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.

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