Aguata Prisons Threatened by Over-Congestion, as B’Haram Detainees Arrive

It does appear that all the protests and criticisms brought about by the relocation of about 47 Boko Haram detainees from the Northern part of Nigeria to the Aguata Prisons in Anambra State have fallen on deaf ears.

During a recent visit by Vanguard Features, VF, to the prison, the presence of heavily armed soldiers and prisons officials around the premises clearly suggested that the Boko Haram prisoners were very much in residence there.
Apart from the disquiet this has engendered, many other contentious issues pertaining to the relocation saga have begun to unfold. For instance, two sister communities of Ekwulobia and Ezinifite are now laying claim to the the ownership of the 11.5 acres of land where the prison yard and warders’ quarters are situated.
Then there is the issue of capacity. The prison was originally designed to accommodate 85 inmates but as at the time the 47 Boko Haram prisoners were brought there, it already had 135 inmates. With the addition of the 47 insurgents, the prison is currently harbouring no fewer than 182 inmates, 100 percent more than its original capacity.