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

5 Ahmed Suleiman, age 31 remanded in prison custody by the Chief Magistrate’s Court 19, whichsits at Jos Metropolitan Development Board, Jos on charges of armed robbery. He has beenawaiting trial since 2003. His personal lawyer represents him6 Sunday Mba, age 27 was ordered to be remanded in prison by High Court No. 6 Jos on a chargeof armed robbery. He has been awaiting trial since 2003. A lawyer represents him.7 Austine Shaglong, was remanded by the High Court, Jos on charges of armed robbery. He hasbeen awaiting trial since 2000. A lawyer from the Legal Aid Council represents him.WOMEN AND CHILDRENThe female section of the Jos Prison has 4 female inmates. 3 of the inmates are awaiting trial, 1 is aconvict. The female section houses no child.· Asabe Abdullahi is the oldest female inmate; she is 63 years old. She claims that she wasawaiting trial for ten years before she was convicted and to death sentenced to death by a HighCourt in Jimeta, Adamawa State. She has since spent 3 years on death row and keeps hopingthat her lawyer will file her appeal.CHILDRENAs at the time of the visit there was no nursing mother or child in the prison custodyVISITORS’The visitors’ book in Jos Prison contains records of important visitors such as Administration of JusticeCommittee members, judicial officers, legal practitioners, civil society groups, staff of Legal Aid Council,the National Human Rights Commission among others.Visitors to the prison are usually questioned as to the purpose of their visit, which they must state in thevisitors’ book.The visitors’ book in Jos Prison is properly kept. Most visitors do indicate their addresses and thepurpose of visits. They do not make remarks about their impressions of the prison at the end of theirvisits. Such remarks would enable the authorities or anybody looking at the books to have a clearpicture of the state of affairs of the prison.Between 2002 and November 13th, 2006, there were records of visits of the Administration of JusticeCommittee. On different occasions, the Chief Judge of the state has visited the prison. There arerecords of visits by NGOs, Legal Aid Council the Plateau State Ministry of Justice and, religious groups.There is no record to show the visit by the committee on prison decongestion set up by the FederalGovernment. The Federal Government had announced in July 2005, that it would embark upon a prisondecongestion exercise. This was as a result of a prison audit exercise that was carried out in 2004 bythe National Working Group on Prison Reforms and Decongestion (NWGPRD) in collaboration with theNational Human Rights Commission.ACCESS TO JUSTICEA cross­section of inmates was interviewed as to whether they have legal representation or not. Fromthe interviews carried out awaiting trial inmates and the prison officer responsible for the conveyance ofremanded prisoners to court for trial, it was discovered that every seven inmates out of ten or seventyper cent, had legal representation.43