Kirikiri Prisons
Inmates at the Kirikiri
Maximum Prisons, Lagos, are
being forced to pay for their
transport to the court for
appearances, following the
breakdown of the truck
attached to the facility.
It was learnt that the prison
occupants, particularly the
Awaiting Trial Inmates, were
made to pay varying
amounts of money from N200
to N500 as transport levy.
The maximum prisons have
about 2,500 inmates, most of
who are Awaiting Trial
Inmates.
Sources told our
correspondent that the
prison wardens coerced the
inmates into paying the levy
by threatening not to take
any uncooperative person to
court on his due date.
It was learnt that some of
the inmates had to place
phone calls to their family
members who sent recharge
card PINs which they sold to
fellow detainees to raise the
levy.
A source said, “The prison
wardens informed the
inmates that there was no
Black Maria to take them to
court and the only way the
inmates could be transported
to court was for them to
contribute money.
“So, each inmate was asked
to contribute between N200
and N500 to enable the
wardens arrange the
vehicles that would convey
them on the date they were
due to appear in court for
their trial. If the prison
authorities investigate this
extortion, they will uncover
the truth.”
But the Prison Service Public
Relations Officer, Francis
Eneboro, denied the
allegation that inmates were
asked to contribute money,
adding that his inquiry at the
prisons indicated that no
such thing happened.
He said, “I have spoken with
the officer in-charge and he
denied that such a thing
happened. But I have asked
him to investigate the
allegation to be sure that
unscrupulous officers are
not using his name to
perpetrate such thing.
“The prison service does
not condone acts of
indiscipline and I can assure
you that the allegation
cannot be true.”
A number of inmates were
reportedly killed at the
prison in October 2014, after
soldiers were called in to
quell a riot that broke out
among the inmates.
The prison authorities,
however, denied reports
that inmates died; and
subsequently set up a panel
to investigate the cause of
the riot. Six months after,
however, the findings of the
committee have yet to be
released.
http://www.punchng.com/feature/lagos-pulse/kirikiri-inmates-forced-to-pay-for-transport-to-court/

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