Thorns In My Boot

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 16

They called it “Correction Centre” but it is

actually a “Corruption centre”. I can

authoritatively say that Prison

administration in Nigeria is far from being a

corrective institution. It is a den where

greedy, demented and desperate men in

uniform take advantage of helpless men that

are under lock and key. I pray for you today

as you read my story that you and your

loved ones shall never be inmate to any

prison anywhere. In prison, you are reduced

to less than a human being! You have no

rights, no privileges! You are at the mercy of

the Warders. To survive in Prison, you have

got to have strong outside connections.

People die daily that we got tired of crying

when anyone died.

Corruption starts from the entrance gate! It

is all about money. Sometimes I wonder if

these Warders do not receive salaries, or

maybe all our Para-military services in

Nigeria are just there to extort and exploit

the helpless Civilians. The Warders will do

anything for money! I cannot list all of the

atrocities that go on in the Prison because it

comes in varied forms; all you need to keep

a Warder under your control is to buy him

or her.

After spending six months at the Abakaliki

Prison without a single Court appearance, I

then understood why some of us had been

there for years praying and waiting for Gods

intervention. There were professionals of

various fields convicted for varying offences

in Prison. Fraudulent Bankers, negligent and

fake Doctors, indicted Police and Military

Officers, Advance fee fraudsters, Armed

Robbers, Rapist, prostitutes that murdered,

drug traffickers and politicians.

The list is endless. But in prison, we are all

reduced to the same. We are all criminals

according to the warders, either convicted

or awaiting trial. Sometimes a convicted

fellow brought to prison would serve his

term and gain freedom while you are still on

trial for an offence committed before the

convicted fellow went to jail. Justice is

severally delayed in Nigeria which always

leads to justice denial.

I once called one of the Warders called

“inside inside” he was called “inside”

because he usually commands that an

stubborn inmate or a new inmate be sent

into the innermost cell, put am inside!

Inside! He would command and that earned

him the nick name “inside”.

Oga inside I beg I want to talk to you: I had

requested one night when he was

inspecting the sleeping inmates in their Cells.

Na wetin? He retorted

Oga! I beg na wetin be my fate now? I don

dey here for six months now and nothing

don happen! Not even a Court appearance!

Abi una want make I die here? How

someone go dey for ATL for six months

without trial? I enquired.

Listen Yoruba man! He said: na only six

months you don spend here and you dey

hala! You no dey ask your fellow criminals

how long them don stay here? Or you no

meet many of them for here? Ehn? Answer

me!

But Oga Inside! Is it fair? I asked; how una

go just abandon us here like that without

any hearing for Court?

Na me bring you here? He challenged; you

dey craze? See as you dey talk to me sef! See

me see trouble with this silly and criminal

Yoruba Soldier o! Na me send you to go

commit? In short why I dey waste my time

dey talk to you sef? Ngwa! Go back to sleep,

go inside! Inside! He began to hit the metal

gates with his Baton furiously that other

Prisoners woke up and started shouting at

him to stop disturbing their sleep, I

hurriedly laid down and pretended to be

asleep while Oga Inside was still exchanging

words with inmates hurling insults at him.

An inmate of mine, a former Banker told me

that one really needs money to get anything

he wants from inside the prison. I did not

believe him at first until after I had spent

one year.

February 1993, I was told by Oga Inside that

my case will be heard in Court in two days.

He told me to better be ready and I said I

would. I did not understand.

I told my fellow inmates the good news and

they were happy for me, our mindset in ATL

was that it is better to die than anticipating

death. So going to Court was a step in the

right direction, at least I have been made to

know that I cannot get a death sentence as

the evidences against me were not

substantive to nail my coffin. I would get a

sentence for purchase of stolen property

and the term would run concurrently.

Oga Inside and another Warder came to

pick me up on the D day, along the Corridor

of the Prison, Oga Inside asked me to settle

him before we get to the waiting black

Maria that would take us to Court. I told him

I did not have money.

