■ They pay N50,000 for special cells,
own generators for power supply
■ Sleep with women for a fee, hire
others as domestic servants
■ Our laws allow separate cells for
the rich –Prison authority
As Nigerians await the outcome of the
investigation panel inaugurated to look into
what led to the recent riot in Kirikiri
Medium Security prison, more facts have
continued to emerge on what really
transpired in the incident which claimed at
least three lives and more than 15 others
injured.
Coming to limelight are fresh claims by in­
mates and ex-inmates that there are
privileged or super prisoners in Nigerian
prisons, thus confirming the popular quote
in George Orwell’s Animal Farm that all
animals are equal but some are more
equal than the others. The Prison
authorities, however, deny this insisting
that no such thing happens in their
custody.
Investigations revealed that the prison riot
was caused by a move by the newly
posted Deputy Comptroller of Immigration,
Kayode Odeyemi to strip some privileged
prisoners of their privileges. Some inmates
also accused the prison warders of
diverting gifts meant for them for their
personal use, adding that most of the
materials seized from them by the DCP
were in turn sold to them secretly by the
same officials. They insisted that
preference was always given to some
inmates who are referred to as super or
privileged prisoners.
In a bid to authenticate claims by the
inmates, Saturday Sun spoke to some
ex-inmates most of whom were re-
arrested by the police while allegedly
committing another crime. One of such is
Obinna Enyinnaya who spent two years
and eight months in Kirikiri Medium prison.
Obinna was recently rearrested by
operatives of the Special Anti Robbery
Squad, Lagos police command two months
after he was released from prison. He was
picked up alongside seven others after
raiding a house in Lagos. He insists that
there are cells known as privileged cells.
In a chat with Saturday Sun, Obinna
recalled that while in prison, those
privileged cells were meant for those who
could pay N50,000 and above to secure a
space. “Those are meant for the big boys
who can buy the space for N50,000. They
are expected to be dropping money regu­
larly or lose the space. If I have money, I
can also secure one. They are the ones
who are allowed to use their private
generators, cook their food and make use
of table fans in their cells .
Another ex-inmate, Kayode Dada, who
spent 10 years in Abeokuta prison, claimed
that he served Otunba Gani Adams,
National Co-ordinator of Oodua Peoples
Congress (OPC) while he was in prison in
2003.
According to him, the OPC leader was one
of those referred to as super prisoners.
“These are big men in the society and due
to one reason or the other found
themselves behind the bar. When these
people come to prison, they find it difficult
to cope with the situation. They can’t fetch
water to bathe. They also find it difficult to
do other certain things. When they are
confronted with such situations, they now
give money to warders and prison officials
to pick some of us to help them carry out
these chores. During my time at Abeokuta
prison, Otunba Gani Adams was brought to
the prison. This was in 2003, I was among
other inmates that were assigned to be
assisting him. I was in the prison for 10
years, between 1995 and 2005 when
Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the then Ogun
State governor, granted me clemency”, he
added.
Culled from: www.sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=87768

Sofar they do not have freedom I do not envy them.

Even if na vvip life dey dere me and you no go enter by God's grace. Amin,Amen.