By Sodiq Ojuroungbe
Before his journey to
the Abeokuta Borstal home, 17-year old Tony has carried out many robbery
attacks undetected. But nemesis caught up with on Monday, 23rd of
May, 2016 when he was arrested by the Nigeria Police force alongside his
members after being part of a syndicate that went to rob an apartment in
Gbokoniyi area of Abeokuta in Ogun state.
Tony was sentenced to
five years in prison after being found guilty of robbery. Since then, he has
spent his life within the four walls of the Abeokuta Borstal home. At first, a
remorseful Tony thought the home will avail him another chance at living a
positive life but the reality turned out opposite.
Tony, who now has
served three years, expressed sadness over the ill-treatment he
received from the home and how he has given up about life in totality.
“I have given up about
life; I was sentenced to five years in prison for robbery. In the next one year
I will clock 18 and that means I will be transferred to the real prison. I am
already ready for the life I will live in the real prison because where I am is
nothing different from the real prison.
“I can even say our
experience here is worse compare to those in the prison; they don’t feed us the
way they supposed to. They don’t train us regularly, except on occasional
basis; many of us do not have anything we have learnt since we are here than
the fact that we were put under surveillance where nobody can come to.”
Tony’s life was not
like this at the beginning. The child was born into a family of five and he
happens to be the second child of the family. While his father engage in
driving, his mother was a trader at Lafenwa markert. But, life became
unbearable for Tony at the age of 12 when he lost his mother to a short
illness. The father who has to work extra time just to meet ends meet could not
look after young Tony and before a twinkle of an eye, Tony has taken solace in
the street and started looking for how to survive in it.
“Because I always need
someone to talk, I mingle with bad boys that taught me how to rob, smoke and
drink. If I have had the opportunities of growing up in a better society, maybe
I will not become like this,” he said.
Like Tony, 16-year old
Tunde who was born and brought up in one of the most dangerous environment in
Abeokuta popularly called Ago-Ika. Because of lack of parental care and the
influence of bad guys who dominated the environment Tunde lives, he became a
member of Eiye Confraternity at the of 14. He was arrested when his cult group
killed a rival cult member in 2018.
Tunde is a product of
a broken home as his parents also cut his cod of care and attention at early
age and he also see the boys on the street as the true family that will always
be there to listen to his pains.
”Before I clocked 14,
I have started smoking Indian hemp and mixing with some of these bad guys and
before I know what is happening, I have been initiated into Eiye Confraternity.
“As a boy that needs
to survive in the new cult group that I just joined, I started engaging in
robbery and hooligalism. It was when myself and my other cult member went to
drop (kill) a rival cult in Itoko that we were arrested with guns and I was
found guilty which made me end up in the place.”
Even though he has no
relative to look after him outside the walls of the Borstal home, he sees no
hope in what the institution has to offer.
“We go through
daily pains here and surviving in this environment for the past one year has
become a thing that we don’t have any other choice. They don’t feed us well,
they just abandoned us, and we are only useful during times that they discover
that some people are coming to visit us.
“Our life here is
nothing different, there is no rehabilitation whatsoever, they see us as
condemn that cannot be useful in the future.”
The stories of Tony
and Tunde are not isolated; they reflect the experience teenagers at the
Abeokuta Borstal home. Not every of the kids in the juvenile home have the
opportunity of people checking on them. Some of them have been abandoned
because they are regarded as criminals at such tender age and many of them have
not been able to know peace even when they are put under a surveillance and
tight security so that they don’t escape.
Because of the
hardship and pains many of the juveniles pass through in the home, some of them
have tried escaping the facility more than once. While some of the attempts
were successful, many of it was not successful as the officials in the home
usually caught them.
This shows how uncomfortable and unbearable the home has
been to many of the kids.
THE STATE OF THE BORSTAL HOME
A visit to Borstal Training Institution in Abeokuta, Ogun State
is not only tortuous but one that leaves the visitor with the impression of a
home where the pupils are forced to grapple with dehumanising challenges.
The road leading to the home from Panseke-Adigbe road is a
nightmare to the users owing to the fact that the road is under construction.
From observation by this reporter, the dormitories were
overcrowded, while the toilets and bathroom were located in at the extreme end
of the rooms the juveniles sleep.
The windows have no nets, making the occupants of the
over-crowded rooms susceptible to cold and mosquitoes as well as other insects’
bites.
It was further observed that the workshops such as tailoring,
welding and other forms of skill acquisition had no functional equipment for
effective training and skill acquisition.
The tall wall
buildings of the home is guarded by prison officers so as to avoid jail break.
The treatment of
juvenile offenders at remand home is reflective of the national attitude
towards children in correctional homes. Their conditions are not remarkably
different from those of adults in conflict with the law. Like the prisons, the
few remand homes in the country are more or less oppressive institutions aimed
at punishing offenders rather than rehabilitating them. The institutions are
decrepit, ill-equipped and the inmates ill-fed. They are denied humane
treatment and have no access to recreational and sporting activities.
