Crime has been since
the inception of the world. Certain individuals will always deviate from the
established norms and laws of the land. Eventually when such people are made to
face the full wrath of the law, with various judgments verdict meted on them
depending on the gravity of their crimes, the unfortunate ones meet their
waterloo facing the ultimate price of capital punishment while the fortunate
are sentenced to a confinement to serve one term or the other. This confinement
is what we refer to as a prison which is expected to be a correctional
facility. Over the years the Nigerian prisons has evolved from being a
rehabilitation center to a hell on earth. The harrowing experience as narrated
by those people who had passed nights in any maximum home in Nigeria tells us
that it is an eye sore. Just like every sector of the Nigerian economy that
needs revamping, the Nigerian prisons needs utmost attention from all tiers of
government to make it function efficiently and effectively.
Tunde (not real name)
and management team of his bank had a nasty experience in one of the most
notorious correctional facilities in south-west Nigeria in July 2014. Tunde, a system analyst by profession had
discovered fraud perpetrated in his bank which he dutifully reported to the appropriate
authority. Rather than setting up a panel to investigate the fraud, the
authorities concerned had invited the Nigerian police to arrest every senior
staff of the bank. Tunde’s graphic details of the three nights of horror he
spent in prison yard reveals the pitiful state of Nigerian remand homes. In his
words, he refers to prison walls as a nightmare where he won’t ever wish his
enemy visit. He recounts event that characterize his three nights in
confinement in a sober mood.
Day 1: His first
night which was a Monday, immediately after writing his statement and
subsequent oiling of the pockets of the policemen on duty, Tunde and others
arrested were given orientation of what to expect in their cells. Cloths given
to them must be worn in opposite to avoid being dirty as laundry was hardly
done. On entering the cell, heads must be bow down as a mark of respect for
inmates and await orders from the commander in the cell to lift your head up or
else a devastating slap awaits whoever forgets the first rule of the jungle
from the another inmate called the OC Torture. An impending registration with
money will only guarantee your space allocation within the prison cells. After
their orientation, Tunde and his bosses were taken to their respective cells. They walked past the “Open Cell” which
according to the policeman on duty was meant for the rich and comfortable.
Cheerfully the policeman told these new visitors that so many big wigs and
influential people in Nigeria deceased and alive had once slept in the open
cell of the facility. While Tunde was taken to Cell 7, his bosses became new
arrival in Cell 4. Tunde quickly acclimatized into his environment that night
as a result of the first-hand information he got from the police, bowing down
his head on stepping into the cell and awaiting instructions from the commander
to lift up his head. After his registration, the OC Torture allocated a space
that fits only a dog to sleep that night. In his words, I thought the world has
come to an end, as there was darkness everywhere, only voices were being heard.
You dare step on the feet of other inmates; a mike tyson’s blow would put you
into your right senses. All he could wish for that night was to pray for the
sunrise of the following morning, only then will the reality of his new but
temporary home dawn on him.
Day 2: It was a
Tuesday, immediately the cock started crowing unaware of the time but not too
deep in his sleep, the much expected roll call of all inmates by the policeman
on shift awakes Tunde. From cell 4, he heard voices of his senior colleagues at
the bank answering with the phrase “present sir” when called. A new arrival in
cell 6 perhaps fast asleep had forgotten to answer when his name was called,
all the policeman shouted was OC Torture cell 6. Tunde described the horrific
events that followed the call of the policeman as barbaric, the walls of cell 7
started vibrating as the OC Torture unleash mayhem on the new inmate, all he
heard was a voice of a man in pains repeatedly shouting “present sir” after he
had gotten the beatings of his life. It was now the turn of inmates in cell 7
where Tunde was. He got the rude shock of his life when the roll call was made
and he found out that seven brothers of the same parent were housed in his own
cell. Whatever offence those brothers had committed, Tunde could not phantom
when he left cell 7 three days later. All he knew was that they had not been
charged to court. After the roll call everything went quiet, our new guest of
cell 7 could not differentiate if it was morning or night but he had started to
see faintly realizing how overcrowded his cell was, the toilet facility for his
cell was at a corner with no door. No wonder disgusting and foul smell had
engulfed the vicinity. In the midst of this unhygienic environment cell mates
eat and drink. If your relation abandons you, one will go hungry for days;
every man is on his own. From the corner where the commander of the cell was
sitting, he had beckon on Tunde to come using his hands. He explained that he
was the leader of the cell, and as long as he tunde abides by the existing
protocols in the cell, his stay will be trouble free. He went further by saying
I am the leader of this cell because I am the strongest physically and I only
appoints my OC Torture and treasurer who keeps money. If any one comes into my
cell and beats me up in a fight, automatically he becomes the new commander.
