#FridayFeature - Aguata Prisons Threatened By Over-Congestion, As B’Haram Detainees Arrive

It does appear that all the protests and criticisms
brought about by the relocation of about 47 Boko
Haram detainees from the Northern part of Nigeria
to the Aguata Prisons in Anambra State have fallen
on deaf ears. During a recent visit by Vanguard
Features, VF, to the prison, the presence of heavily
armed soldiers and prisons officials around the
premises clearly suggested that the Boko Haram
prisoners were very much in residence there.
Apart from the disquiet this has engendered, many
other contentious issues pertaining to the
relocation saga have begun to unfold. For instance,
two sister communities of Ekwulobia and Ezinifite
are now laying claim to the the ownership of the
11.5 acres of land where the prison yard and
warders’ quarters are situated.
Then there is the issue of capacity. The prison was
originally designed to accommodate 85 inmates
but as at the time the 47 Boko Haram prisoners
were brought there, it already had 135 inmates.
With the addition of the 47 insurgents, the prison is
currently harbouring no fewer than 182 inmates,
100 percent more than its original capacity.
Protesting Anambra traders
Also in a reaction, the South East Zonal Chairman
of the Campaign for Democracy, CD, Uzor A. Uzor
gave the Federal Government a seven-day
ultimatum within which to return the 47 insurgents
to the North or else they would mobilise all the
human rights groups in the zone to occupy Aguata
Prison environment until their demand is met.
Uzor noted that the implication of relocating the
insurgents to South East zone is that it would
constitute a security threat to the people in the
zone. He noted that a situation where the Aguata
prison which was originally designed to
accommodate 85 inmates, already had 135
inmates before the 47 insurgents were relocated
there, bringing the total number now to 182, does
not augur well for the security of the zone.
South-East traders protest
Although Governor Willie Obiano, shortly after a
meeting with a representative of the National
Security Adviser, NSA and prisons officials, told
Anambra people that the Federal Government
might consider taking the prisoners back to the
North, stakeholders are waiting to see the end of
the matter, having staged several protests to that
effect.
The latest protest staged by the stakeholders took
place on Thursday, July 9 when all the markets in
the South East zone were shut down all through
that day on the orders of the South East Markets
Amalgamated Traders Association, SEAMATA.
During the protests, the President of SEAMATA,
Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo who is also the
President of Anambra Markets Amalgamated
Traders Association, AMATAS, addressed the
traders at Ekwulobia market square. He alleged
that there were strong indications that the Boko
Haram prisoners who were relocated to Aguata
Prison, were not even Nigerian citizens but citizens
and prisoners from the Republic of Chad, who, he
said, are more dangerous to deal with than their
Nigerian counterparts. He therefore urged the
Federal Government to as a matter of urgency,
send back the insurgents to the North or better
still to Chad where they belong to.
Red Cross provides first aid services: While the
exercise lasted, authorities of the Nigerian Red
Cross Society, NRCS, Anambra State chapter,
directed all their members to embark on motorised
patrol of all the nooks and crannies of the state
with first aid kits in anticipation of emergencies.
Vice Chairman of the chapter, Prof. Peter Emeka
Katchy, told newsmen in Onitsha that he deployed
many Red Cross volunteers to the field and made
them to prepare as if they were going to a battle
field because although he was not praying for a
calamity, a protest of such magnitude could turn
out to be bloody.
Aguata prison
As the markets remained closed for the day, the
Red Cross personnel were seen around Fegge,
Odoakpu, Woliwo and others parts of the
commercial city of Onitsha.
NBA’s position
In his own reaction, the Chairman of Anaocha
branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, one of
the six branches in Anambra state, Mr. Chris
Adimora explained that the position of his branch
NBA is that the insurgents should be taken back to
the North from where they were relocated to
Aguata prison. Adimora who spoke on phone,
noted that government should do this as quickly as
possible or else the NBA in the area would
mobilise all the lawyers there to drag the
authorities concerned to the court to compel them
to do so.
He stated that although convicts could be
relocated to any part of the country to serve a jail
term, but the issue of Boko Haram insurgency
which is peculiar to the North should not be
extended to the East where the Igbos who are
predominantly Christians, abhor blood shedding in
all its ramifications.
Conflict brews between Ezinifite and Ekwulobia over
prison: Ironically, the people of Ezinifite community
in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State
have come up to lay claim to the ownership of the
land where the Aguata prisons is sited. According
to them, the prison is situated at Ezinifite
community and not Ekwulobia, their neighboring
community, as erroneously believed.
The people said that they are surprised that after
donating the land to the Federal Government in
1983, without demanding for any compensation,
the media have been referring to the place as
Ekwulobia prison since the relocation saga, instead
of Ezinifite prison.
President-General of Ezinifite Improvement Union,
EIU, Nze Eloka Maduka who spoke on the matter, at
the palace of the traditional ruler of the community,
Igwe Chukwuma Bob Orji said ownership of the
land has never being in contention as it exclusively
belongs to Ezinifite.
According to Maduka who was assisted by a
prominent indigene of the community, Chief Moses
Ekwuilo: “We are surprised to hear that since this
relocation saga started, the people of Ekwulobia are
claiming the ownership of the land. The public
should disregard the claim by Ekwulobia or any
other community that the land belongs to them.
“Since 1983 when we freely gave out the land to
the Federal Government, we have not got any
benefit from the government in terms of
employment of our sons and daughters or
monetary compensation. The land in question is
measuring 11.5 acres and it is located at Umuagu
village, Ezinifite,” Maduka and Ekwuilo stated.