The visit to Borstal
institution in Abeokuta shows that the juvenile do not only pass through
hardship of surviving a tall fence environment with heavy security, but, also go through the pains of not being
fed well so that they don’t have strength of causing trouble or trying to
escape according to what one of the officials who pleaded anonymity said.
It was observed that
the home lack relevant educational and vocational trainings to equip inmates to
live a sustainable life when they eventually return to the larger society.
The kids in the home
comprise of those that have been convicted which are regarded as committers and
those awaiting trials called non-committers. It was observed that those
convicted have a uniform they put on, but, the kids still awaiting trial are
just been kept there till judgment.
The attendant result
of the poor, difficult and deprived environment in the custodial institutions
is such that many of the young offenders are transformed to hardened criminals.
Some of the kids in
the home that are seen as hardened criminal were chained because they have
tried to escape more than two times and feeding of such kids were based on
routine according to one of the officials who pleaded anonymity.
WHAT THE JUNIVILE ACT SAYS ABOUT DETENTION OF JUVENILE
The treatment meted to
juveniles at Abeokuta Borstal home is in negation to the role the home is
supposed to play in accordance with the Child Right Act 2003.
Section 234 of the Child Right Act explained the
assistance the home is expected to render during rehabilitation: “A child in
respect of whom an order referred to in section 227 of this Act is made, shall
be provided, where appropriate, with necessary assistance, including
accommodation, education or vocational training, employment and any other
helpful and practical assistance, during the period the order is in force.
Section 236 sub
sections (5) noted that “Inter‐Ministerial and Inter‐Departmental co‐operation shall be
encouraged for the purpose of providing adequate academic or vocational
training for any child offender placed in an institution or ensure that the
child does not leave the institution at an educational disadvantage.
Section 204 of Child
Act 2003 also speaks on what may subject a child to criminal justice
process: “Child to be subjected to only child justice system and
processes. No child shall be subjected to the criminal justice process or to
criminal sanctions, but a child alleged to have committed an act which would
constitute a criminal offence if he were an adult shall be subjected only to
the child justice system and processes set out in this Act.
Also section 222 from
subsection 1-2 stipulated offences that may lead to the detain of a child
(1) Notwithstanding
anything in this Act to the contrary, where a child is found to have attempted
to commit treason, murder, robbery or manslaughter, or wounded another person
with intent to do grievous harm, the Court may order the child to be detained
for such period as may be specified in the order.
(2) Where an order is
made under subsection (1) of this section, the child shall, during that period,
notwithstanding anything in the other provisions of this Act, be liable to be
detained in such place and on such conditions as the Court may direct, and the
child whilst so detained shah be deemed to be in legal custody.
JUVENILES SPEAK ON THEIR EXPERIENCE IN THE
HOME
Presently, there are
three functional borstal training institutions in Nigeria located in Kaduna,
Ilorin and Abeokuta.
Borstal Institutions are
run by the Nigerian Prisons Service. Borstal is sometimes used loosely to apply
to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory such as Juvenile Reformatory
Homes, Approved Schools and Youth Detention Centres. The court sentence for
juveniles is officially called “borstal training” and juveniles who have served
this sentence are not considered as ex-convicts.
Unarguably, many of the
children in the remand homes across the country are from the poor in society;
those in dire need of care and protection. Many of them lived on the street and
engaged in any activities to scrape by before running afoul of the law.
They decried the harsh
law being used on them, explaining that they are not being fed the way they
supposed to and they are being treated like real prisoners as their movements
are being monitored.
Speaking on their
childhood experience, many of the kids described it as a bad one, saying that
they took into crime because they don’t have parental care.
Just like the way life has not been so sweet for
Tony and Tunde, a 15-year old boy simply identified as Jamiu ended up in the
home after he committed murder. Even though, Jamiu claimed to have mistakenly
killed the persons in question with knives, he stressed that the treatment he
receive is even worse compare to others that were arrested for robbery or
cultism.
Jamiu who has been remanded in the juvenile home
since he was 11 did not even have the opportunities of enjoying childhood like
other kids because he has spent one of the most important part of his lie
behind four walls.
“I was born and brought in Mushin and I have
been remanded here since I was 11 year old for murder.
“I had an argument with my brother then and I
mistakenly stabbed him to death. Since then I have been remanded here so that
they can rehabilitate me, but, all I have received since I get to this place is
pains.
“I did not enjoy my childhood at all because I
have spent the 6 important years of my life behind tall walls and surveillance.
“We are suffering here, they don’t train us
especially people like us that has committed murder. They always believe that
we are criminals that cannot be changed; they always see us as someone that
must not be fed too much.
“Although, there are some of us that have
attempted escape more than once and the treatment they give to those ones is
worse compare to ours.
“If I went back to the society, I don’t think
there is nothing I can do because I have not been able to get the training like
that here.
“Yes, they always train us occasionally, but,
the training was not every time except the few ones among us that benefit, but,
people like us that have killed someone before, we are condemn in this place”.
