Date: 2017-03-14

No fewer than 58 prison inmates are awaiting execution in various prisons in Kwara State, National Pilot, gathered last night. A highly placed prison source, who confided in this medium because he was not authorised to speak officially on the matter, said the figure was for the month of February 2017.

According to another prison source, some of the inmates on death row have been languishing in the situation for years at both Oke-Kura and Mandala Prisons in the state, adding that the situation has been a source of concern for prisons authorities in the light of recent developments.

Recall that six of the prison inmates in Kwara were in November, 2016 killed and 12 injured at Oke-Kura prison in Ilorin for allegedly protesting worsening condition of their situation.

"I can tell you that as at February this year, the number of the prison inmates on death row has risen to 58. "Some of them have been in the situation for years at both Oke-Kura and Mandala prisons and with the lack of prisons reform for years, their situation in the state needs an urgent reappraisal," the sources added.

It could not be confirmed whether there are additional numbers to the figures as most of the prison officials who spoke on the matter pleaded for Monday (today) to verify the situation. Meanwhile, the fate of the affected inmates will be decided by the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed in May.

According to the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Kamaldeen Ajibade, the Governor will decide their fate when marking the 50 years anniversary of Kwara State based on the report of a committee set up to look into the issue.

Explaining further, Ajibade told National Pilot that it is the constitutional requirement for the Governor to set up a committee on the 'Prerogative of Mercy' to look into the cases of the condemned inmates, which will in turn make necessary recommendations to him.

"The Governor has complied with that requirement and set up a seven-member committee in this regard, headed by the Attorney General of the state, and comprises of members from the Prisons, Police, Religious Organisations and the Director of Public Persecution, who serves as its Secretary, among others. "The committee is working to ensure that we get our report ready for the Governor by May 29 or during the celebration of Kwara at 50, also scheduled to take place same month.

"It will review each of the cases based on the merit to know whether some of the condemned prisoners should be pardoned or their matters revisited. It will also recommend to the Governor whether those already condemned should have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment or as appropriate, depending on their matter.

"However after the committee's recommendation, the Governor still has the discretion to decide their fate. That rest with him and him only", Ajibade added. Recall that the last execution made in Kwara took place in the 80s at Offa during Buhari/Idiagbon military regime when GP. Cpt. Salau Olantinwo was the then military governor and a renowned armed robber, Gafar Olorugun (better known as JB) and his cohorts, were executed tied to the stake.

But since then, past and present governors in the state and beyond have not signed death warrant for the execution of convicts. The only governor to do so of late is Adams Oshiomhole before the expiration of his tenure in Edo State.

Since then, there have been growing concerns across the country for state executives to sign death warrant for the execution of the over 1,640 men on death row in various prison formations. In a related development, the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) has disclosed that over 68,000 inmates are being held in prison facilities in the country as at March 2017.

The Controller General of Nigerian Prison Service, Jaafaru Ahmed, who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen at the weekend, said that the agency had reopened prison farm centres towards self-sufficiency in food production. Ahmed said "As at March 6, 2017, total inmates population stands at 68,259. Out of this number, 46,351 are awaiting trial suspects, and the remaining 21,903 are convicted.

"In terms of percentage, the convicted is 32 per cent, while awaiting trial persons is 68 per cent; though the figures are not static as they fluctuate." He also disclosed that the Prison Service had commenced the rehabilitation of its various farming centres with the purchase of 22 tractors that would lead the service to specialise in food productions enough to feed the inmates and for sale to the general public.

"In the 2016 budget, we purchased so many farm machineries like tractors and other kinds of implements. We have also dug so many boreholes, fish-farming and the rest of them. These would be used to reposition our farm centres. "What we intend to do when the budget for 2017 is passed is that we have picked three (3) out of 14 farm centres. The idea is to make sure that we specialise in different farming processes. Like Kujama, we intend to set it up strictly for the production of maize.

"We want to see the production of maize all year round, not only during the raining season but also during the dry season. We have budgeted some amount of money to sink boreholes for irrigation purposes to ensure the success of these programmes.

"We have picked Lampushi farm centre strictly for rice production and the possibility of producing rice during both raining season and dry season. We have also taken Ozalla for the production of palm oil. These are three pilot projects we intend to do this year to see the possibility of whether the prison can actually feed itself", he said.

Ahmed further canvassed for genuine collaboration among the three arms of the criminal justice system to enhance synergy so that the case of anybody brought to prison as awaiting trial will be determined as quickly as possible.