Penultimate Sunday, the Koton Karfe Minimum Prison in Kogi state came under a heavy attack for the second time in two years. During the Sunday raid carried out by gunmen suspected to be terrorists, a total of 144 inmates were set free. According to media reports, the gunmen stormed the facility at about 9.00 pm in four Hilux vehicles armed to the hilt with sophisticated weapons. They raided the location for about two hours unchallenged and vandalised the record office. In the 2012 attack on the prison formation established in 1918 to accommodate only 50 inmates, over a hundred prisoners including those awaiting trial were set free.
Reacting to the development, the comptroller-general of Prisons, Aminu Suley, lamented that the attackers found it easy to carry out the operation because the prison was overcrowded. He said: “Some of the inmates were not supposed to be here in the first instance. It is saddening that out of the 144 inmates, only 26 were convicted. The remaining 119 were awaiting trial.”
The state Governor, Captain Idris Wada, who visited the facility, observed: “I must say that the condition of the prison is absolutely not conducive. A criminal must be made to face the consequences of his sins but not in this manner.” He promised to use his constitutional powers to release some of the inmates and charged the chief judge, Justice Nasir Ajanah, to do the same. He also appealed to the federal government to act on the early completion of the ongoing construction work at the facility.
Although the gunmen have not been identified, the question is: “Was the facility harbouring suspected terrorists?” This is because the raid bears Boko Haram’s imprimatur. It would be recalled that on September 7, 2010, a fully armed gang of Boko Haram militants stormed the Bauchi Prison and overpowered the personnel. At the end of their mission, executed in a commando style, they freed a total of 100 of their members, who had been detained for over a year without trial along with 620 others.
The disclosure by the comptroller-general of prisons that of the 144 inmates at the Koton Karfe Prison, only 26 have been convicted speaks volumes about the terrible conditions of the various prison formations across the country. Most jailbreaks recorded in the country have occurred in “Awaiting Trial” sections of the prisons. The Nigerian prisons are not administered as institutions that could reform offenders and prepare them to rejoin the society as better citizens.
Among several factors responsible for prison congestions are: frequent adjournments of cases, partly due to everlasting investigations by the prosecuting police personnel who are mostly ill-trained or badly equipped for their assignments; inadequate court houses; shortage of personnel at the bench; recording of court proceedings in long hand in 21st Century Nigeria; frequent strikes by judicial staff due to poor remunerations and unsatisfactory conditions of service.
Going to prison should not mark the end of the life of a suspect or convict. In advanced countries, the prison is a place of reform and reflection. It enables the wrongdoer to think about what he has done and decide to turn a new leaf to become a responsible citizen. In such climes, there are well-equipped and well-administered prisons. The health conditions of the prisoners are taken care of. They are well fed and oftentimes taught skills. With the skills and education acquired, they fend for themselves after leaving prison. There are several instances of persons who came out of prison with university or polytechnic degrees /diplomas.
The relevant authorities must address the constraints and challenges hampering the quick dispensation of justice as a matter of urgency. Chief judges in various states are also advised to make routine visits to jailhouses with a view to looking into cases that have overstayed in courts. They are equally to expand the judicial space by setting up mobile courts to try minor offences. Suspended sentences and granting of parole are also some of the options the courts can consider. As it is said, justice delayed is justice denied.
