Tag Archives: Prisoners

Edo Government to execute death row prisoners.

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Barely one month after he was sworn in as the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki has announced his intention to execute three death row prisoners at Oko Prisons in Benin City, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

The convicts had been sentenced to death by military tribunals under the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Decree 1971 as amended, in which there is no right of appeal.

The prisoners are to be executed today (Friday), according to the Legal Defence and Assistance Project, a non-governmental organisation working to protect and promote human rights and the rule of law in Nigeria.

Chino Obiagwu, LEDAP’s director, in a petition to Mr. Obaseki, urged the governor to halt the planned execution.

“These earmarked prisoners were sentenced by military tribunals under the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Decree 1971 as amended, in which there was no right of appeal. We have filed an appeal pending at the Court of Lagos seeking order that these prisoners have right of appeal under the 1999 Constitution,” Mr. Obiagwu, a lawyer, stated in the petition dated December 23rd.

The group urged the governor not to start his regime with execution of prisoners “who have insisted on their innocence and have not exhausted appeal processes”.

Mr. Obaseki was sworn-in as the governor of Edo State last month, replacing Adams Oshiomhole who had governed for eight years.

PREMIUM TIMES could not confirm if Mr. Obaseki or his predecessor signed for the execution of the inmates.

When contacted, John Mayaki, the interim Chief Press Secretary to Mr. Obaseki, said he was not aware of the petition.

“I need to see the petition before I can respond,” Mr. Mayaki told PREMIUM TIMES.

In 2013, four prisoners on death row were hanged by officers of the Nigeria Prison Service in Edo State, with Mr. Oshiomhole signing the death warrant for two of them, according to Henry Idahagbon, then Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state.

It was the first known execution in Nigeria since 2006, according to Amnesty International.

The prisoners – Chima Ejiofor, Daniel Nsofor, Osarenmwinda Aigbonkhan, and Richard Igagu – were convicted of murder, armed robbery, and rape. They had instituted a suit before a federal court contending that executing them after 16 years of trauma and imminent death was inhuman and degrading and asked that their death sentences be commuted to terms of imprisonment.

“These people were convicted 15 years ago,” Mr. Idahagbon had said following a widespread condemnation that greeted the hanging of the inmates.

“I was only informed of this (last night) by the prison authorities that they had been hanged. One of them was convicted in Kaduna, while their matters had gone up to the Supreme Court and came back to the Federal High Court, Benin.

“It really has nothing to do with us a government. The governor only signed the death sentence of two, while previous governors signed that of two others.”

Lagos CJ releases 11 inmates from Badagry Prison.

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The Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade, on Thursday released 11 inmates at the Badagry Prisons during her maiden jail-delivery in the prison.

This is the first visit by Atilade to the Badagry Prison in her tenure as the Chief Judge of Lagos.

The Badagry Prison which has a capacity for 160 inmates is currently holding 370 inmates, out of which 207 are convicted and 163 are awaiting trial.

Atilade, said that the visit was for amnesty purposes.

“This is the first visit by me and my team to the Badagry Prisons to release inmates and those incarcerated unduly.

“Today, a number of inmates are qualified for amnesty and will breathe the air of freedom, the purpose of which is not only for them to be released but to contribute meaningfully to society,” she said.

The chief judge urged the Badagry Chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other Non-Governmental Organisations to take up cases of inmates pro bono to help with the administration of criminal justice.

“This amnesty is provided for in Section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provision Act and Section 35 of the 1999 constitution.

“You are hereby released conditionally from custody without prejudice to further proceedings against you. I enjoin you to go and sin no more,” the chief judge cautioned.

NAN reports that names of 174 inmates were submitted to the Prison Decongestion Committee to review for amnesty but was narrowed to 12 inmates.

One of the inmates could not be released because a lot of information was missing in his file making 11 the number of inmates eligible for release.

In his address of welcome, the Officer in Charge of the Badagry Prison, Mr Timothy Tinuoye, said that the prison was currently experiencing various infrastructural challenges.

Tinuoye, who was represented by Mr O.O Oladokun, said: “The prison has only one vehicle which conveys all the inmates to eight different courts daily and there is insufficient fund to maintain the vehicle.”

Atilade also made a brief stop at the Shola Thomas Courthouse for an inspection of the facility and later held a closed door meeting at the courthouse with the Chairman of the Badagry Chapter of the NBA, Mr Deyon Kiki.