But you tell me say you go dey ready nah! He

said

I no sabi say na money you day talk about

nah! I think say you dey advise me to get

ready for the Court appearance; I replied.

Advise you? I be your lawyer? Okay o! no

wahala! You think say you get sense no be

so? He asked

Oga Inside! I no understand you o! I don

dey here for one year now, you don see me

with money before? Even if I borrow, how I

go take pay back? I asked him.

No worry nah! Yoruba People too dey claim

like say na them sabi book pass everybody!

Go come! I dey wait for you here! Agaracha

must come back! He walked out on me and

the other Warder.

On our way to the Court, the Warders

collected money from every inmate in the

Van; I did not have a dime so I was instantly

blacklisted but I begged them and promised

to make it up to them, how? I did not know.

You think the Government care about the

Prison service? How do you think we fuel

this Motor carrying you to the Court? Look

let me tell you, you better change o, else you

will rot here, one of the Armed Warder told

me; let me tell you, he continued; call on

anyone you know, any relative at all to help

you get money! Without money, you will die

in here! Money makes things happen here!

When we encountered traffic hold up along

the way, we looked through the window of

the Van and called out to Passersby for alms

which many gave to us by sliding naira

notes through the window, a certain

woman ran after the van banging at the

door, one of the Armed Guards opened the

door to ask her what her problem was,

having surveyed to see that she was alone,

she threw in a wad of naira notes on the

floor of the Van and stopped running after

us. The monies collected were countered

and shared amongst everybody including

me even though I got the least amount. I

tucked the money in my anus. Yes that was

the only purse we kept our money.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Our files were brought up before the

presiding Judge and one after the other we

were called up for hearing except for me. I

was the last person on the pew when the

Judge looked up and asked for any pending

file when she realized that no other file was

presented to her and I was yet to be

attended to.

Where is the case file of that young Man?

She had asked the Court Clerk

The Clerk hurriedly left the Court and

reappeared after ten minutes with my file.

My case was read but there was no defense

Lawyer representing me, no witnesses were

present, Sergeant Godwin was not present.

Only the state prosecuting Lawyer was

present so my case was postponed to April

8th 1993 while two of us were discharged

and acquitted.

As we were being driven back to the Prison,

I was told by fellow inmates that I should

have been prepared, I should have

discussed with my Lawyer before the day of

the hearing, my lawyer would have being in

Court to ensure my case file was brought up

for hearing; all in all, it boils down to the

importance of one major factor, money!

The Driver veered off the road to the back of

a petrol Station along Ogoja road and

parked, I knew they were up to something

and I was curious. Five minutes later there

was a whistle signal and two of the inmates

removed their Prison Uniforms and gave

them to the Warder, the back door of the

Van opened and two young Lads entered,

they pulled off their Clothes and gave to the

two inmates who wore the clothes hurriedly

and went out of the van while the new

strangers were given the Prisoners

Uniforms to wear, the Warder told them

their names and was giving them a brief

induction when the signal whistle went off

again.

I peeked through the Window to see a sleek

black car parking by our Van, the back door

opened again and a Politician inmate went

out and entered the Car, we waited for

Fifteen minutes before he entered with a

travelling bag, he thanked the Warders and

gave each a fat envelope and he shared

money to all the inmates in the Van. I was

wowed but I was happy.

We stopped at a Market along Afikpo road

and the Van parked again and one of the

Warders asked if we want to buy anything,

we all gave him money and he listed our

demands on a piece of Paper, I requested

for Garri and Groundnut. He was gone for

an hour only to return with a “Ghana must

Go” bag full of our supplies. When we got to

the Prison, we had to settle all the Warders

from the entrance gate to our Cell gate; they

already knew we would return with goodies

especially as the Politician had gone with us.

Having settled all parties, my bag of Garri of

about fifty kilogram was brought into my

Cell by Oga Inside at night, he told me to

keep it covered with my Blanket. That was

the first ray of light in my darkness.