Apprehension over 772 Boko Haram suspects in Maiduguri prison
There is tension in Maiduguri over the detention of about 772 suspected Boko Haram terrorists, their wives and children in the Maiduguri Maximum Security Prison, Daily Trust on Sunday gathered. This is in addition to others, who are confined in a yet to be ascertained centre for de-radicalisation, as well as several other women said to be wives of Boko Haram insurgents, all in Maiduguri.
Information on the presence of insurgents in the prison was first made public last Monday, when Justice Alkali Gana Wakkil led other stakeholders on a visit to the only functional prison in the state. He was told by the officer in charge of the prison that there were 772 repentant Boko Haram insurgents.
The Deputy Comptroller of Prisons (DCP), Lumson Apollos Kaye, told the judge that there were a total of 1,288 prisoners awaiting trial, as well as 772 suspected Boko Haram insurgents, who were taken to the prison by the military for rehabilitation, following their claim that they had repented. It was also learnt that the suspected terrorists were there with their wives and children.
Although Kaye conducted the judge round the prison, he did not, however, show him where the suspected male insurgents were kept. But at the female wing of the prison, some well fed women numbering about 10, along with well dressed children said to be family members of the detained insurgents, were seen in one of the rooms looking very relaxed. He referred to the wives of the Boko Haram suspects as “our special guests.’’
The prison boss also told the judge that there were eight internally displaced persons (IDPs) on awaiting trial list, over different allegations. One of them was said to have been arrested over the allegation that he was buying soup and meat for his fellow displaced persons, raising questions on where he got the money from.
DCP Kaye said he was running the prison without any financial support from the government, adding that the state High Court assists him to fuel his three official vehicles. He also said he sourced for money among his officers to buy soap and detergents for prison inmates.
“My lord, when the soldiers brought these repentant Boko Haram insurgents to us, they smelled badly. In fact, everywhere in this compound smelled. We had to tax ourselves and bought detergents for them to wash up. Government is not giving me anything to run this place,” he told the judge.
A military source who did not want to be mentioned because he has no right to talk to the press, told Daily Trust on Sunday that the suspected insurgents were not in prison for rehabilitation. According to him, government may be preparing to prosecute them.
“There is no form of rehabilitation that will take place in the prison, especially since you said they were not allowed to mix up with other inmates. You should also know that nobody can be kept in prison custody without a warrant. They are kept on holding charge pending when they would be properly arraigned.
“Yes, it is true that there are more children than women, and the women are detained along with their children. You know very well that we cannot separate the children from their mothers. The children have not committed any offence. They are only accompanying their parents,” the source said.
However, addressing the inmates on awaiting trial, Justice Wakkil assured that the judiciary would ensure that justice prevailed. “The judiciary is concerned about your welfare. We will ensure that justice is done for you and those complaining against you. I am not here to release any of you but to listen to all your complaints.
“The judge in Court 9 is on national assignment. Apart from those of you whose cases are being handled in Court 9, all others that have not been taken to court should come forward and complain. I am here with the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, members of the Human Rights Association, representative of the Ministry of Justice, Legal Aid Council and other stakeholders. So, if you have any complaint, come here and say it,” he said.
Complaints ranging from inmates standing trial for up to five years, lawyers not appearing in courts after collecting money from clients, the inability to fulfil harsh bail conditions, over- staying in police cells before arraignment, refusal of relatives to visit some inmates, and the allegation that relatives and loved ones of inmates are not allowed to visit them, were entertained.
Some residents who spoke to our correspondent said that following Boko Haram attacks on prisons, it was risky to keep such suspected insurgents anywhere in the state. They recalled the attacks on the Maiduguri new and old prisons respectively, where hundreds of inmates were freed and the prisons burnt down. They added that such incident also took place in Bama, Dikwa and other prisons in the state.
All efforts made by Daily Trust on Sunday to get reaction from the Nigerian Prisons Service proved abortive.
When contacted over the allegation by DCP Kaye that the Maiduguri Prison was not being funded by the government, the NPS spokesman, Francis Enobore , promised to make enquiries into the matter and get back, but he was yet to do so at Press time. He also did not pick calls put through to him.