These desperate officials are apparently not bothered by press identification card. While visitors groan under these constant demands, no matter the number of times they visit in a week, the prison officials, every day, are laughing all the way to the banks.
According to sources, this business had been going on for ages and every Comptroller General of Prison has always turned blind eyes to these happenings.
Aside from family members raising money to buy required food items, clothing and drugs for their relatives in the prison, they also must raise money to give the prison officials.
Ironically, before entry into the prison yard at Ikoyi Prison, a notice is placed at the door of the gate. The notice reads, “VISIT IS FREE.” But
none
of the officials give a hoot about the notice. If a visitor doesn’t
pay, he or she would be ignored. Some of the officers collect N200 and
above per visitor.On December 17, 2015, New Telegraph visited Ikoyi Prison. It was discovered that the payment starts from the entrance to the prison premises.
This entrance is manned by mobile police officers. After asking series of questions, one of the policemen said: “You have to find us something… an amount worthy to buy Gulder.”
After leaving there, the visitor is directed to a reception area. This place is a bit crowded, with some visitors sitting and others standing. There is a table where a prison official sits, waiting to hand over requisition form to visitors.
The form is to write down names and cell numbers of the inmates they came to see. As the prison official gives out the form, another official collects the form.
He, however, returned the form of New Telegraph reporter, insisting money should be placed inside it. Once a visitor walks through the gate, there is a corridor before the main prison yard.
At this corridor, a desk and another set of officials are by the left side. One of the official was in charge of collecting money. He even gives out change.
His partner, in mufti, collects and tags phones of visitors. After leaving that junction, there is another set of prison officials. This point had women and men. A basket is placed conspicuously near the female warders. Female visitors are searched by the female warders at this point, while men are searched by male warders.
The items and food brought by the visitors are also checked at this point. Every visitor is expected to drop money into the basket by the wardresses’ side. On this particular day, three female officers were on duty. When this journalist finally reached inside the yard, the inmate was called out.
The visitors are ushered into a waiting room. Money is also paid here. In fact, the money is collected by an inmate in prison uniform and handed over to a prison official. A prison source said: “They even extort, depending on the make of a visitor’s car, dressing or spoken English. Guests who cried out of worry or fear for their imprisoned relations are extorted more. They exploit the person’s fear. They add coals of fire to the fear.
“These officials split themselves into groups; they are stationed at every point. They do this in connivance with the highest authority in the prison. They later share the money according to their ranks.”
The source further revealed that sometimes these officials collect money from family members, promising to put their relations in a ‘better cell’. “They give account numbers to family members, to remit money in order to take care of their relation, who is an inmate,” said the source.
The source added that sometimes, the officials synergise with cell marshals, to torture an inmate perceived to be rich. “The inmate is tortured by the marshal in his cell. While torturing him, they would give him phone to call his family.
As they torture him, he would be screaming on the phone, causing panic among his family members. The marshal will tell the inmate that they would kill him in the prison if he didn’t tell his family to bring money.
This torture sometimes leads to death. The money is shared between the cell marshal and the warders,” a prison official told New Telegraph.
Pastor Darlington Ajitemisan, a former prison Chaplain and human rights activist said: “Extortion of inmates’ visitors is done in every prison. These prison officials don’t call it bribe.
They call it appreciation. I have witnessed it for years.” The founder of Stephen and Solomon Foundation, known for assisting in the decongestion of Nigerian Prisons, provision of free legal services for indigent inmates and reformation, Gabriel Giwa-Amu, said: “I confirm it that extortion, bribery and corruption go on in the prison. And it’s not limited to Ikoyi Prison. Stealing and eating of inmates’ food also go on in the prison. “Pilfering and stealing of allowances meant for inmates also go on in prison. This is carried out by prison warders.
This, however, doesn’t mean that every warder participates in this. “On our own part, we made facilities available to these warders to encourage them in their work and check extortions. In 2013, they alleged they extorted inmates’ visitors because they needed money for table and chairs.
We provided tables and chairs valued at N18 million for the three yards; medium, female and Ikoyi.” Giwa-Amu noted that at another time, the prison officials alleged that they extorted because there was no ambulance to take inmates to hospital. “We donated an ambulance to Ikoyi Prison.
So, if you put all these together, every area, which was excuse to extort money, we tried to provide. But because they are the ones that actually need reformation and rehabilitation, it’s difficult for them to change. Government is not focusing on the attitude of the prison warders”, he said.
The reformist said he was disappointed to have also discovered that bags of Indian hemp were being smuggled into the prison yards by prison warders. He said: “Go ahead and quote me!
A bag of Indian hemp sells for N200,000 in the yard. There’s heavy trafficking every week in the prison yards, especially Ikoyi Prison.
A prison warder was once convicted for this. The prison needs reformation. Now that we have this high profile Dasukigate case in which many suspects may end up as inmates, I hope they’ll buy washing machines and satellites for the prisons.
Instead of keeping them in the Department of State Services (DSS) cells, pampering them, they should take them to Ugwusia Prison. They should be charged to court and remand them in Kaduna Prison and other terrible prisons that need reformation. Nobody should use Lagos State Command Prisons as examples of prisons in Nigeria.
Lagos State prison is heaven compared to prisons in Ukwuale, Sapele, Abakaliki, Auchi and the rest. Kuje Prison is a new prison. Ikoyi Prison is a two star hotel compared to these ones.” Reacting to the incidents, the Nigerian Prison Services spokesman, Enobore Francis, said that Nigerians had been warned repeatedly never to give money to any prison official before seeing inmates.
He urged victims of such practices to endeavour to get the names of the prison officials and lodge a complaint. He added: “It’s illegal for anyone to ask to pay money.
Once anyone asks you to pay money, ask for the officer in charge. We’ve made it very clear to our officers: visit to prisoners is absolutely free! What we don’t allow is anybody going in with prohibited items. Don’t go there with prohibited items and abide by the rules.
“What are the rules? The language you speak with the inmate you went to visit should be in the language the prison warder understands, or there should be an interpreter.
They’ll search you. If you bring in food, you’ll have to taste it. Outside that, nobody is expected to collect one naira from any visitor. If any person wants to demand for money, ask for the officer in charge.”
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