Prisoners Pay For Basic Necessities At Enugu Prison

Quality cell space rental between
N10,000 and N200,000
■Inmates pay N2,000 for court
appearance
■Allegations false, unfounded –DCP
From PETRUS OBI, Enugu
A freed inmate has made startling
revelations about how the Enugu
Maximum Prison authorities
allegedly force prisoners to pay
N2,000 fee for each of them to be
transported from the prison to court
to attend to their various matters.
The inmate who recently regained
freedom from the prison also
alleged that inmates paid between
N100 to N150 for a bucket of water.
However, the Deputy Comptroller
incharge of the prison, Mustapha
Attah dismissed the allegations as an
attempt by mischief-makers who, he
said, were out to undermine his
outstanding contributions to the
growth and effective control of the
prison. In a chat with Sunday Sun,
the former inmate who would not
want his name in print said: “You
must pay before you are taken to
court; if you don’t pay nobody takes
you to court and that is why many
prisoners don’t come to court; they
say the money is for the Black Maria,
and it’s N2,000 each.”
The source who said he didn’t have
the money to pay the day he was
granted bail narrated how he
begged and assured that warders
that he would collect money from
his people in the court premises
before he was taken to court. He
was granted bail in court and,
therefore, he refused to pay the fee.
But by the time he returned to the
prison, waiting for the perfection of
his bail, he was locked up in what
he called the back cell or
punishment cell for three days.
He said he was later transferred to
Oji-River Prison for more
punishment but was saved by the
quick intervention of his lawyer who
facilitated his release. Other alleged
irregularities from the Enugu Prison
include the practice of making prison
inmates pay rent for cell space they
occupy while in detention.
According to the source, the inmates
pay N10,000, N25,000 up to
N200,000 depending on the quality
of the cell. The prisoners were
further alleged to have contributed
money sometime in April this year
with which the cells were painted
when a top prison official visited the
Enugu Prison.
The prisoners were also allegedly
allowed access to their GSM phones
inside the prison yard, a rare
privilege, which they in turn
contributed money to pay officials
for whenever there was an
inspection of the cells. Also despite
the availability of a well, the source
alleged that prisoners were made
buy a bucket of water for between
N100 and N150 naira. Furthermore,
it was learnt that only about two to
three cups of drinking water were
rationed to each inmate on a daily
basis. Those who wanted more
water had to allegedly to pay.
There were also stories about a task
force made up of prisoners
themselves who wore green shirts
with inscription of ‘Task Force’ at the
back. They were alleged to be the
eyes of the prison boss and even
feared by warders. Reacting to the
allegations, the Deputy Comptroller
of Prisons, (DCP), Mustapha Attah
said all the allegations were false
and unfounded. He said that even
Nigeria Prisons Service headquarters
in Abuja had sent officials to
investigate the same allegations and
found out that they were baseless.
“Somebody is just there trying to run
down the good job we are doing
here. They sent a petition on these
same issues to Abuja and they came
here to find out.” Attah who was
posted to Enugu in October 2009
faulted the allegation that prisoners
were paying N2,000 fee before being
taken to court, stating that the
number of prisoners who attended
court had risen significantly since he
came to Enugu Prison.
“If they don’t go, the judges will
complain but here I have been
getting praises from both the chief
judge and attorney-general.” On the
issue of use of phone in the prison,
DCP Attah noted that the
Comptroller General had sent
circulars on that, insisting that
Enugu had never deviated from that
directive. On water he said Enugu
Prisons had a water tanker supplied
since 2008; “it has to go up to 9th
Mile to buy water.
I provide the money for diesel for
the tanker to bring water three times
a day because the last time Water
Board gave us water was five
months ago. So how can I buy water
and sell the same water to inmates?
It’s unthinkable.
“How can people stay and formulate
things. They said inmates
contributed money to paint the cells.
It’s like telling a suspect in a police
cell to pay for the painting of the
cell, how can it work?”
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/
enugu-prison-turns-cash-carry/
sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/enugu-
prison-turns-cash-carry/

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