In and out of jail in Nigeria
Nigerian officials arrest a couple of officials accused of corruption and release from jail (maybe) thousands of un-convicted prisoners in Nigeria.If you're looking for examples that illustrate a weak state (one that's not able to implement its policies), these cases are good ones: first, the arrest of two accused state legislators, but not an accused governor; secondly, the sorry state of prisons and the criminal justice system.
Nigerian MPs arrested after siege
"Two Nigerian state legislators have been arrested by anti-corruption officials, after a dramatic siege at the Federal Court in the capital...
"President Olusegun Obasanjo has promised tough action against corruption in Nigeria, but correspondents say he has been criticised for using his powers to target political opponent."
The New York Times published a Reuters report on a Nigerian prison inmate release program.
Nigeria: 10,000 Inmates to Be Freed
"Nigeria is releasing 10,000 inmates who have spent up to a decade in prison awaiting trial. More than 25,000 inmates, or 65 percent of the prison population, have never been convicted of a crime but are in jail because of delays in the justice system, missing police files, absent witnesses and prison mismanagement. Bayo Ojo, the justice minister, said: 'We have embarked on a massive decongestion of prisons, and 10,000 prisoners have been cleared for release. Some are already out.’' He said those being freed included thousands accused of minor crimes who had spent more time in prison awaiting trial than they would have served if convicted."
It turns out that it's not the first time such a release has been announced. The BBC reported last April on prison conditions and a similar release announcement.
The 'notorious' jails of Nigeria
"Prisons in Nigeria are notorious, with many of the country's 40,000 inmates crammed into massively overcrowded, dilapidated cells in old prisons.
"The most shocking statistic is that some two thirds of all the prisoners in Nigeria have not been convicted.
"Many have to wait for years for the case to come to court...
"Some people have waited for their trials for more than a decade.
"Their files had been lost, they were forgotten.
"The problem was so glaring that the government announced in January that all those who have spent three to 10 years awaiting trial will have their cases reviewed for immediate release.
"Those who had already spent more time in prison than their prospective sentences would be let out, along with the elderly, the terminally ill and those with HIV.
"In total, that amounted to 25,000 inmates. But this amnesty has yet to be implemented..."
posted by Ken Wedding @ 9:23 AM
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