Suleja prisons holds six-month-old toddler as inmate

When the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Ishaq Bello visited the Nigeria Prisons, Suleja, the list of awaiting trial inmates (ATI) read the total of 164, but that list excluded the name of little Lizzy (not real name). When the case of one Elizabeth Ogar was called forth for review, like everyone […]

When the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Ishaq Bello visited the Nigeria Prisons, Suleja, the list of awaiting trial inmates (ATI) read the total of 164, but that list excluded the name of little Lizzy (not real name).

When the case of one Elizabeth Ogar was called forth for review, like everyone else in the prisons for the case review exercise, the Chief Judge saw a mother and a toddler. The baby is the six-month old Lizzy, who prisons record does not show to be an inmate but has spent the major part of her infant life in the prisons with her mother.

Daily Trust gathered that the mother, Elizabeth Ogar is standing trial over alleged criminal breach of trust and cheating. She was ordered by a senior magistrate court of the FCT in Kado to be remanded in prison as awaiting trial inmate along with the baby even though the nominal complainant in the case, it was gathered, said that he was no longer interested in the case.

Elizabeth Ogar’s trouble started after she was arraigned on 24 September, 2014 for alleged criminal breach of trust and stealing. She was admitted to bail by the court. She was attending her trial until sometimes around 16 September, 2015 to 7 April, 2016 when she was delivered of a child at her village at Gakem, Cross River State.

According to court papers, she could not attend her trial during the period she put to bed in which the court invited one of the sureties to produce her. The surety went to the village in Cross River to invite her to court on 7 April, 2016; and since then, she has been in Suleja prison together with the baby who is now suffering from skin infection.

The nominal complainant in the case said that he has forgiven her and no longer interested in the case. The issue however is that the alleged offence is a compounded offence that might not end with the nominal complainat’s withdrawal.

During her case review by the CJ, the narration of how she landed in prison with the baby had slight discrepancies. Daily Trust learnt that the bail she was granted after her arraignment in 2014 was revoked by the Magistrate Court because she jumped bail for over seven months (same period she put to bed). When she was eventually re-arrested, she was carrying a week-old baby.

Moved with pity, some lawyers decided to offer free legal services (pro bono) to the mother and child but the magistrate turned down the oral request for bail and ordered a written bail application which was also filed.

While delivering ruling on the formal bail application on 4th July, 2016, the court held that there was no basis for any excuse to be given for her failure to appear in court while she jumped bail. The bail application was accordingly struck out. However, the CJ was informed that a formal appeal against the Magistrate Court’s ruling on the bail has been filed before the FCT High Court, Abuja.

Worried by the condition of little Lizzy, the CJ urged one of the non-governmental organisations (NGO) with him on the prison tour to assist in rendering assistance to cater for the toddler.

The Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Bem Angwe, had once raised alarm that nursing mothers and their innocent children are increasingly  suffering in various prisons nationwide as awaiting trial inmates ( ATI).

Angwe stated this recently in his office when the national President of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Mrs. Gloria Laraba Shoda, led NCWS members to pay a courtesy visit to the NHRC. He said: “We have a lot of nursing mothers and children who are barely a week in prison. Some of the babies were born and raised behind bars by mothers who are awaiting trial.”

He said that more than 90 per cent of the women in prisons are ATI. “The children are made to suffer and how much compensation can be paid to the innocent child?”

He said some of the nursing mothers in prison are already pregnant again, while being kept in over crowded prisons; he therefore invited the NCWS to join the NHRC on the next prison audit.

The Deputy Controller of Prisons, Kuje Medium Prisons, Akilu Abdullahi, had during a courtesy visit by a group of young lawyers to the prison said over 70% inmates awaiting trial in Nigeria prisons are locked up for lack of reasonable legal representation. He urged lawyers in the country to look into the plights of these inmates by offering free legal services to those that cannot afford it.