"Release of all prisoners of conscience from correctional
centres and detention centres across the country in order to safeguard their
lives and well being"...ICRP
With the ravaging Corona Virus Pandemic, otherwise known as
COVID-19 that is claiming the lives of hundreds across the globe, a call has
been made for the urgent release of all prisoners of conscience from detention
in order to safeguard their lives and well being.
This call has become necessary following the poor and deplorable
situations in our various detention centres and prisons nationwide.
Making this call on Wednesday, 01st April, 2020 is an Abuja based
Non-Governmental Organization, NGO, the Initiative for Conciliation and Right
Protection, ICRP.
The ICRP, in a statement issued and signed by its Secretary
General, Dr. Abubakar, noted that its call has become imperative owing to the
directives of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC for social
distancing as part of the measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
According to Dr. Yahaya, ICRP dwells its position on the need to
release all prisoners of conscience who are languishing in the country's
correctional centers owing to the ravaging impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
With many prominent Nigerians having tested positive to the
COVID-19 pandemic and also, the absence of any known cure, fears have been
heightened that the figures so far released by the Federal Ministry of Health,
alongside the NCDC may witness tremendous upward surge especially in the
Correctional Centres across the country where the conditions are in deplorable
state.
This will therefore put the lives of prisoners of conscience in
danger of getting infected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It will be recalled that on Tuesday, 31st of March in Kaduna Open
Prison, inmates had raised a bedlam following what some described as an attempt
at jailbreak by some of the inmates.
This had attracted the presence of personnel of the Nigeria Police
and the cordon off of movement in the vicinity.
The Kaduna Police Command however reported that the situation was
brought under control by the authorities of the Correctional Services
Department.
This therefore, gives credence to the call from the ICRP for the
immediate release of all Prisoners of Conscience in order to protect them from
such actions.
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