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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

46 Akwa Ibom inmates miss court hearings because centre has no working vehicles

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The inmates at the Medium Security Correctional Centre in Eket include people who have not appeared in court since their detention in 2023.
  • The facility covers nine local government areas and 18 courts, but sometimes hires minibuses from a local park to transport inmates.
  • The officer in charge appealed for government, nonprofit and private support, citing vehicle shortages and damaged roofs caused by heavy rains.

Forty-six awaiting-trial inmates at a correctional centre in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, are unable to attend court hearings because the facility has no operational vehicles.

Chief Superintendent of Corrections Samuel Bassey, the centre’s officer in charge, disclosed the problem during a visit by media professionals from the Eket Federal Constituency. He said some inmates transferred from Nsit Ubium Local Government Area in 2023 had never appeared in court.

Sometimes we have to go to the local park to hire minibuses that will convey inmates to the court. The decision is very risky as you must ensure that the person you engage is trustworthy.

· Samuel BasseyThe correctional centre official described the risks created by the lack of working vehicles.

The centre’s jurisdiction covers nine local government areas and 18 courts. With none of its vehicles working, officials sometimes hire minibuses from a local park to transport inmates, a practice Bassey described as risky because staff must rely on drivers they do not know.

Our jurisdiction covers nine local government areas with 18 courts. About 46 inmates are unable to appear in court. It is difficult to take the inmates to court without having operational vehicles. None of our vehicles are functional. Even the one at the workshop cannot be fixed. We really need support to discharge our duties effectively.

· Samuel BasseyBassey explained the scale of the transport shortage and appealed for assistance.

“How can justice be dispensed when inmates are not presented before the courts?” Bassey asked. He said the facility had repeatedly written to authorities for help but had received no response. He appealed to governments, companies, nongovernmental organizations and philanthropists to provide support.

Bassey also said heavy rains had damaged several roofs, leaving inmates exposed to harsh weather. He added that the federal government was providing adequate food and that trained professionals supplied medical care at the facility clinic.

Concerning the state of infrastructure, the heavy rains in the southern part of the country have caused several roofs in the facility to wear out and exposed inmates to harsh weather conditions.

· Samuel BasseyHe highlighted damage to the correctional centre’s infrastructure.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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