Born prisoners: Inmates’ children and stigma
Rita is fair in complexion, slim and of average height. Her long hair, falling straight down her back, caresses her shoulders. She is shy and finds it difficult to make eye contact. But her frequent smiles are not easy to forget. The smiles illuminate her face, highlighting her beauty.
She clutches her baby, who should be about six-month-old, to her chest. She holds her baby as a shield to avoid speaking for too long with anyone or looks at someone’s face.
The child gurgles and laughs at no particular reason. It was an infectious action, forcing Rita and the journalist speaking with her to join in the laughter.
Rita is one of those women, who had their babies in prison. Such
babies are automatically stigmatised by being called, ‘Omo Elewon.'
Rita said that she spent three years on awaiting trial and within those years, had her baby.
Asked who the father of her baby is, she flashed a smile, pretended to be intensely captivated by her baby’s antics and said: “It’s a long story. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t even like talking about my prison experiences. I don’t want to talk about my pregnancy, my baby or father of my baby. But I wasn’t impregnated by a prison warder or police while I was in their custody.”
When the journalist pressed her for further information, tears filled her eyes.Asked who the father of her baby is, she flashed a smile, pretended to be intensely captivated by her baby’s antics and said: “It’s a long story. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t even like talking about my prison experiences. I don’t want to talk about my pregnancy, my baby or father of my baby. But I wasn’t impregnated by a prison warder or police while I was in their custody.”
She sniffed and simply said: “The name attached to babies born in prison is not good.”
While refusing to recount how she found herself in prison, Rita said that what happened to her could have happened to anyone.
She added: “I was severely beaten by my madam. My biological parents had never beaten me that way since I was born. I spent three years in prison. Initially, I was granted bail but my surety pulled out for reasons I don’t
know.
Then I was locked up again. In all, I spent three years in prison. I
survived because of God. Prison is entirely a different world. It’s not
just because of the lack of freedom, there are other things. When you’re
in prison, nobody comes to visit you. My parents are in the village.“Prison is worst for pregnant women. Hunger seems to be our major problem as pregnant women. Whether you’re pregnant or not, nobody cares. Food is per head. What is given to you, whether you’re pregnant or have twins, is what is given to any other inmate. It’s the same ration. As a pregnant woman, you’re always hungry. There’s never enough food. No routine drugs for pregnant women. Pregnant women and babies die in prison over lack of drugs. The most you’re given is analgesics. The situation was bad until the Deputy Controller of Prisons, Lizzy Ekpendu, the officer-in-charge of female prison, came. Ekpendu used her money to buy drugs for the women. There is nothing like ante-natal in prison for pregnant women. A matron takes delivery of pregnant women.
“If not for the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and churches, life in prison would have been sheer hell. Government should look at creating a waiver or alternative place for pregnant women as correction or punishment centre. I returned to prison when my pregnancy was a month old. I had nobody, but God sent a helper to me. My helper was a woman. She was arrested, charged to court and brought to prison because police couldn’t find her friend that committed a crime.
“She and I connected in prison. She spoke to me and gave me Bible verses, Job, to read. She assisted me. She left a day after she was brought to prison. Every time I was taken to court, she would be there. She assisted me with drugs during my pregnancy.”
Rita said: “Barrister Giwa-Amun took an interest in my case because I had my baby in the prison. He told the magistrate that I should be granted bail because of my baby.”
Rita explained that before Ekpendu took over the leadership of female prison, Kirikiriki, the prison clinic was “rubbish.”
“I still remember a woman we used to call Mama in prison. Mama was our choir mistress in the prison church. One day, she was restive. One day, we found her staring at the ceiling of her cell. We asked her what was wrong; she said we should leave her alone. She slept and started snoring loudly. It was very unusual; Mama didn’t usually snore. We shook her awake and asked her why this sudden manner of sleeping and snoring. She said we should leave her alone. She slept and never woke up again. If an inmate is already convicted, the corpse is handed over to family, but if on awaiting trial, government takes over the corpse.”
Rita, who said the best thing to do once someone finds herself in prison, was to embrace God, said she was shocked at the shameless behaviour of some women in prison.
There have been calls from different quarters to ensure that pregnant, nursing inmates and their babies are not kept in prisons.
People urged government to look at addressing this issue. They insisted that the babies did not commit any crime and as such should not be born in prison and housed until a certain period.
According to stakeholders, inmates in female prison Kirikiri, and their babies are treated fairly well. They are also blessed with good surroundings.
Giwa-Amun said: “I have always told people that prisons in Lagos are like three star hotels. And this is because so many NGOs, churches and philanthropists focus on Lagos State. People should pay visits to prisons outside Lagos and see the facilities. Pregnant women and babies are squeeze into the same cell room. They live in slums.”
