NIGERIAN PRISON? PRAY NEVER TO FALL A VICTIM!

Several years ago, I was involved in humanitarian visits to hospitals and prisons, thenceforth, I knew what it meant not to have, what it meant to be seriously sick, and what it meant to imprisoned. We would go in groups to pray for the sick and empathize with the incarcerated. Few years later, as kismet would have it, I had a personal experience with a police cell. I was locked up in Ijebu-Jesa police cell, not for any crime-related offence though, largely by mere happenstance, before my transfer to Ilesha police cell directly opposite Nigeria Prison Service, Ilé-Ifè road, Ilesha all in the State of Osun. I knew what it meant to be incarcerated for the days I spent in the cell. 

Prior to my personal experience more than a decade ago, the deplorable condition of the Nigerian prisons and by extension police cells were next to scummy and despicable. Juxtaposing a 15-year experience with what is obtainable today, coupled with the outright neglect and dereliction of our prison system will leave no doubt of the apogee of our precipitating values. This is not about blaming a particular leadership, rather a corollary of yesteryears rot and decay in our value system. The Nigerian state has failed in all ramifications! You hardly can talk about any segment without a total fiasco stirring you in the face. The question then is whither do we go from here?

The prison system is established largely to serve as a form of character reform for any individual who finds himself or herself into its four walls. But contrary to its mandate, the reverse has been the case. You go to prisons, you cannot but feel sorry for its inmates. Even for those individuals who have been convicted to die by whatever means, it is only humane that such people are treated well, they are taken care of in terms of feeding and well-being. Apart from the ugly fact that several of our prison inmates are still awaiting trials, a number of which far outweighs those convicted, the living condition of these hapless guys are nothing to write home about. A situation where we have more than 20 inmates clustered in one not-so-ventilated room tells only ONE thing- that our system is terribly horrendous!

Can anyone imagine what the guy standing here could be doing? Your guess is as good as mine, the poor guy was simply relieving his heavy bladder. You can further imagine the myriads of sicknesses these chaps would be faced with. This is not to talk about the grotesque working condition of the prison officials. These officers work with antiquated equipment and all the paraphernalia of office are nowhere to be found. And this accounts for why the spate of jail break these days seems to be sporadic and at its acme. Of late, over 100 inmates of Kontonkarfe prison, Kogi state were freed by God-knows-who with prison officers as well as those of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Service (NSCDC) losing their lives. Only yesterday, another one was witnessed in Ekiti state, this time with more meticulous strategy and highly sophisticated weaponry. How long do we use our security officials as collateral damage because the attacks stem mostly out of the poor condition of prison inmates?

Czar Wysdom, CFR, VoM, GGFR.....Àsę ñ t'Èdùmàrè