Ayodele Olalere
A judicial group, Access to Justice (A2J) has called for investigations into the killings of some inmates at the Kaduna Correctional Centre that happened recently.
It also demanded for decongestion of custodial centres nationwide.
It is recalled on April 1, 2020, a riot was reported at the Kaduna Maximum Custodial Centre, which resulted in the killing of at least five inmates allegedly by prison officials in efforts to quell the protests or riot.
In a statement by the group signed by its Project Director, Joseph Otteh, it urged the federal government to investigate what led to the riot and bring to justice those responsible for the killings.
“We note, with serious concern, that the riot which led to the unfortunate incidence was as a result of inmates’ concerns about the spread of COVID-19 into the custodial centre. The inmates were reportedly anxious about the risks they faced given the over-crowding of their cells aggravated by fears that another inmate had allegedly been rushed to hospital over a corona virus infection.
Early on, the Kaduna State Correction Centre denied reports of any deaths, and then afterwards claimed that the only deaths that occurred were persons who were already condemned to death and were on death row. Investigation by the media showed these claims to be false and misleading,” the statement stated.
“The Kaduna State Correctional authorities ought to have handled the prison protests with much more sensitivity and restraint, and shown much better understanding of the legitimate worries which triggered the actions of the prisoners. The loss of human life in efforts to quell the riots was clearly unnecessary and unjustified.
To this end, Access to Justice demands that the federal government initiates a prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigation into the incident in Kaduna Maximum Custodial Centre that led to the loss of lives of inmates of that centre, that those who used force disproportionate to the situation of the riots be brought to justice and held accountable for their acts of violence, the suspension immediately from office, of the leadership of the Kaduna Correctional Centre in order to ensure the integrity of any investigation and reduce risks that vital evidence relevant for an investigation may be tampered with, provide immediate and adequate medical treatment to all persons who sustained injuries in the protests, and the payment of compensation to the families of those killed in the course of the riots.”
The group also said in the face of the Kaduna killings, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice should ensure custodial centres are decongested nationwide.
“We, therefore, urge the minister to expedited action on the decongestion of detention centres such as police cells, ICPC, EFCC, Customs, Immigration, among others.”