CHAPTER ONE
An
Evaluation of the administration of prisons service in Nigeria: A case study of
medium security prison, Oko Benin City.
BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
The
history of human race reveals that behavioural tendencies which are not in
conformity with the norms of the society, were punished in various ways ranging
from the system of toture, flogging and trial by ordeal. In those days people
took laws into their hand and the system then was instant justices and
retaliation.
D.C,
Javis in his book institutional treatment of offender tried to establish a
relationship between primitive social life and family unit in those days.
According
to him primitive social life was based on the family units but as times went
on, families grew and joined together to form tribes and clans. The tribal life
was more complex than family life and as such it became necessary to have an
authority that was more powerful than the head of each family. These
authorities could be group of elders, priest or a chief. The tribal leader would hear the complaints of the
people and decide what was right or wrong and pass judgement. Therefore, rights
and wrongs were defined by tribes, customs, values and religions belief.
Other
ways of handling offenders were that of punishment and imprisonment. punishment
then takes various forms, such as corporal punishment, stoning in case of adultery
and fornication tying of cowries around one’s neck and made to dance round the
market square in the case of stealing
and in extreme cases, they are referred to the clan head for judgment.
The
case here, are those that are extremely criminal and deserve capital
punishment. At the clan head, people found guilty of an offence are either
sentence to prison or banished, hanged, drown or torture.
These
various forms of punishment were given as reprisals for evil deeds and as
different to others. These modes of administering justice, no doubts, were too harsh,
sellers dehumanizing and barbaric for modern society, where there is respect
for human rights it is in recognition of this fact, that more refined methods
of punishments have been introduced in Nigeria.
The
penal history of Nigeria shows that pre-colonal Nigeria had their prison form
where offenders were incarcerated and these prisons were called various names
by different tribes. In the old Benin kingdom it was called Ewedo, the yorubas
called it Ewon, the Ibos called it Neiga, the Hausa called it Gidan kokor-uku
and Etsakos people of the present Edo state called it Ighah. This system of
imprisonment for punishment continued till when the British establish her
administration in Lagos territory.
Organized
modern prison system began in 1861 in Nigeria, soon after the British
government establish her administration in Lagos territory. That year the
governor of Lagos territory sir, H.S. freeman set up a commission to constitute
a court system and prison service. This was as a result of the in human
treatment he saw in the native prisons in his new colony.
To
him imprisonment means confinement for reformation rehabilitation and not punishment
as was conceived and administered by the native rulers.
In
Lagos, the first prison administration modeled along the British tradition and
staff by officers trained in the same tradition started. So the building of
prisons became imperative and in 1862 the first prison was built along with the
British pattern at Board Street in Lagos to accommodate three hundred (300)
inmates.
In
1876, an ordinance establishing prison was passed along with the court
ordinance and in 1901, prisons had been established in major towns both in the
Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria. Though the native authority prisons
operated along with the provincial prisons. These native authority prisons were
more in the north, where indirect ruler and traditional institution were very
prominent and powerful. The prisons service then was classified into three
board categories:
(a)
The Convict Prisons: These can admit all
classes of prisoners and convicts serving jail term of 2 years and above.
(b)
Provincial Prisons: These admit convicts
serving between 6 months to 2 years
(c)
Divisional Prisons: These admit convicts
serving between 6 months and below.
At this stage of
development, no doubt, the conditions of imprisonment were still very crude,
harsh, and punishment oriented. Emphasis was on custody of inmates and any
deviation from the rulers were strictly punished with physical and mental
torture. As times went on, professional prisons officers were brought into
manage the system and series of reforms were affected. Emphases now change from
imprisonment for punishment to imprisonment and training schools were built in
Enugu, Lagos and Kaduna for the training of prison staff.
After independence,
the prisons nation wide were taken over by the federal government and unified into
what is today called the Nigeria prisons service. This is the era indigenous
senior management officers.
The first Nigeria
Director of prisons was Mr. Giwa-Osagie in 1960. He compiled the service
standing order in 1961 to guild administration in the service. His emphasis was
on reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration of inmates. After him, was
Mr. J.A Adakpoyi. He unified the whole prisons under one control, in 1968.
In 1975, was the turn
of ALhaji A.A. Ahmandu he took over the general administration of the service.
In 1985 was the turn
of Mr. Abokiegu.
