By Godwin Utuedoye,
KWALE- Director of Justice Development and Peace Commission JDPC, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obadjere, members of the commission has on Saturday, August 11, 2018 visited the Kwale prison, and frowned at the poor living condition of inmates.
The prison visit which is part of the commission function in caring for prisoners, afforded them the opportunity to donate food items, toiletries and other gifts to the prisoners through the officials of the Nigeria Prison Service.
While decrying the plight of the inmates in the prison facility, the JDPC boss described as appalling, disgusting and disturbing their condition as the height of torture and ill-treatment, calling on the government to pay urgent attention to the prisons in the country.
He noted that the prison is suppose to be a place of reformation and rehabilitation before a possible reintegration into the society.
Narrating his experience, the director of the justice commission said he was saddened by the poor and inhuman treatment giving to inmates. He disclosed that a room is as small as a living room for two persons, occupied over fifty inmates sandwiched in it with only one open toilet with a bathroom that has no flowing connection nor a functioning septic tank.
In his words, “This is absurd, cruel and inhumanity to man. An assault to human collective dignity and total collapse of dignity.”
He further stated that, the most annoying thing among this scenario is that, all inmates in that room ate awaiting trial with some spending more than ten years waiting for justice that may not come soon. The clergy blamed the Nigeria police for lack of thorough investigation of cases, rascality and lack of intelligence and diligence in its operations, noting that some the inmates could be innocent as they maybe rounded up unjustly and arraigned, reprimanded without thorough investigations.
On the condition of already convicted inmates, Rev. Fr. Obadjere commend their living condition compared to those awaiting trial, but lamented lack of beddings facilities and other necessary items, while at the female section, the story was the same.
On the health condition of the inmates, the Catholic clergy disclosed as gathered, that in the facility that housed over 500 inmates, no medical facility, drugs or doctor is on ground to attend to health issues of inmates. He revealed that, he was reliably informed by a source that only one medical doctor attend to all the prisons in the state.
Describing the feeding of the inmate, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel reveals that it is poor, and stated that the environment is congested, and too small to absolved such number of inmates.
Receiving and responding to the commission, the prison officials appealed to JDPC to help build a study centre of the National Open University within the facility to enable inmates who so desire in furthering their education to do so. They also requested for the renovation of and equipping of the ramsacked work centre and building of the collapsed septic tanks in the prison compound to at least the place healthier for both prison wardens and inmates.
In a statement obtained by Missionary Newspaper, the director of the commission, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obadjere disclosed that the JDPC is making out plans to liaise with the start chief judge to schedule a visit to the prisons in order tobexcersise government prerogative of mercy. He also stated that the commission demand a restructuring the justice system in the country as the rest of the world has grown beyond the cruel and crude practice, maintaining that no inmates can be reformed in such environment. He appeal to spirited individuals to join hands with the JDPC to make our prisons better.