Abuja has been urged to declare a state of emergency in the prisons to facilitate a holistic reform that will benefit inmates, former convicts, the society and, overall, reduce crime.
The call was triggered by a prison system characterised nationwide by congestion, inadequate infrastructure as well as prolonged cases and wrongful detention of inmates.
All speakers at the Green Ribbon Campaign launch dinner of the Prison Fellowship (PFN) held in Lagos agreed that the prisons have become totally bad and require a state of emergency and inputs of all stakeholders to turn them around.
The event was chaired by Nigeria Institute of Management President, Ganiyu Koledoye.
Wrong folks in prison
Paul Ananaba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said many who are not supposed to be in prison are there while those who should be there are moving freely because of the faulty criminal justice system.
“Not that all those in prison are criminals but they find themselves there due to circumstances beyond them ….
“We should declare a state of emergency in prisons.
“The criminal justice system should also be reviewed. We should engage the NASS (National Assembly), the legal profession, other professionals and corporate organisations,” he urged.
Ananaba, who spoke on the topic, “Crime Prevention via Structured Rehabilitation and Re-integration of Ex-convicts: The Role of Corporate Organisation”, advised that stigmatisation of former convicts should be discouraged and they should be given the opportunity to re-integrate into the society.
Assistant Controller of Prisons, Chuks Achufure, who represented the Controller General of Prisons, Aminu Siley, also sought a review of criminal justice administration, saying the root cause of most problems in Nigeria that encourage crime is electoral fraud and a lack of social justice.
He reiterated that many of those in prison are not “the right persons”, and that is why it is imperative to ensure social order.
Achufure said the prisons lack facilities and implored stakeholders not to leave the reform to the government alone.
Need for family planning
Other speakers insisted that this is the time to reform the prisons and review the criminal justice system if Nigeria is to flow with the advanced countries.
They said rather than being a centre of reform, Nigerian prisons are punitive and make criminals more hardened.
Some advised that “Nigerians should produce the number of children they can cater for” so that some children should not turn out to be a liability to themselves, their family, and the society.
PFN Board of Trustees Chairman, Dorcas Din, warned that “prison congestion remains a festering sore on our penal and criminal justice system.”
She, however, expressed optimism that with the partnership to be “our brothers’ keeper” the PFN will join hands with the government to reform prisoners and former convicts.
