Samuel Ojo, a 32-year-old man, was restless and was seen wandering aimlessly across the premises of Ilesa High Court. He was making calls intermittently while he paced up and down to meet a particular target, which I was unaware of until he was approached after appearing calm.
Are you looking for a lawyer? I gently inquired. Ojo, who was barely not in the mood for a lengthy talk, said ‘No’. Is it illegal to walk around the court premises and answer phone calls? A worried Ojo inquired in a local dialect. I sensed possible dissatisfaction or a foul mood, so I gently responded that it is not illegal to stroll around or accept calls on the court grounds. “I am a journalist, and I frequently attend court. I noticed you wandering up and down and went to check on you,” I informed Ojo as I performed a U-turn to leave him with his cross.
I had hardly performed a U-turn when Ojo asked me whether this was how journalists would continue to keep quiet till the country collapsed. I instantly indicated my interest in his worry by making a sudden turn. I had previously assumed Ojo left the courtroom because he was dissatisfied with the proceedings or the judge’s decision but it seemed I was wrong. What happened? I inquired.
“My brother was accused of stealing a phone from a crime scene. He was transported to court, and the judge remanded him for two weeks on bail conditions that we were unable to comply with. He is nowhere to be located today, which is the adjourned date. Prison officials have yet to bring him. They informed us that all of their vehicles are grounded. The lawyer who stood in for us advised us to obtain a car to the prison and arrange for my brother to appear in court. When you arrived, I was on the phone with a friend who owned a car. That’s why I was moving up and down,” a heartbroken Ojo explained in local dialect.
While expressing amazement at the lawyer’s alternative, Ojo noted that it is ludicrous and worrisome for awaiting-trial inmates to be carried to court in private vehicles owing to faulty prison vehicles.
Ojo, who expressed concern for the country’s future due to abandoned faulty prison vehicles, went on to say that public officials have demonstrated severe irresponsibility if family or friends of awaiting trial inmates are liable for their transportation to court.
According to Ojo, it appears that public authorities do not want to do anything for the people and instead want us to do everything for ourselves, as I do not understand their role in government if prison vehicles remain broken for weeks without being repaired.
I reassured Mr. Ojo that I would investigate his concerns and give him the voice he needed. I also informed him that I will contact prison authorities to document the actual situation. Although Mr. Ojo was not fully convinced by my promise, he had no alternative but to nod in agreement. I walked to the court’s car park and sat on a cement-made structure to observe in reference to Mr. Ojo’s assertions.
I was sitting quietly on the cement-made structure when a lawyer acquaintance named Sayo drove into the courtroom. I walked to his car and we exchanged greetings before I inquired about Mr. Ojo’s claims.
Sayo, a young lawyer in his mid-thirties, smiled and informed me that the issue is not new anymore. According to Sayo, families or lawyers have agreed with prison officials to provide private transportation for their clients from prison to court. Sayo, who was not pleased with the development, went on to say that there is no better way to get clients to appear in court on adjourned days than to arrange private transportation.
“This has caused delays in prosecution and clogged the criminal justice system in Ilesa and Osun as a whole. That is the type of scenario we have found ourselves in as a country. “Please excuse me because I need to appear before a magistrate soon,” a concerned Sayo told WITHIN NIGERIA as he walked to the courtroom. I thanked Sayo and headed to the car park on the court grounds to sit on the cement-made structure I had previously occupied.
While I was seated on a cement structure, I noticed two prison officials and awaiting trial inmates arriving at court premises in a private vehicle and motorcycle. I did my best to record these moments, but there was no way I could do it without being spotted. I grabbed some biscuits and snacks from petty sellers near the parking lot before leaving the court premises.
Findings by WITHIN NIGERIA revealed that Mr. Ojo’s accusations are true. Additional investigations revealed that convicts or awaiting trial inmates contribute money to prison authorities for fuel to transport them to court.
According to an insider, Ilesa Medium Security Correctional Centre has only one operational vehicle, with the others grounded owing to technical flaws, notably engine and gear problems.
“Many awaiting inmates have missed their trials because there is no prison vehicle to bring them to court. This, in turn, contributes to congestion. It increases the number of awaiting detainees, adding to the prison’s concerns and challenges. Some lawyers liaise with prison officials to convey inmates via private vehicles” the insider explained.
According to the insider, many letters have been sent to significant personalities, including the current Owa-Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Clement Adesuyi Hastrup, requesting assistance and support in repairing these problematic vehicles.
According to the insider, the bulk of those who promised to support prison officials or authorities have not done so, but we continue to expect their assistance.
In a phone interview with WITHIN NIGERIA, ASC Joel Oyedokun, the Osun Command PPRO of the Nigerian Correctional Service, described claims of prison authorities’ transporting awaiting trial detainees to courts by private vehicle as false, incorrect, and misleading.
While refuting the charges, Oyedokun noted that no prison official, no matter how high-ranking, would transport inmates or awaiting trial in his or her private vehicle, let alone take them to court.
According to Oyedokun, the correctional service has established rules and processes that must be strictly followed, and no officer would willingly or unintentionally violate them because he or she knows the consequences.
The PPRO further stated that Sylvester Nwakuche, the acting Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NGoS), recently commissioned thirty-nine (39) operational vehicles that will be distributed among custodial centers to transport inmates to court.
“We transport awaiting trial inmates to court using our operational vehicles. Courts would have frowned if we had genuinely transported them in private vehicles. “These claims are false, untrue, and misleading,” the PPRO stated.
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