Independence: Governor El-Rufai pardons three prisoners

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Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has granted state pardon to three convicted prisoners in the state.

The compassion extended to the convicts was part of 2016 Independence Day anniversary.

The convicts have been granted amnesty and subsequently released.

Malam el-Rufai announced the pardons in his address to the residents of Kaduna State to mark the country’s 56th Independence anniversary.

This followed recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy.

“As is customary, we mark this day of liberation with a gesture of compassion,” the governor said.

“Following recommendations from the Advisory Council, I have therefore approved the release of three prisoners based on guidelines which include the convicts attaining the age of 60 with good conduct and convicts suffering from ill-health likely to lead to death. I have exercised powers conferred by Section 212 of the Constitution and endorsed the release orders for three convicts.”

The convicts, Mohammed Usmanand Hassan Saidu were left off on account of being over 60, good conduct and having only a little part of their sentence remaining.

Ill-health accounted for Zaro Dickson’s pardon, who has hypertension and diabetes.

Malam el-Rufai urged Nigerians to be confident that our country will overcome the current economic challenges.

He asked residents of Kaduna to continue to uphold peace and harmony, and to shun any recourse to self-help and vendetta.

To mark Independence Day, the Kaduna Golf Club staged the Governor’s Cup. Wife of the Governor, Mrs. Hadiza el-Rufai, performed the tee-off at the event which attracted golfers from across the country.

Gambo Hamza, Executive Secretary of the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA), said that the golf event was organised to showcase Kaduna’s investment and tourism potentials.

Mrs. Hadiza el-Rufai also hosted an independence party for children. Staged within the grounds of the Government House, the party was attended by Malam Nasir el-Rufai, Mrs Ladi Bala, wife of deputy governor, Barnabas Yusuf Bala and Hajiya Rabi Abdusalam, the commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development.

Buhari Agrees To Swap Boko Haram Prisoners For Chibok Girls

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Nigeria’s President has again renewed his commitment to the rescue of the Chibok girls, saying government will not give up in the search.

 

Commenting on this via Twitter on Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari paid glowing tributes to the military for their efforts in the war against insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast.

 

The President also said he is willing to swap Boko Haram prisoners for the Chibok girls.

 

But that is on condition that they are able to list those they want released and then come out to discuss with the Federal Government.

 

He says the Federal Government will want the girls out safe without any harm done to them.

 

Recently, the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners had called on the President to accept the swap of the Boko Haram prisoners for the Chibok girls who were kidnapped in Borno State two years ago.

 

The President was in Nairobi, Kenya for the African economic summit which dwells on diversification and advancement of African economies.

 

Full text of the President’s statement:

 

Nigeria Ready To Take All Necessary Measures To Free Chibok Girls – President Buhari

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the preparedness of the Federal Government to discuss the release of the Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram terror group since 2014.

 

In an interview with journalists in Nairobi, Kenya at the weekend, President Buhari said the Nigerian government is ready to dialogue with bonafide leaders of the terror group who know the whereabouts of the girls.

 

“I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and it seems to me that much of it has been politicised.

 

“What we said is that the government which I preside over is prepared to talk to bonafide leaders of Boko Haram.

 

“If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know.

 

“If they do it through the ‘modified leadership’ of Boko Haram and they talk with an internationally recognised NGO, then Nigeria will be prepared to discuss for their release,” he said.

 

President Buhari, who spoke to the media on the margins of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), warned that the Federal Government will not waste time and resources with “doubtful sources” claiming to know the whereabouts of the girls.

 

“We want those girls out and safe. The faster we can recover them and hand them over to their parents, the better for us.”

 

The President maintained that the terror group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS, has been largely decimated by the gallant Nigerian military with the support of immediate neighbours from Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin.

 

“Some of the information about the division in Boko Haram is already in the press and I have read in the papers about the conflict in their leadership.

 

“The person known in Nigeria as their leader, we understand was edged out and the Nigerian members of Boko Haram started turning themselves to the Nigerian military.

 

“We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded. Indeed, their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem and we know this because when we came into power, they were holding 14 out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria. But now they are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets.

 

On the militancy in the Niger Delta region, the President said the Federal Government is also open to dialogue to resolve all contending issues in the area.