For years, Giwa-Amun had been speaking and agitating for prison reformation. His foundation has contributed money and other items to different prisons across the nation. Every new visit to prisons outside Lagos leaves him with a bleeding heart and the desire to do more.
In fact, it was due to his desperate desire to help inmates and better their conditions inside prison that led him to help Rita get out of prison after three years on awaiting trial.
Before Stephen and Solomon Foundation made an entrance into Rita’s life, her baby had already spent two months in prison.
At the time Rita was released, there were over 89 babies in Nigerian prisons nationwide.
Rita was arrested in 2013 and charged to court for allegedly stealing her madam’s jewellery. She was arraigned in on June 2, 2013 and was in prison custody till June 2015 when she was released on bail on health grounds.
While she was out briefly for two months, she got pregnant. Rita’s bail was revoked after her surety withdrew, thus she returned to prison.
There have been allegations that some females are impregnated by male warders. Yet, such occurrences are rare and far in between.
Giwa-Amun said: “Rita returned to prison pregnant and gave birth there. The number of years she has spent in prison till the day of her release was three years. No female inmate that I know was impregnated while in prison custody. None! Prison life is highly regimented. For example, for those on awaiting trial, they are entitled to only one hour of free time, a day to play outside the cells. Male visitors are not allowed into female cells, not even male warders. So I get surprised when people say inmates were impregnated in prison.”
A classic example is Hamza al-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late General Sani Abacha, who had two children while in prison.
As at February 2017, Maximum Female Prison, Kirikiri, Lagos, had 340 inmates, as against its normal capacity, of 150. On February 22, the number of babies in that prison was 12, nursing mothers 12 and pregnant women seven. Among that seven, four were soon to be discharged.
The inmates were doing different chores. Some were cooking and others just watching. They were noticeably not in uniforms. Babies were also seen, being passed from one woman to the other. There was a spirit of communalism among the women where the babies are concerned. It’s hard to know the children’s biological mothers.
The yard has interlocking stones on the ground and flowers dotted some areas. A church and mosque took pride of place.
On that fateful day, another baby was born. During the prayer session, the lady leading the prayers urged others to pray so that the mysterious disease that had been killing babies inside the prison wouldn’t kill the new born.
While female prison in Lagos is facing a revolution, thanks to NGOs, churches, mosques, philanthropic Nigerians and the new DCP, Ekpendu; the same can’t be said for other female prisons in Nigeria.
Indeed, Lagos is the only state where female inmates have their own separate prison yard. In other states, female and male inmates share a building, with a demarcation in between entrance.
A special prison has been allocated for nursing mothers and their babies. They are no longer forced to squeeze into overcrowded cell with their babies, fighting for space and right to breathe.
A prison chaplain, who is a human rights activist, Pastor Darlington Ajimisetan, said he and his wife, Funmi, who met in prison as inmates and later got married, started the revolution for change for pregnant women, nursing mothers and babies.
According to him, he and his wife took to the streets, begging for pampers, toys, baby food and other items. He noted that in his over 30 years in prison ministry, he has seen and heard a lot.
He recollected the incident of a 17-year-old pregnant lady in prison. The girl confessed to him that she was raped in police detention. She was detained in police cell for almost six months over a case of armed robbery.
Ajimitesan said: “It was her boyfriend that was into armed robbery. When police couldn’t find him, they arrested her. She was initially detained at Ikeja Police Station, and then transferred to State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba. According to her, before she was eventually moved to prison, five policemen had had sex with her. She said that some of them forced her to suck them. It was while I was on her case that I discovered policemen were responsible for some cases of pregnant women in prisons.
“At Area M Police Command, I had an encounter with a DPO called Ishola. I was detained in the Idimu Police Station. Everyone knows me as a trouble-maker. I fight for justice. While in detention, I discovered that beginning from 2a.m.; Ishola would pick female detainees and rape them. He was fixated on two particular ladies. We heard the ladies shouting. He subjected them to anal sex. If someone is a suspect, charge the person to court rather than detain him or her. How long must a suspect stay in police cell before being charged to court?”
He also recalled the case of Anurika. Anurika was held for armed robbery and while being taken to the East for investigation, the policemen allegedly raped her on the way.
“Anurika later had a baby girl in prison. Back then, once your baby is a year old, prison authority moves him or her to orphanage, especially if no family member of inmates comes for the baby. I was given Anurika’s baby. I was a bachelor then. Some members of Deeper Life Church assisted me in taking care of the baby. Anurika later came to collect her baby after she was released from prison.”
Further arguing and explaining how female inmates find themselves pregnant, Ajimitesan said that some married women, who were remanded in prison, later found out they were pregnant while already in prison.
He added that there had been rumoured cases, were warders had sex with female inmates. He said that such even happens in overseas countries.
Ajimitesan alleged: “In prison, sex can be arranged between female inmates and warders. Female inmates can even be taken out for sex.”
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK
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