Buttressing its ownership of the land, the Ezinifite
leaders brandished a letter purportedly written to
the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of
Internal Affairs. The letter dated September 6, 1983,
was titled, “Donation of land for construction of
federal prisons in Aguata LGA” and read in part:
“We refer to the recent request for the donation of
land for the construction of Federal prisons in
Aguata LGA of Anambra state.
“Our parcel of land which is known as or called
AGU OKA which situates within Umuagu quarter of
Aku Village, Ezinifite town and which is particularly
delineated and verged pink in the licensed survey
plan No. PO/E136/83 made by Pius Ndanu,
licensed surveyor on August 26, 1983 and hereto
annexed.
Licensed surveyor
“We have the pleasure to inform the Federal
Government that the community has unanimously
and wholeheartedly decided to donate the land
free-of-charge to the government for that
purpose.”
The letter was jointly signed on their behalf by the
then Chairman and Secretary of EIU, Samuel
Imeakuka and Dr. Simon Umeonyedum and two
others.
Resistance grows thicker: On the relocation saga,
Maduka and Ekwuilo noted that the situation is
already causing panic among the people in the
area. They noted that although they cannot dictate
to the government on how to use its facility, the
action has brought about restiveness in Ezinifite.
“Out of fear, our people no longer go to churches,
markets or even farms, just as our children no
longer go to schools. It is better to take the
prisoners back to the North where they will be
tried because there is no appropriate court to try
them here in Ezinifite and there is no need keeping
them here.
“Our lives are in danger and we don’t move about
freely again. These insurgents attacked a military
camp and there was little or no resistance. Who
are we to face them if they decide to attack our
community and break this jail like they did to the
military camp? What if they kidnap us like they did
to the Chibok girls, what do we do”? Mallam Nasir
El Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State had instructed
his people not to go out for fear of Boko Haram
and in the same vein, our people are no longer
going to churches for fear of their presence here in
our community. We freely gave the land to
government and the same government is paying
us back for our good gesture with the relocation of
the dreaded insurgents,” they stated.
The community leaders declared:”Boko Haram
insurgents killed many of our brothers and sisters
up North and destroyed their properties.
Instead of government to compensate us, they now
bring the insurgents very close to us. We had
thought that the Maiduguri, Mubi and Gombe
massacres of Ndigbo would have been enough
punishment to us. Why bring the insurgents down
to us again. Is that a democracy dividend?”.
An indigene of the area who craved anonymity
regretted that the only “federal presence” Dr Alex
Ekwueme attracted to the community during his
tenure as Vice President, is now being used to to
inflict punishment on the people.
Security expert justifies relocation: Meanwhile, a
security expert in Anambra State, Dr Jeff Okeke,
has justified the action of the Federal Government
in relocating the Boko Haram detainees to Anambra
State. Okeke who is the Head, Operations, Always
Global Digital Security Services Limited, Nnewi,
argued that prisons were made for lawless people
and that the Federal Government has the right to
keep detainees anywhere in the country.
He, however, posited that former Vice President,
Dr. Alex Ekwueme should have been notified before
the relocation of the Boko Haram detainees from
the North took place. According to him, the
detainees were not only being relocated to the
home State of Dr Ekwueme but also to a town very
close to his own home town.
Okeke who recently survived attack from unknown
gun men, also faulted security operatives for
leaking information about the relocation which he
said should have been done secretly.
“Again there is wrong information management in
this matter. Relocation of these detainees should
not have been made public. It is the leakage of the
information that heats up the polity and instills
fears in the minds of people of the South East,
especially Anambra people. Nobody should have
been told about the relocation. Whoever leaked the
information got it wrong. But I must assure you
that the Boko Haram detainees do not pose any
danger in Anambra.
Security network
If you ask me I would say that Anambra State is
the safest place to keep them of all the 36 States of
the federation and Abuja, and the fact that their
members will come looking for them to rescue
them in Anambra State will not work. Anambra is
quite a different environment from the North. And
our Governor, Chief Willie Obiano has put adequate
security network in place which can easily ward off
any such an attempt,” Dr Okeke submitted.
In the same vein, a member of the Presidential
Campaign Council of the All Progressives
Congress, APC, in Anambra State in the last
elections, Mr Dozie Ikedife (Jnr), has countered the
allegation that Boko Haram detainees were
relocated to Anambra from the North. He described
it as an effort by the All Progressives Grand
Alliance, APGA government in the State to smear
APC’s image “for cheap political gains.”
Mr Ikedife who is the first son of Dr. Dozie Ikedife,
former President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, alleged that
the protests that lasted for two days, were
sponsored by those he said merely wanted to put
President Muhammed Buhari’s new administration
in a bad light.
“We know their antics. Some executive members
of the market associations in the State were
allegedly sponsored to close markets in protest
against relocation of Boko Haram detainees to
Anambra which is a baseless speculation by the
traders. I don’t know why this should generate
controversy when it is obvious that the Chief
Warder of the Prisons has the right to relocate
prison inmates anywhere in Nigeria. It has nothing
to do with any state government, it has nothing to
do with the Presidency,” Ikedife (Jnr), said.
He noted that the alarm raised by the traders in
Anambra had political undertone, alleging that the
traders were paid by unseen hands to organise the
protest.
“No one can say for sure that the inmates are here
with us. How can traders close markets for two
days. Do you know the economic loss for those
two days? It is a smear campaign to make APC
look bad. Our prisons are very secure. And
dangerous criminals are kept at maximum prisons
in the country. Traders were only paid to protest
and I don’t know why they should concern
themselves with that,” the APC chieftain concluded.
Vanguard