Girl In Detention For Four Years Over Phone Theft…In Kirikiri Prison Since Age 16

                                            

The case of Blessing Effiong, a 20-year-old inmate awaiting trial at the female section of Kirikiri Prisons, Lagos, perhaps typifies the injustice suffered by the poor in the Nigerian society.
The Akwa-Ibom indigene, who was interviewed by the Attorney-General of the state, Mr. Ade Ipaye, during a visit to the prisons to evaluate the number of awaiting trial persons there, narrated in detail how she had been incarcerated since the age of 16 because she could not afford the services of a lawyer.

She said, “In 2008, I bought a Starcomms phone for N10,000 in order to start a business centre. A few days later, a man called me and said the phone was stolen from him. I told the man I didn’t know it was stolen. We had an agreement that I should return the phone and he would refund my money.

 “I gave the man my address but when he got to my place, he said the phone was stolen from him along with his laptop and some other vital documents. He accused me of being a thief, called the police and had me arrested. I was charged with robbery and have been in Kirikiri since then as my trial has yet to begin.”

Effiong said she was arrested at her guardian’s house in Ebute-Meta but was transferred to the Agboju Police Division from where she was taken to an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court.

She said although she was 16 at the time of her arrest, the Investigating Police Officer claimed she was 21 so that she would be tried as an adult

“I told the IPO that I was only 16 years old and that I knew nothing about the stolen phone but the IPO wrote 21 on my statement and claimed I was lying about my age. I was arraigned as an adult,” she said.

Effiong added that even after four years, her trial had not begun as the court was said to be awaiting advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Female section of Kirikiri Prisons

LAGOS’ PLAN FOR PRISON DECONGESTION

The Attorney-General promised to facilitate the process with which the DPP would issue advice.

He said the state government had begun a framework for the implementation of non-custodial sentencing as well as probation for early release of inmates.

 “Prisons are necessary in every community for crime control but what we are against is a situation whereby one who ought not to be in prison will be there.  In the meantime, I am committed to stopping mass transfer of people to prison,” he said.

Ipaye assured the prisons authorities that the state government might also employ the parole system which is a conditional release from imprisonment that allows a convict to serve the remainder of the sentence outside the prison as long as the terms of release were complied with

He added that plans were underway for courts to sit at weekend so that people, who were arrested during the weekends, would be tried immediately.

Via PUNCH