Poor Tunde was physically in the cell listening to the do’s and don’ts of the
cell but his mind set was cast on his family who he believes where doing
everything possible to secure his release. Few hours later he was brought out
from the cell to the counter for further investigation, it was then he realized
that it was mid-day. Because of the unpleasant situation in the cell, tunde
took the decision to drink energy drinks to prevent him from using the toilets
if eventually returned to the cell. As expected junior colleagues in the office
reimbursed tunde and his bosses with more cash, even the new set of policemen
on duty were tipped to give these bankers preferential treatments. On
re-entering cell 7, the leader of the cell had asked tunde in pidgin “Wetin you
come bring for us from your people”. Without hesitating, he generously released
large sum of money, this impressed the commander and he order the OC Torture to
re-allocate a better space for tunde by ejecting the present occupant. The
space was much better than the Monday’s night experience, somewhere closed to
the wall of the cell where he could lean on. Aside from a particular inmate who
chorused the hit song “AYE” of popular star “DAVIDO” for hours in the cell to
bring humor, Tunde’s account of prison walls was boredom, all he could do was
to close his eyes and pray fervently for a miracle.
Day 3: After the
usual roll call, the agony of a man under extreme torture to confess to a crime
had rented the air. In the process of torture, the victim had shouted claiming,
he had just killed someone that morning, jokingly one policeman had replied the
man by saying “You wey dey for prison since last week, how come you go kill
somebody for town”. What follow next was sarcastic laughter by the policeman. Except
for the crying and wailing of the victim which occasionally push tunde out of
his deep thought, the third day which was a Wednesday was like eternity. He
spent the whole day inside, no sign of light. This he said afforded him the
opportunity of observing series of words written on the cell walls. A
particular name had caught his attention, the thug from his description claimed
to have slept in all cells in the facility except for cell 10. At every time he was ushered into the cell,
he claimed to have to emerged the commander and predicted when likely he was
going to be arrested, would have loved to be an inmate of cell 10. This baffled
tunde for a long time, why will any sane individual love to live in this God
forsaken place? Occasionally he will seek God’s intervention in prayers until
he dose off.
Day 4: On Thursday,
both Tunde and other senior management team were bailed, having discovered that
they were not accomplice in the fraud perpetrated in their bank.
On eventual release,
Tunde broke down and was treated for heat rash, malaria, cough, catarrh and
blurred vision. Today his story tells us the miniature view of the pathetic
case of most correctional homes in the country. If people like Tunde who spent
just three nights never had a pleasant experience, how much more those who have
been sentenced to serve certain number of years behind bars? What story will
they tell? Behind bars they passed through hell yet when they are released we
stigmatized them as ex-convicts. Some, their families abandon them, no employer
of labor will give them jobs, no parent will give the hands of their daughter
in marriage etc. Aren’t we encouraging them to commit greater crimes and go
back to where they belong? Finally
government as a matter of urgency needs to fix our prisons by ensuring it is
adequately funded and renovated. It is a place of rehabilitation not a place
for condemnation. For those of us that values our freedom, stay out of crime.
DON’T
GET MAD, GET A LAYWER!!! GOD BLESS
NIGERIA MY COUNTRY!!!
Babafemi
Samuel (princefm@live.com)
Web
developer/programmer, writer.
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