• Says number of awaiting trial inmates alarming
From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Reverend Lucious Ugorji has expressed serious concern over what he described as the unhealthy conditions of the country’s Correctional Centres.
Ugorji, who paid a pastoral visit to the St. Lazarus Chaplaincy, Federal Correctional Centre, Owerri, noted that the condition of the centres was capable of causing health hazards.
The cleric was demoralised by the number of awaiting trial inmates in the facility and called for urgent attention to enable the place to live up to its name. He pointed out that such a situation could rubbish the name of Nigeria’s judiciary.
He said: “The beginning of this year’s Lenten Season is a few hours’ away. This is a time to engage in doing corporal works of mercy. This is a time to visit our brothers and sisters in correctional facilities.
“For those of you in this chaplaincy, your closest neighbours are the inmates of Federal Correctional Centre, Owerri. You must imbibe the habit of visiting and doing positive things that will better their lot. You must learn to tell their sordid stories to the outside world.
“It is no longer news that we have a staggering number of people awaiting trial in Nigeria’s correctional facilities. It is not only doing serious damage to the country’s judicial system, but is also rubbishing the corporate image of our country.
“It is sad to note that about 60 to 90 percent of the inmates in our correctional centres are awaiting trial. We hear that some rooms that are large enough to accommodate only five persons, are now made to take 25. This situation has forced the inmates to sleep in shifts.
“The atmosphere within the correctional facility is unsanitary. The odour oozing out of the facility is highly offensive and capable of igniting health hazards. I have not ceased to wonder how the inmates and workers breathe while in the enclosure.
“There is also this paradox about our correctional centres. Not everyone incarcerated in them are criminals and not all criminals, even those in high places, are confined in these places.
“Quite a number of these individuals, who are languishing in these facilities, are innocent souls. There are those who have been incarcerated for years and months because somebody somewhere wants to prove that he or she is powerful or is properly connected to someone that can make things happen.
“We hear people say with glee that ‘man pass man.’ This could be why case files inexplicably disappear soon after someone has been dumped in jail. Such persons never get any date in court to answer to their alleged offences.”
Continuing, Archbishop Ugorji said: “Our leaders must realise that prison inmates have rights, including the right to human dignity, which is inalienable.
“Keeping someone in confinement for too long, violates the person’s right to freedom. Man has an inherent right to his dignity, which is given by God.
“These facilities should truly be correctional centres, like their names imply. There is, however, a wide gap between what they represent and what they ought to be.
“They should not be punishment centres, which they are now. They should be rehabilitation and counselling centres. They should be places to acquire skills that would make them useful citizens.
“Why must anybody decide to destroy fellow citizens, using the nation’s judicial system? Why must people be allowed to languish endlessly in jail, in this day and age? All persons that have anything to do with the administration of justice should rethink and help society to grow.”
One of the highlights of the visit was the donation of N1 million for the ongoing work on the sewage control system in the correctional centre.