Uyo Correctional Centre, CDHR In War Over Bribe To Access Inmates
By Our Reporter
The Akwa Ibom State Branch of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, has accused Uyo Medium Security Custodial Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service of receiving monetary inducements before allowing the rights group to pay visit to inmates in their custody.
In a petition dated 19th April 2021 and addressed to the Deputy Controller of Nigerian Correctional Service in Uyo by Comrade Pius Ntuen, the state chairman of the CDHR, the human rights group bemoaned how one of its member, Comrade Renner Ekong, was harassed on December 30, 2020 and subsequently forced out of the premises of the correctional facility on orders of Mr. A.J. Udoma, who served as the Chief Warder of the centre. According to the petition, the CDHR representative was officially sent on duty to facilitate and obtain briefs for legal assistance to Ibok Sunday and Abubarkar, the inmates at the correctional centre.
The rights group alleged that Mr. Udoma had warned Comrade Renner Ekong not to visit the facility again, threatening that “next time Comr. Renner comes to the correctional centre he will be dealt with mercilessly.”
On what caused the bad blood between the correctional officer and the human rights activist, the petition has it that on 17th March 2018, Mr. Udoma had collected from Comrade Renner Ekong a CDHR’s letter of application which was addressed to then Deputy Controller of Nigeria Prison Service for access to an inmate, but he surprisingly tore the letter and dumped it in his office’s waste bin, while warning that Mr. Ekong should not be allowed to visit any inmate without paying money.
Meanwhile a letter by the office of the Deputy Controller of Corrections of the Nigerian Correctional Centre responding to the allegations indicated that upon the receipt of the petition, a two-man committee headed by ACC. M. Ishadu and SC B.U. Inyang was set up by the Deputy Controller of Corrections in-charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre, Uyo to investigate the veracity of the allegations leveled against Mr. Udom A. J, the Chief Disciplinary Officer (CDO) Uyo Custodial Centre with a view to restoring the existing working relationship between CDHR and the Centre.
The Correctional Centre absolved Mr. Udoma, saying he acted in a good faith to save the life of Mr. Ekong following an upheaval in the yard which was likely to cause the breach of security.
According to the letter, the committee had found that there was a communication gap when Mr. Ekong was asked to discontinue his visit due to the upheaval in the yard but Mr. Ekong allegedly misconstrued the action of Mr. Udoma to mean an embarrassment to his persons, with Udoma failing to understand that Ekong had picked offense.
The correctional centre further described as unfounded the allegation by Mr. Ekong that he was compelled to pay money for visit to inmates who were clients to CDHR, saying visit to inmates is free upon a written application.
However, a man who simply identified himself as Mr. Akpan, had previously claimed while speaking with our correspondent that aside from the corruption-induced extortion of N200 and at times N400 that the Correctional service officers collect from visitors to the facilities in Akwa Ibom State, food and medical items donated to the inmates rarely got to them.
©THE RIGHTS GUARDIAN
>Iniubong Umoren: Saviour Akpan Laments ‘Double-Wahala For Dead Body’
> A’Ibom Deep Seaport Project’s Location And Name-Change: Politics Of Marginalization Or Necessity?
>Oron Meeting: AKSG Gives Reasons To Location, Name-Change Of Deep Seaport
>Crocodile, Please Cry No More> 2023 Presidency: New Nigeria Group Promises Compulsory Employment … Set Structure In A’Ibom
Comments
Post a Comment