In 1991, the office
of the Director of prisons, was change and re-named the office of the
controller general of prisons service and the first person to be designated
with that rank was Sir Lily Ojo in 1991. The present controller General of
prisons at the time of this research is Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed Jarma. The
prisons changed history started from decentralized administration to a
centralized one as at now. The present day Nigeria prison derive its existence
from several laws and statutes among which are the prison ordinance of 1914
laws of Nigeria (1948 and 1958) and prisons Decree No 9 of 1972.
DIRECTORS
OF PRISONS IN ROLL HONOUR
N/S
|
NAMES
|
NATIONALITY
|
TENURE
|
1
|
C.W. Duncan
|
British
|
29/10/20-1/11/21
|
2
|
Lt. Col E.L. Saiyer
|
British
|
2/11/21-30/3/25
|
3
|
F. W. Garvey
|
British
|
31/3/25-18/5/32
|
4
|
Col V. L. Mabb
|
British
|
19/5/32- 3/7/46
|
5
|
R.H. Dolan
|
British
|
4/7/46-29/3/54
|
6
|
M.C. M. K Garew
|
British
|
30/3/54-9/1/61
|
7
|
W. G Francis
|
British
|
10/1/61-2/10/61
|
8
|
Chief F. G. Giwa-Osagie
|
Nigerian
|
3/10/61-2/10/72
|
9
|
J. I. Adapoyi
|
Nigerian
|
1/5/72-12/9/75
|
10
|
A. A. Ahmadu
|
Nigerian
|
12/9/75-21/10/75
|
11
|
Musa A. Egu
|
Nigerian
|
20/1/86-14/1/86
|
12
|
Lilly Ojo
|
Nigerian
|
31/5/90-30/9/94
|
13
|
Adamu Baidu
|
Nigerian
|
1/10/94-28/2/96
|
14
|
Jarma Muhammed
|
Nigerian
|
29/2/96
|
STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Prison
administration in Nigeria as in some other part of the world is mainly directed
towards confinement for reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration of
offenders into the society.
However,
it is evidently clear that reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration,
which are the primary purposes for the establishment of modern prisons, are not
being serious pursued. The prisons administration in Nigeria has degenerated
from the modern ethics of reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration to its
traditional primitive and punitive tendencies.
Rather
than curtail the recidivistic nature of ex-convicts, it has contributed to the
rate of ex-convicts returning back to crime soon after serving their jail
terms.
This has resulted to
a high number of inmates in our prisons in Nigeria. It is possible to point out
that the international communities in their usual custodian manner has no
several occasions advised the Nigerian government over the congestion of
prisons in Nigeria. This over congestion is primarily sequential to the gross
in efficiency and in effectiveness of prison administration in Nigeria. The
public perception of ex-convicts is also a problem.
OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are:-
(a)
To
determine the type of prison administration in medium security prison, Oko
Benin City.
(b)
To
determine the degree of effectiveness of the administrative system in
reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration of prisoners into the larger
society in medium security prison Oko, Benin City
(c)
To
identify the problems, if any associated with medium security prison under
study, that will enhance greater efficiency in the prison administrative
system.
(d)
To
provide possible solutions to the identified problems in the prison under study
in term of crime control.
SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The
research work will look at the workings of the administration of prisons
service in medium security prison, Oko, Benin City.
LIMITATIONS
OF THE STUDY
The
study is limited to medium security prison, Oko, Benin City. Data for the study
are difficult to collect and scanty and where available, they are incomplete.
BASIC
ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY
(a)
The
study assumes that Nigeria prisons are over congested.
(b)
It
is assumed that a sound administrative system is very important in any
organization, be it public or private, if such organization must achieve its
objectives. In short, efficient prison administration will lead to effective
reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration of inmates.
(c)
Imprisonment
in Nigeria is punitive rather than reformative
(d)
There
is inadequate facilities for the effective rendering of prisons service in
Nigeria.
(e)
The
basic training of prison officials will enhance efficiency and effectiveness in
prisons administration.
RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
(i)
That
imprisonment in Nigeria is punitive rather than being reformatory
(ii)
That
the proper administration of prisons in Nigeria will lead to decongestion in
the prisons.
(iii)
That
non-availability of necessary facilities, such as mechanic, tailoring,
electrical, carpentry workshops etc for inmates reformation, rehabilitation and
re-integration are responsible for the inefficiency in medium security prison
Oko’s administration.
(iv)
That
there will be improvement in reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration
process in Oko prison through proper training and development of the staff.
DEFINITION
OF TERMS
In
the course of this study, the author made use of the following terms defined
below:
Prison: A
place delineated and declared as such by the law of the state and created to
ensure restraint and custody of individual accused or convicted of violating
the law of the state.
