Rights groups issue ultimatum to Bauchi to decongest correctional facilities

A human right group known as Lawyers Alert has in conjunction with Prison Inmates Development Initiative (PIDI-NIGERIA) have issued a 5-day warning to the Bauchi state government to implement the federal government’s directive on prison decongestion or face legal fireworks.

The groups made their position known on Tuesday in an open letter to the state artorney -general and commissioner for justice, signed and made available to our correspondent by the Executive Director of PIDI-Nigeria, Mbami Sabka in Bauchi.

“We would however, be compelled to approach the courts to compel you to carry out this noble directive in the event of your failure to activate the process within five days from your receipt of this letter,” the statement read.

The letter titled: “Re: Federal government’s directive on decongestion of correctional facilities, need for activation,” said that “without doubt, we are all aware of the COVID-19 pandemic, the consequences and the science of its infection which without doubt makes the correctional service centres (prisons) a place of high risk infection.

“With over 72,000 inmates in congested and largely unhygienic places, an infection outbreak can be an inferno within this context if interventions are not quickly carried out.”

The group which said the intervention include decongesting the correctional service centres of inmates awaiting trial and other groups of inmates, expressed confidence that it was for this reason that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the decongestion of the country’s correctional service centres.

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“The president equally directed that urgent steps be taken to decongest the facilities to prevent fatalities arising from any likely outbreak of the virus,” the bodies recalled.

The groups explained that the presidential committee on the decongestion of correctional facility, subsequently, met on the steps to actualize the directive of the president.

The rights groups while noting that the deadly virus has continued to cause more destruction by shutting down the whole world, lamented that no active steps have been taken so far by the federal government to save the lives of over 50, 000 awaiting trial inmates in its correctional centres.

“We must admit that we are not unaware of the bureaucratic bottlenecks that usually accompany exercises of this nature in Nigeria.

“We however, believe this must be treated differently as it is a matter of life and death. We cannot afford to have the coronavirus disease make entry into our congested correctional facilities.

“This is to inform you of the willingness of Lawyers Alert in partnership with PIDI Bauchi state and several human rights groups to assist you in activation of this noble objective in view of the well-deserved urgency required in whatever we can,” they said.

The groups expressed confidence that within five working days from the date of the service of the letter, it will be possible for the office of Bauchi state attorney general to facilitate the release of inmates that are qualified for the gesture.