name of that prison?

This nonsense you guys do to spoil Nigeria's image has to stop! One is a Kenyan prison, the other is Malawian.
www.foreignprisoners.com/prison-africa.html

The moderators should correct the rubbish and apologise. www.foreignprisoners.com/prison-africa.html

Neroze: Wow!!!..dis is gross! While in Us ppl intentionally commit crime to go enjoy d luxury of camping in a prison there, naija is nothing to ryt home abt.

Those prisons are not Nigerian
www.foreignprisoners.com/prison-africa.html

the first pic is Maula Prison in Lilongwe, Malawi
www.poyi.org/63/11/ae03.php

Moderators confess and ask for forgiveness.

BUSH MAN: good point! i am with you on this, this is a total violation of their human rights, lets make it go viral, here in UK prison this kinda thing will never happen the prison governo will be sacked immideately

You are a fool go to Malawi and protest because these are not Nigerian prisons. You fools are quick to believe any Negative news about Nigeria but scrutinize the positive ones. Those are prisons in Malawi you fool!

I talked with a guy who was in prisons in Sweden for 4yrs. Mehn wen he told me abt d place, I knew if it was in Nigeria unemployed youths wld commit crime just 2 b there. Painful no pictures bt I would say it as I was told

The prison is bigger dan the university of benin( 4 thoseof u who kn hw big uniben is), it has a supermarket bigger dan shoprite, where d in mates go and shop 2ce a week.

Inmates are given daily variety of foods 4 evry meal, like u could have, bread, club sandwich, scourged egg, or rolls with tea or coffee 4 brkfast with either butter, jam, or a different paste. OR u can decide to cook ur own meal in a well equipped (all u need) clean kitchen, buying ur food stuff fr the supermarket.

Evry romm has a 42" plasma tv, a bed and I tink a table (can't remember) there's a well equipped 3.2 and 1 bedroom flat so ur family (rooms allocated depending on hw large ur family is) can com stay fr a. Day -1 week.

You hav the choice of either sleeping in your room each day or goin to work ( whch is beta as u get 2 b paid more mony) outside d weekly mony the government provides u so u can do ur weekly shopping. My frnd fr thos little stipend was able to save 2million naira by the time he was comin to Nigeria.


There's a well equipped hospital where surgeries are carried out,a well equipped gym and sports center 4 workout. Inmates can move about( although arnd restricted areas) fr 7 am wen their cells are opend til 8pm wen dey lock dem in again. There are diff factories and industries where these prisons can work and acquire skills.


Abeg tel me, this kind place b lik prison?

what is enjoyable with this?am sure people with die from armpit smell...

collynzo2: You are a fool go to Malawi and protest because these are not Nigerian prisons. You fools are quick to believe any Negative news about Nigeria but scrutinize the positive ones. Those are prisons in Malawi you fool!

It is bad to call him a fool. Whether the pics are of Nigerian prisons or not, the situation and conditions are not any different. How many prisons have you visited in your life? You have no idea what innocent people are going through now as you type.

It's not an argument for Nigeria image that is the point here but trying to help your fellow human to a healthy life.

I don,t blame, the govt, is there any of their relative there? Not at all. God will help the poor in no distance time