Prisoner: A
person who is sent to the prison by a competent court for violating the laws of
the state.
Reformation: A radical change for
the better in the society, either in economic, political and social affairs.
For the purpose of this study, it is the process of changing or transforming an
offender by means of special training, mentally, morally, and physically.
Rehabilitation: A
restoration to a good condition or position. It is the process of bringing back
an offender to a normal life by special treatment.
Process: A series of action or
sequence of operations and changes undergone, which result in an achievement of
an objectives.
Congestion: Overcrowdings.
Classification: The grouping of prisoners into various
categories, in this wise, the prisoners life and work are treated according to
their age, type and past record.
Discipline: The
training and controlling of the mind and character, which will lead to moral
and mental improvement.
HISTORY OF MEDIUM SECURITY PRISON OKO, BENIN-CITY
The Federal Government proposed the
development of 34 new maximum and medium security prisons in the 3rd
National Development plan to minimize accommodation problem of prisoners. This
however, spilled into the 4th National Development plan.
In 1980, the National
Executive council of Nigeria’s under the 1st Executive President,
Alhaji Shehu Shagari, appointed messers, prindle and partner a firm of
architects, as consultants for the development of prisons.
This, 608 bed medium
security prison, Oko Village, Benin City came up as one of the new prisons
apparently to decongest the other prisons in the state as it was meant to be
fed by other prisons with selected prisoners and not by direct admission from
the courts.
Land for this prison,
now popularly referred to as Oko prison was acquired by the Federal Government
vide Federal Government gazette no 18 vol. 63 of 1st April, 1974.
The prison was
constructed by Messer Onota Construction Ent. Nigeria Ltd., supervised by
Patrick and Partners at a total cost of N17 million. It was COMMISSIONED
BY THE Honourable Minister of internal affair Col. John Shagaya accompanied by
the military administrator of Bendel State Col. John Inienger, Prince Bola
Ajibola Minister of Justice, Director of prisons, Alhaji M. A. Egu and a host
of others on Wednesday 2nd March 1988.
The new prison was
built in line with decree 9 of 1972 to meet the united Nations standard minimum
rule for the treatment of offend in the areas of education, convocational
training, health and accommodation facilities has a modern setting different
from that of the old prison. The concept of the design, apart from providing
for above mentioned facilities was based on the use of armed guards, a central
monitoring unit of closed circuit television system, a security van moving
round in between the perimeter fence and two observation posts, mounted by armed
guard.
Though most of these
facilities are not there except on paper, there are six blocks cell labeled,
A-F with modern toilet facilities. The Chief warder’s office is strategically
located and separated from the administrative block, and it is inside the main
prison yard.
The first officer to
be in-charge of the prison was Mr. T.N. Nwaigbudu a superintendent of prisons
posted from prison headquarters office Abuja on 7th February 1989
and the assistant Director of the state then was Mr. B. N. I. Agwegbo.
The prison
accommodation capacity of 608 beds, hosts a total of 720 inmates as at the time
of this study. The prison, in line with decree 9 of 1972 was established to
protect the society by keeping in custody, people with different deviance
tendencies and to reform and rehabilitate them.
The prison houses the
following class of prisoners:-
1. Awaiting trails (A.T.
M/F)
2. Convicts
3. Detainers
4. Lifers
5. Condemned convicts
(C.C)
The overall
administration of the prison is done by the assistant controller of prisons (A.C.P)
who is the officer in charge of the prison – ai/c and the chief warder who is
the head of the subordinate staff and the prisoners. He is also called the
prison keeper. The chief warder is answerable to anything that happens inside
the prison yard hence his office is inside the prison.
The
following units exist in the prison:-
1. The welfare unit
2. Record unit
3. Health care unit
4. Industrial unit
5. Works unit
6. Discipline unit
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REFERENCES
Anekwe S.I. (1999)
Prisons Administration and correction P.1
Javis D.C. (1978)
Institutional treatment of offender P.78
Uyighosa C.H.V (1999) Reformation and rehabilitation programme on prison
inmates in Nigeria P.1
Tanglang A.A. (2000)
the Nigeria prisons and prisoners problems and prospect P.1
Ibid P.2
Anagaba S. (1997)
the role of education in reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners P. 13
Ehas T. O. (1968)
the prisons system in Nigeria P. 8
Tanglang A. A. (1991) Inmate social system, the Nigeria experience P. 1
Egu M. A (1990)
History of Nigeria Prison Service P. 3
Ibid P.
34
Vincent L. (1999)
Effects of reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners in Nigeria prisons P. 22
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