Fatima Yakubu Bello Kirfi from Usman Danfodio University Sokoto, Deputy clinic head by post.
It was a special advantage for me to be part of the advocacy visit to Kebbi state prison.
And It was a great experience for us lawyers to be, we acquire more knowledge during the visit to the prison even though we're not allowed to interview the inmates in the house.
The prison warders welcome us and they briefed us about the house and the inmates.. they show us their blackboard where they calculate the number of inmates in the house. On the board we saw cases like (Convicted, Awaiting trial, Condemned convict, Detainees etc)
Each an every case have the number of inmates that belongs to it. We kept our phone outside the prison because they didn't allow us to take it inside with us. We went inside the house and saw about 600 inmates but they stay in different block. We went to the kitchen, workshop, laundry room and the rest. The prison is so terrible main while like rooms, toilet water system and the food they eat.. etc
The head of the prison warders is the one who led us inside the house and explain a lot of things to us, and we asked him so many questions.
It change my perspective to before I was thinking only criminal goes to prison but not knowing that other offences will let you prison. I discover that some inmates can't afford to pay they Bill and don't have access to justice. Things can be improved with the help of the federal and state government. Financial aid should be given to the counsels and some of the bar members should be doing pro bono cases to the less privileged inmates so as to reduce the number of prisoners awaiting trial.The prisons should be renovated,clean water, good food and better beds should be provided to make the prison life less hard and unbearable .
Wow...that was a very good one!
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