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Defence/Security

Congestion: Prisons controller urges cooperation among enforcement agencies

 

 

Congestion: Prisons controller urges cooperation among enforcement agencies

Congestion

By Leonard Okachie

Umuahia, May 22, 2019 (NAN) Mr Julius Ezugwu, Controller of Prisons, Abia Command, has called for cooperation among the law enforcement agencies, to address the problem of prison congestion.

Ezeugwu made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia, on Wednesday.

He said congestion was a major problem confronting the Nigerian Prisons Service, adding that many of the nation’s prisons were congested because they had inmates more than the capacities they were originally built for.

The controller said that what happened in the prisons was the product of the society, “Most of us by our actions and in-actions are contributing to the problem of prison congestion’’.

He attributed the congestion to criminalizing petty offences by some of the agencies involved in the criminal justice system.

The controller said some of those agencies did not understand what the law says about minor offences.

Ezugwu insisted that lack of awareness among the enforcement agencies had led to the incarceration of innocent citizens.

“The irony is that some of them are not well informed about offences that not supposed to be criminalised.

“And such offences because they don’t have legal representation, they are made to be remanded in prison custody.

“If there is awareness and synergy among the agencies in the criminal justice system, some citizens will not be unnecessarily put in prison,” Ezeugwu said.(NAN)

LEO/VIV/IFY
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Editing by Vivian Ihechu/Ifeyinwa Omowole

Defence/Security

Organisation trains 1,000 prison officials on human rights

Organisation trains 1,000 prison officials on human rights
By Awayi Kuje
Rights
Keffi (Nasarawa State), Sept. 26, 2018 (NAN) An Abuja-based Prisons and Human Rights Group, Uchefem Consult, says that the organisation has trained not less than 1,000 prison officials on human rights protection in the last two years.
The Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Mr Uche Owete, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the ongoing five-day training organised for 30 police, prisons and judicial officers on the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJA) on Wednesday in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
Owete explained that the training was organised to effect serious and durable changes in the sector for the overall benefit of prison and justice systems.
He also said that the training was to bring together the police investigation and prosecution segment, the lower courts, particularly Magistrates, where the bulk of criminal cases are tried and the prisons where persons are held for a long time without trial.
“We developed the Human Rights training manual and Guide in 2015 for officials of Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS).
“We started the training in 2016 on human rights based on the manuals conducted for officials of NPS in all training institutions in Lagos, Enugu, Owerri, and Lagos and also the Prison Academy in Ijebu-Igbo.
“In 2017, same training was conducted at Zonal commands of NPS comprising of group of states such as Oyo, Rivers and Kaduna, among others.
“So far, almost 1,000 officials of NPS have benefited directly or indirectly from our training on human rights protection.
“Now in 2018, a combined training on the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJA) and Human Rights for 30 police, prisons and judiciary in order to avoid human rights violation,’’ he said.
Owete added that the training is expected to increase the cross-sectorial coordination, competences and capacities of major criminal justice actors to effect serious and durable changes in the sector for the overall benefit of the Nigerian Prison Service and the justice system.
“Assured of shared responsibilities by these actors with a view of changing justice landscape and reduce human rights violations.
“Ensure police observance of human rights standards during interrogation, detention and trial would be reduced drastically and high light the major innovations in criminal administration in Nigeria, among others objectives,” Owete said.
He commended the Swiss Government through its embassy in Nigeria for its support and funding for the training.
NAN reports that the training was organised with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). (NAN)
AKW/FF/MST
Edited by Fela Fashoro/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

NPS establishes second female prison in Nigeria

NPS establishes second female prison in Nigeria
NAN-H-21
Prison
Yola, March 29, 2017 (NAN) The Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) on Wednesday announced the establishment of a second all-female prison in Nigeria.
Mr Peter Tenkwa, the Controller of NPS in Adamawa, confirmed the development in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola.
Tenkwa said that the development followed the ongoing restructuring of the Nigeria Prison Services to be gender sensitive.
“The Nigerian Prisons Service has established the second female prison in Nigeria after that of Kiri-kiri Female Prison in Lagos.
“The Numan Old Prison in Adamawa is now the second female prison in Nigeria with a total capacity of 400 inmates; currently there are six inmates in the prison,’’ Tenkwa said.
He said that seven out of the 17 prisons in the state were destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgency when he assumed duty in June 2016.
According to him, with the collaboration of state government and the prison department the Mubi, Maiha and Ganye prisons were renovated and put back to operation.
Tenkwa said that Mubi, Maiha and Ganye prisons currently had 184, 43 and 145 inmates, respectively.
NAN reports that sequel to establishment of the female prison in Numan, the male prisoners in the Numan Old Prison were taken to a new prison that had be opened in Numan. (NAN)
AMA/VIV/TA
Edited by Vivian Ihechu/Tajudeen Atitebi

Judiciary

Congestion: Nasarawa CJ deploys judges to prisons for special sittings

Congestion: Nasarawa CJ deploys judges to prisons for special sittings

NAN-H-51
Prisons
By Sunday John
Lafia March 7, 20167 (NAN) The Chief Judge (CJ) of Nasarawa State, Justice Suleiman Dikko, has deployed High Court Judges to hear cases in prisons yards, so as to reduce the number of inmates awaiting trial.

Dikko announced this  measure on Tuesday at the Lafia Prison, when he commenced his four-day working tour of the four Federal Prisons in the state.

He attributed the delay in justice administration to the “action and inaction of some stakeholders in the judicial system”.

Dikko particularly noted that the police still assign robbery and culpable homicide cases to lower courts even when they were aware that the courts did not have jurisdiction over such matters.

He decried the rising cases of missing files of some inmates charged over capital offences in lower courts, and regretted that some had not been taken to courts for more than three years.

Dikko directed that such cases be immediately transferred to the High Courts.

He also advised judges, who send accused to prison on matters that are bailable, to desist so as not to tarnish the image of the judiciary.

He said that the purpose of the visit was to ensure that inmates wrongly sent to prison were set free in accordance with the relevant laws.

The CJ urged the welfare department of every prison to get phone numbers of relatives of inmates that were granted bail, but had yet to leave the prisons.

He assigned a counsel to awaiting trial inmates that had stayed in remand for many years because they lacked the money to engage a counsel, so as to speed up their trial.

Earlier, Mr Ekwere Ekanem, Controller of Prisons in Nasarawa State, had thanked the CJ and his team for the visit, and expressed the hope that those released would live good lives outside the yard.

He complained that the Lafia Prison, like other prisons in the state, was heavily congested, pointing out that the facilities were not enough to cater for the growing number of inmates.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that officials of  the National Human Rights Commission and Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, private lawyers and judges accompanied Dikko on the visit. (NAN)

SDJ/DO/ETS

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Edited by David Onilede and Ephraims Sheyin