THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN NIGERIA 2005 - UNDP Nigeria ...

of rape and abduction against him. He was accused of raping an 18­year­old girl he allegedly abductedfrom Pambegua in Kaduna State and was taking her to Abuja when she raised an alarm that led to hisarrest. His case is pending before High Court, No. 5 Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Kaduna. The case has beenadjourned to the 20 th day of November 2006. He has no legal representation.Halima David is a petty trader who did not disclose her age She was arrested on the 13 th day ofNovember 2001 at Mando on the outskirts of Kaduna Metropolis and charged with culpable homicide.She was accused of poisoning the food meant for an entire family that led to their death. She has beenin prison custody for a period of six years awaiting trial. Her case is before Kaduna High Court, No. 14.She has legal representation and her matter comes up on the 5 th day of December 2006 forcontinuation of hearing.Farida Murtala (Also known as Martha Onwuzurike) is a 16­year­old girl. Out of frustration she hidunder the cover of darkness and abandoned her baby in front of someone’s house at Badarawa on the22 nd day of April 2006. She came back in the morning of 23 rd day of November 2006 in search of herbaby and was arrested by residents of the area who discovered the baby and took her to the hospitalwhere she died. She was charged to High Court 10, Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Kaduna for culpable homicideand granted bail. She cannot meet the bail conditions and remains in prison custody.WOMEN AND CHILDRENut of the 916 inmates in Kaduna Convict Prison, 18 are females. Of this number, 14 are awaitingOtrial,3 are convicted offenders while one has been condemned to death. The female section of theprison has two cells, one for the convicts and the other for those awaiting trial. There are three nursingmothers with their babies between the ages of 2 months to 5 months in prison custody. Two of themwere interviewed.Rakiya Saidu is a 22­year­old lady who resides at Jaji in Kaduna State and was arrested in place ofher husband who was the accused and presently at large. She was taken to court sometime in July2006 and charged for screening an offender. She has been in prison custody for 6 months. Shedelivered her baby in the prison on the 15 th day of September 2006 and was thereafter taken to theprison hospital where she stayed for three weeks.Hauwa Alhassan is a 30­year­old woman. She was sentenced to two and half year’s imprisonment foraiding and abetting the commission of a crime. Her son of 14 years old, Abubakar Alhassan was said tohave stolen a stabilizer with other children but he was the only one that was caught and is still indetention at the State CID Kaduna. She was arrested because she was said to be the one that sells thestolen products. She came to prison with her child that was 45 days old.DEATH ROW INMATESThere are 93 persons on death row at the Kaduna Convict Prison.Lasisi Yusuf is a 59­year­old man. He is on death row having been sentenced to death for culpablehomicide by High Court No. 2 Lokoja in Kogi State on the 12 th day of August 1996. His trial started in1993 before the said court. He has been on death row since 1996 and was transferred to the KadunaConvict Prison on the 14 th day of August 1997.He does not have money to engage a legal practitionerto appeal his sentence.Taofik Tiaminu is a 52­year­old man. He was arrested in 1990 and charged with culpable homicide.He was convicted in 1994 for the same offence by the said court.25