4th
October, 2019
PRESS
RELEASE:
MURIC APPEALS TO
AREGBESOLA TO FREE 54 SOLDIERS
The
Minister of Internal Affairs, Rauf Aregbesola, recently pledged to decongest
Nigeria’s correctional facilities within six months (https://www.tori.ng/news/133383/aregbesola-promises-to-decongest-prisons-in-six-mo.html).
The minister spoke at a public hearing organized by the National Assembly Joint
Committee on Appropriation.
Although
the minister laid emphasis on awaiting trial inmates, an Islamic human rights
group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has appealed to him to extend the
reprieve to those serving prison sentences, particularly the 54 soldiers. The
civil society group spoke through its arrow-head, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in
a statement circulated to the media on Monday, 4th October, 2019.
The
group agreed with the minister that Nigeria’s correctional centres are long
overdue for decongestion.
“The honourable minister has good intentions and the idea is quite
laudable, visionary and humane. Available data indicates that more than 70% of
inmates of correctional centres are awaiting trials. This has caused severe
congestion forcing inmates to sleep in turn. They queue for hours in front of
toilets. This is dehumanising, degrading and inconsiderate.
“Exempli gratia, 1,574 out of
1,761 inmates in Anambra are awaiting trial. Out of the 600 inmates in Aba,
only 113 of them are serving full sentences. The rest are awaiting trial and expectedly,
80 of them have gone mad. It is so pathetic, so alarming.
“Then comes the question of
space. Our correctional centres are not large enough, neither do they have
necessary facilities to retain a human face. 585 inmates jostle for 400 spaces in Ekiti. The
space designed for 1,354 inmates in Rivers is being used by 4,424 inmates. Owerri Correctional Centre contains 2,500
instead of 550. This is why Aregbesola’s move to decongest the prisons could
not have come at a better time.”
“With the total
number of prisoners in Nigeria standing at 73, 631 as at 18th July,
2018 in a population of roughly 199 million one wonders why Nigeria cannot
provide enough facilities in its correctional centres when its prison
population rate is just 37 per 100,000. It is noteworthy that the world prison
population rate, based on United Nations estimates of national population
levels, is 145 per 100,000. The rate for Western African countries is 53
whereas for southern African countries it is 244 per 100,000 (See World
Prison Population List https://www.prisonstudies.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/wppl_12.pdf).
MURIC appeals
to the minister to extend the decongestion exercise to the 54 soldiers.
“But we are asking the minister
to extend the kind gesture to other prisoners based on merit. Our main interest
lies in the 54 soldiers. These were soldiers arrested in 2014 for daring to
complain to their commander that their weapons were too poor to confront better
equipped Boko Haram fighters.
“They had earlier lost 23 men and four officers due to poor equipment
when they advanced on Damboa on 9thJuly, 2014. This made them to
demand better supplies when they were ordered to return to the battle front
again without improved weaponry. They were sentenced to death in December 2014
but this was later commuted to ten years imprisonment.
“But Nigerians have since learnt that it was the 54 soldiers affair
which exposed the massive corruption in the army with particular reference to
armsgate. We therefore contend that the 54 soldiers should be seen as heroes
and patriots instead of being treated as criminals who merely deserve to rot in
jail.
“It is on these humane and
compassionate grounds that we are pleading with the honourable Minister of
Internal Affairs to kindly extend the decongestion exercise to the 54 soldiers.
It is about our norms and values. Those who have
toiled for our country should not be made to regret their sacrifices. It is
demoralising.
“Apart from
seeking greener pastures, our lopsided sense of justice is another raison
d’etre for the migration of Nigerian youth to foreign lands. We castigate excellence
and reward mediocrity. We worship indolence and demonise industry. We deride
integrity but hail corruption. This kills gallantry in our soldiers and
diminish patriotic instincts in our young ones. Instead of giving them ordinary
panadol, Nigeria beheads its citizens for complaining of headache.
“Or how do we
explain the sentencing of a 22 year old man to 30 months in prison for stealing
a pair of slippers? Worse still, he was given no option of fine. Why should a
poor citizen be jailed two years for stealing just one goat? How do we justify
the death sentence handed down to four men for stealing only one phone worth
N10,000? What is the rationale behind docking a JSS 2 student for stealing N200
from his classmate?
“These are
questions begging for answers and we expect the minister to address this
burning issue of gross injustice in the land particularly against the poor jamahiir
(masses). The starting point should be the 54 soldiers. We strongly believe
that they are victims of ego-massaging by senior officers.”
MURIC also
brought the issue of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of
Mercy to the front burner.
“We are aware that the Federal Government (FG) on Tuesday 28th August,
2018 inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy.
The Committee is to assist President Muhammadu Buhari in the discharge of his
constitutional responsibility of granting state pardon to deserving prisoners
and ex-convicts.
“The committee has been going round the states and it is doing a great job.
But we are yet to hear what the committee thinks of the 54 soldiers. It is our
considered opinion that the 54 soldiers are eminently eligible for presidential
mercy. It may be pertinent here to inform the honourable minister that a
special appeal for clemency for the 54 soldiers was addressed to the Vice
President’s office by MURIC in November 2018.
“Prisoners are being released in large numbers around the
world. Former US president Barrack Obama released 6,000
prisoners on 30th October, 2015. Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta,
released 7,000 prison inmates in October 2016 to make room for corruption
offenders. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the release of 935
prisoners ahead of Ramadan on 14th May, 2018. It is only in Nigeria
that governors and chief judges release a paltry 8 or 9 prisoners and leave
thousands in jail to waste away.
“We therefore expect Aregbesola to order the release of inmates in their
thousands from each correctional centre. The minister had been an uncommon
governor for eight good years and he had stunned Nigerians with his
record-breaking performance. We are therefore expecting an equally uncommon,
unprecedented and revolutionary decongestion of Nigeria’s correctional centres
within the next six months. Indeed, we expect the release of at least 50% of
the 73, 631 Nigerians who are presently in the correctional
centres. This will
fall in line with global best practices.
“Before we
draw the curtain, we hail Aregbesola for planning to decongest the prisons. We
appeal to him to take a compassionate, yet dispassionate look at the the case
of the 54 soldiers with a view to setting them free.
Professor
Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC)
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