By Wilson Okereke
The Comptroller of Corrections, Ebonyi State Command, Nigerian Correctional Service, Sir Anthony Chigbata in this interview, disclosed that the act of looking for wealth at all costs has contributed to the overflow of the inmates in their facilities.
How long have you been in Ebonyi and what is your knowledge so far?
I came to the State Command on June 24, 2022, thus, I have spent one year and some months in Ebonyi as the Comptroller of Corrections.
What are your achievements within this period?
The achievements are silent but numerous, for the fact that there is no problem in the State Command, that alone is an achievement, neither Abuja nor the zone has visited us for any investigation is also an achievement.
Since there is no careless escape of the inmates from the custody, the staff welfare is well managed and we are performing our duties optimally; all these are achievements, we also have synergy with the state government and all the security agencies in the state.
But that does not mean that the command is not encountering any challenge, though the state government is trying but the congestion in the facilities, the logistics involving fueling of our vehicles and their maintenances need to be enhanced.
Besides what you have mentioned, are there other areas that the command needs intervention?
Yes, we need operational vehicles, arms and ammunitions, electronic gadgets followed by the provision of the safety management of our facilities and the inmates in the custody.
What can you say about the capacity of the facility?
Presently, we have 1140 inmates against the official capacity of 387 inmates in Abakaliki Custodial Center, thus the situation is difficult in management; before now, there was classification of inmates as the first offenders, the murderers and others facing capital offences.
Ideally, we are supposed to separate them so that they will not contaminate the juvenile and the first offenders but because of the congestion, the situation became impossible for us to do that; this is why we are clamouring daily on how to decongest the facility because we have a role to reform, reintegrate and rehabilitate the inmates.
For instance, the facility meant for 10 persons can now be shared by 20 inmates, we are really in need of the government intervention in this aspect.
Are your men always at alert? And is the establishment part of security operatives?
It is laughable when we people say that the correctional service is not a security outfit because to some extent, it is a lie, if one goes outside Nigeria the person will find out that our counterparts over there are heavily paid.
Someone who is holding criminals who are actively ready to escape from the custody at all times, there is every tendency that the personnel will also be active trying to protect them from breaking the facility.
This can be illustrated with the eleven players in the football field; is the goal keeper not part of the team, so we are the goal keepers in the security system.
The police will arrest, take to the court and our men being the goal keepers will catch and keep at the custodial center; in a nutshell, our profession needs to be honored because we mould the behavior of human beings.
We do not want a criminal when he comes to the correctional centers to remain the same, rather the person should go home better than what he was when he came but unfortunately, our hands are tied because the facilities are not 100% okay.
Have you made any appeal in that regard?
I am appealing that the service should be incorporated in the concurrent list because 90% of the inmates are the indigenes of Ebonyi State, yet the state does not care whether the people are fed or not, including their medical care.
It is due to the fact that the state doesn’t bear the burden or know what the Federal Government spends to feed one custodial center that makes its legal officers to be remanding people in any slightest offence.
The ration bill of last month was over N 34m for one center of about 1,000 inmates, how much more when it involves a custodial center of about 4000 inmates as Porthacourt.
Though between 2018/2019, a Directorate being non custodial verdict was introduced and assigned with the responsibility of looking into the mild cases as fighting, stealing of fowls and other similar offences.
Its officers will engage the targeted inmates in discussions and those found guilty will be sent for communal services comprising cutting of grass for three or six months under the supervision of the staff and once they are done with the community service, they will be sent home without seeing the four walls of the centers.
There is a probation or restorative justice where the matter between the victim and the inmate through the non custodial measure will be mediated upon because in some cases, when the inmates stay about two to three years in the custody, the offended person may have forgotten about the case or regretted why he had sent someone into the custody.
If such person sees our staff coming to beg him concerning the inmate, he will easily yield to the request and our people do move from one custodial center to another in search of such cases and once the report is taken to court, the inmate will be released and such is a decongestive measure.
Are you saying in essence that the state government is not helping matters?
No, sometimes, if we cry out, the state government through its officials normally provide us with foods and medicines, therefore we are asking that there should be an improvement.
They also usually work with the judiciary to organize jail delivery but instead of reduction to be noticed, the number is always in the increase because of the quick money syndrome commonly found among the youth.
What do you think that are the factors?
Listening to some of the social media handles and secular music where the affluent persons are praised, everyone wants to belong and recognized by acquiring wealth by all means.
Massive migration into the cities is another factor, a situation where a successful fisherman or a farmer will abandon his occupation for city life in order to get rich within a shortest period.
Is there a piece of advice to that regard?
The youth should always put God’s plan into consideration rather than desiring for something at all costs, they should understand that money is not made by might, someone can start a business today and surpass another that has been into the same business for the past 30 years.
How do you manage a case involving a communicable disease among the inmates?
We have medical doctors, nurses and other health officers inside the facility though the place is not wide enough to separate them but if there is high disease as COVID 19 or Ebola, we can separate them by evacuating one cell and put the affected persons together, though we have not experienced any.
Where have you worked before now?
I was a teacher before I was transferred into the service and since then, I have worked at Onitsha Custodial Center for 6 years, (between 1992 and1998), I was later transferred to the Correctional Center at Orji River in Enugu (1998-2000) and later to the State Headquarters, Enugu where I spent only two weeks.
Thereafter, I got another posting to Arochukwu in Abia State followed by another transfer back to Headquarters at Enugu (between 2004 and 2008), later to Afikpo in Ebonyi as in-charge in July 2008 till September, 2010, from there to Awka in Anambra State (2010 till 2013) and back to the State headquarters, Enugu where I was promoted to the rank of Comptroller.
Are there other places?
I was later moved to the Zonal headquarters, Owerri (Zone E) in Imo State where I spent about 9 years as Comptroller Discipline, Comptroller Administration and Comptroller Operation before my eventual transfer to Ebonyi State Command on 24th June, 2022.
Do you have obsessive fear to work outside Igbo land?
No, I was born at Ejule in Kogi State when my father was teaching at that place and I did visit my brothers at Minna in Niger State, Nngi, Madaka, Bauchi, Gombe, Kashere and other places.
I want people to know that I do not request for transfer and I don’t reject when it comes, it is so because that is what the civil service means.
Did you inherit uncompleted projects?
We are staying in a rented building but graciously when one of our sons, Hon Edwin Nwonu was the chairman, House Committee on Corrections at the National Assembly, he fought gallantly and a site was given to us, the construction was ongoing when I came but on January 2023, the project was completed.
We now have a befitting state headquarters that requires a Complementary work for us to pack in.
How do you intend to expedite action for some inmates to have access to justice?
Ordinarily, our work is to hold when the order comes and release when we are told to release but we have seen that if we continue in that manner that our impact will not be felt and the inmates will think that we are not helping them, so we do liaise with Chief judge, other judges, magistrates and Director of Public Prosecution.
Some persons do not understand the inmates but we know them because we stay with them and they know that we can’t prosecute them in any law court and for that reason, they do tell us the truth and exactly what they did.
These are the matters that we can take to the law officers that I have mentioned and some persons are usually released without attaching heavy conditions.