 

“We do not believe that they (the militants) have announced ceasefire. We are trying to understand them more. Who are their leaders and which areas do they operate and other relevant issues,” he said.

 

Garba Shehu

SSA to the President (Media & Publicity)

August 28, 2016

Nsukka Prison Break: We Have Re-arrested 6 Escaped Prisoners– Prisons Controller

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Mr Isaiah Amariri, the Enugu State Controller of Nigeria Prisons Service, said on Thursday that six of the inmates that escaped from Nsukka Prisons on Tuesday night, have been re-arrested.

Amariri, who gave the figure to newsmen in Nsukka, however declined to give the exact number of inmates that escaped from the prison. He said the prison service was liaising with security agents and community groups to apprehend the remaining escaped prisoners. “There was a jail break in Nsukka prisons on Tuesday night between 12pm and 3am, in which many inmates escaped, though six of them have been re-arrested.

“I cannot give the exact figure for now as investigations are still on. We will send our findings to the Controller General of Prisons who will make public the exact number and cause of Nsukka prisons jail break.

“The service is liaising with security agents and community vigilante groups to know the hideout of those still on the run in order to re-arrest them ,” he said. He assured that any official indicted the course of the investigation would be punished.

“After investigations on the jail break, any person in the service found to have been involved or aided the Tuesday jail break will be arrested and prosecuted no matter his or her position.

“Security has been beefed up in and around Nsukka prisons with serious surveillance on the prisons facilities, inmates and staff. “The prisons authorities are on top of the situation and will put measures in place to avoid a repeat of what happened on Tuesday night in Nsukka, “he said.

The controller solicited the help of the general public who might have information on the whereabouts of the fleeing inmates, to report to relevant security agencies.

Read More:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/nsukka-jailbreak-re-arrested-6-escaped-prisoners-prisons-controller/

 

Escaped Prisoner Sets New World Record After Being On Run For Sixty Years

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The world’s most elusive fugitive is still on the run after breaking out of jail 60 years ago. John Patrick Hannan used knotted bedsheets to scale the walls of Verne Prison , Portland, Dorset, in December 1955.

Hannan, who holds the world record for longest escape from custody, disappeared without a trace and would now be aged 81. The Irishman broke free just 30 days into his 21-month sentence for car theft and assaulting two police officers.

Dorset Police, who have officially given up looking for him, believe he returned to his native country
soon after he vanished.

Their last high-profile appeal came in 1998 when they asked the crook to contact them.

While he may no longer be alive, his death has not been recorded so he is technically still a wanted man and is listed as missing on the police national computer.

The previous longest escape record of 45 years, 11 months, was held by double killer Leonard Friscoe from Nevada in the US.

Another famous fugitive, the late Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs, was on the run for 32 years before he finally gave himself up.

Source: Mirror online

Army Releases 182 Boko Haram Prisoners

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Nigerian Army has released 182 Boko Haram suspects from Maimalari Barracks in Maiduguri, Borno State.

This was disclosed by the army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman, who said that the “joint intelligence community investigated and authorized the release of these prisoners.”

He added that the release was part of Nigeria’s National Army Day, which was held on July 6, to commemorate the first shots of Nigeria’s Civil War at Garaken, Cross River State.

The 40 boys, 24 women, 100 adult men and 18 children prisoners were reportedly released to the state governor.

In addition to the prisoners release, Colonel Usman said that the army was celebrating the opening of a new military centre. He revealed that the army would provide two days of free medical treatment for Borno State residents, and award Purple Heart and Operation Zaman Lafiya medals to soldiers fighting Boko Haram. All these events were tied to Nigeria’s National Army Day.

Meanwhile, the military has confirmed that more people detained for alleged links with the Boko Haram sect will be released after being cleared by its joint intelligence cell.

Credit: Leadership

S. A. Prisoners Gunned Down Trying to Escape

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Two prisoners have been kiiled as they tried to escape from Mthatha Hight Court in Eastern Cape Province.

An official from the justice ministry said that the prisoners, who were awaiting their hearing, apparently retrieved a firearm from a dustbin and there was exchange of gunfire with officers.

Mthunzi Mhaga, the justice ministry spokesman, said one prison officer was wounded in the leg during the shootout.

He said, “they attempted to escape on entering the court premises,” adding that the police were now in control and “the situation was under control.”