Following an attack by insurgents in July that freed over 600 inmates, including 64 Boko Haram terrorists, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, Human rights activist and lawyer has dragged President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly and Controller General of Prisons before a Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, for failing to provide monitoring devices, close circuit television, CCTV, and other instruments of restraint at the Kuje Prison, Abuja.
Falana, in the suit, is praying the court to determine “Whether the defendants are not under a legal obligation to provide monitoring devices, close circuit television and other instruments of restraint at Prisons in line with Section 28 (1) of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act.”
Whether the defendants are not under a legal obligation to establish and maintain a fully equipped armed squad, intelligence at prisons, in line with Section 28 (2) of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act.
He is further praying the court to “Declare that by virtue of Section 28 (1), (2) & (3) of the Prisons Act, the defendants are under a legal obligation to: Provide monitoring devices to protect, control and safeguard prisons’ activities, including observatory towers, double perimeter walls, close circuit television, body scanners, e-monitoring devices, electrically activated alarm systems and other instruments of restraint.”
Falana in an affidavit deposed to by Ayodele Aribisala, averred that in July 2022, the Kuje prisons was attacked by terrorists who released over 600 inmates including 64 Boko Haram terrorists.
“That upon investigations into the uncanny and terrible attack, it was discovered that the prison was not equipped with close circuit televisions and other security monitoring devices that it ought to have been equipped with.”
According to him: “The failure of the defendants to ensure compliance with Section 28 (1), (2) & (3) the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019 does not only impact negatively on the rights and security of members of the general public but also the security of the inmates as well.”
