Former governors of Abia (Orji Uzor Kalu), Plateau (Joshua Dariye), Taraba (Jolly Nyame) and erstwhile Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, are sharing the same Kuje Custodial Centre in line with the warrants from the court that committed them to prison.
The Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Ja’afaru Ahmed, made the explanation, while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, after declaring open the 14th anniversary workshop of the Correctional Welfare Insurance Scheme. According to the NCoS CG, the Kuje facility was preferred by courts because it is the nearest custody to the FCT where most of the cases were determined.
“The warrant says Kuje custodial centre and it’s not for me to say ‘go away’ and determine to the judge where he should commit them to custody. They’re committed to Kuje custodial centre and that’s how it is,” he said. On the high number of visitors visiting the high profile inmates, Ahmed said: “We’ve our rules and the rules are being obeyed and we’ll continue to give people opportunity for people to visit bearing in mind that most of them are still going on appeals, some have exhausted their appeals to the Supreme Court and that’s the end and others still have the opportunity of going on appeal.
So, we’ll allow their lawyers and family members to come and see them, perhaps they want to interact with them. “But their interaction will be conducted within the rule. The Nigerian Correctional Service has its own standing orders and every of its correctional officer knows the procedure of conducting visit for both convicts and awaiting trial.”
Metuh, the latest inmate, was found guilty of all the seven count charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by a Federal High Court, Abuja, presided by Justice Okon Abang. Dariye, Nyame and Kalu, had earlier been found guilty in the charges preferred against them by the anti-graft agency.