Prison, Break

What I did on Friday was way out of my ordinary. I'm all for charitable events, however, the thought of this one sent shivers down my spine.

Why?

...because it's a PRISON for heaven's sake. Too many thoughts went through my head at first..."What if a fight breaks out", "What if they get upset and think we are here to make fun of them", "What if they overpower the guards and attack us, visitors", What if...What if! Then again, why show any amount of care to these individuals. They are thieves, murders, drug traffickers, etc...pure evil! Do they really deserve an atom of charitable doings?!

 

The Nigerian Prisons Service, Ikoyi (located on Ribadu road)

Lo and behold, I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, it still houses all these criminals and much more. Though, they are still human and God is a forgiving God so who are we to scar them as devils, forever.



The visit to the prison was very eye-opening. We learnt that the prison was to house 800 inmates, but currently they had about 1,700 inmates living in there. What was more saddening was that the convicted felons were only about a mere 10% of the population (184 of them), while the rest were there awaiting trial. Some of these people have been there for up to 5 years now, still awaiting trial from a (possibly lazy) judge who may just keep postponing their trial date...while these individuals rot away in ____ (insert your best description for such a torment).

Not wanting to dwell too many on the negatives of the prison, I am indeed impressed though by the treatment in there (except of course we were lied to 8-| and it is indeed not too far off from hell). They took us to the different blocks of the different kinds of prisoners they have. They seem quite concerned not to let the "very evil ones" influence the not-so-evil ones/ first-timers. They also had a block for those with higher statuses in the society. The senator types, foreigners, and co. Obasanjo was a regular once here x_x.

In line with still trying to keep sanity in there, they have a school which let's the individuals sit for JAMB, GCE, Open University; they have a vocational center, where the inmates can learn tailoring, wood-work (carpentry), and also become computer literacy; they have a welfare center, where the inmates can make purchases of additional food/ items they need (Yesso! they are allowed to have money in there, sell to each other, even smoke #smh...ask me for more details on any area you can think of 'cos I will not be writing it all down here to bore others);  they have a Catholic and Pentecostal church, as well as a Mosque; they have a clinic, as well as a psychiatric ward, for those who go off the handle a few times; etc. They eat 3 meals a-day, however each portion is equivalent to N 60 meal outside :( - this is where their extra cash comes in handy. God dey sha.

Like I said, it was very eye-opening.

I'd like to add though that anyone can land in here oh. Please be careful out there (on the streets). They have a few inmates in there who were caught "wandering" on a street that wasn't theirs. Don't be caught next to prostitutes at night (even if your favorite suya joint just happened to be right there ;) lol). You could get mistaken for being in association oh. Ah! On environmental days, stay in your house till 10 a.m. oh. Yes, they arrest and imprison people for that if caught. Hawking is still a criminal offence (we witnessed the bringing in of a man, whose goods were later distributed to some inmates).

Moral lesson: Be on your best behavior, likewise obey the law of the lawless land. :) #peace