BORSTAL ADMITS CONGESTION, ESCAPE ATTEMPTS BY THE JUVENILES
After several efforts,
the Public Relations Officers of the Borstal institution, ASP Yusuff Raji who
later spoke on the state of the home admitted that the juvenile home is
congested because it is the smallest among the three Borstal institute across
the country.
Raji added that the rooms which have been over
crowded with juvenile offenders have affected the standard of living and
provision of enabling environment to the children at the home.
The PRO who was trying to be cautious with
the choice word disclosed that the facility supposed to accommodate not more
than 150 children, but, it is currently accommodating over 300 juvenile
offenders.
He said, “This Borstal happens to be the
smallest in all the three we have in the country, it is the smallest in terms
of structure, facilities and everything.
“And I think it is one of the most populated out
of the other ones which have bigger landmark and hostel facilities.
“In our facility, we have three blocks; the third one is under
construction while the other two have been in existence for quite long. It is a
block of three rooms and set of toilets at both extreme.
“In honesty, the place is congested because the facilities are
built to serve like 150 children, but, it ended up having around over 300
children.
“If I am telling you that it is not congested I might be too
cautious with my word, it is congested and this congestion affects a lot of
things in terms of enabling environment for the boys.
“I don’t know the number of people that are supposed to be in the
rooms, but, one thing I am sure is that the number exceed what ideally it
should be there.
Raji while speaking on
the attempts made by some of the juveniles to escape from the home said many of
the attempts have not been totally successful.
He stressed that the home is not a place of comfort because the
kids are restricted which always warrant the attempts made by some of them to
one to escape from the home.
According to him, some of them are not comfortable finding
themselves behind closed doors and at slightest opportunities; some of them
still find a way in escaping from here.
“Though, majority of them have not been successful, but, the fact
that you are locked up in a facility or restricted for people that have the
freedom all the day of their life, definitely, they are not confortable.
“There have been attempt to actually escape, because they are
restricted and limited, but, after a while they still have to live, so, we
always make them accustom their lifestyle in a way that they will be able to
cope when they get outside”, he concluded.
The PRO however insisted that the juvenile offenders who he
claimed are called committers are being fed three times a day contrary to the
investigation.
Even though, he admitted that some of them are not always satisfy
with the quantity of food they are being given, but, the home ensure that they
serve them three square meal.
He said, “Feeding is not a problem, they are fed three times a
day, in fact, it is normal three square meal, but, for them you know they are
still growing up and there is tendency that they eat more than you expect.
“The truth is just that the arrangement of meal cannot be like
when you are at home because we have standard portion for everybody either you
eat more than that or below that.
Raji further explained that the home also engage in training and
certification of the children in the home.
According to him, the training is in different aspect, the
training could be in terms of education which is a general training, and we
don’t allow most of them that are still in school to stop schooling.
“We always do welcome test for them to be placed in appropriate
class and once they are placed in appropriate class, we have staff that are
teachers, corpers and even volunteers that assist them in class.
“We have vocational training like tailoring, carpentry,
photography, among others”, he maintained.
NGO’s
INTERVENTION
Apart
from the fund the home is getting from the federal government, many
Non-Governmental Organizations always come to the home to donate and give out
relief materials to the juvenile offenders. It was further gathered that the NGOs always train the juvenile offenders
occasionally through educational, psychology, among others training.
Speaking with the Chief Executive Officer of
Ifeklyne Charity Foundation, Ifeaka
Ogbolime which happens to be one
of the few NGOs that come to the remand home regularly, said he was deeply
touched when he was told that the children in the home needed support.
According to him, there is still a lot to be done in
terms of provision of health needs, educational materials, food supply and
power
“We visited Borstal training institution in July
2015.I heard of the institution first when i paid a visit to Badagry Prison
service to deliver some relief materials to the inmates.
“I was deeply touched when i heard the kids needed
support. I thought i had to visit there and also deliver some relief materials
and find out”
JUVENILE THREAT TO SOCIETY - Medical expert
Meanwhile, a medical
doctor, Isioma Chukwuka-Nwodo has expressed concern on the living conditions of
the children and the effect the society.
Chukwuka-Nwodo stressed
that many of the kids are frustrated, hungry and angry with the society and if
care is not taking, they will look for other channel so that they can express
their anger.
She also said the prison
officials must be ready to listen and know the fundamental reasons why they are
in the rehabilitation centre through frequent counselling, among others.
“The truth is that any
child below the age of 18 is still going through development which is mental
and physical development. It is a time that they want to enjoy their
environment and they want to know more about life and find the things they can
do to survive. When you now look at the juvenile n remand home, it is possible
that it hinder their development.
“If they don’t try to
correct by knowing how they get there, when they come out, it become a bigger
challenges for the society. They are frustrated in so many years, they are
angry with the society and hungry.
“They will look for a
channel to express that anger and frustrations and that means it is possible
they commit worst crime than why they went to the remand home. The majority of
them if they are not well rehabilitated and rehabilitation is not just mental
rehabilitation, but, also physical rehabilitation, educational rehabilitation”,
she concluded.
JUVENILES PUT HOPES ON
GOV’T INTERVENTION
While the Borstal home
continues to be torturous, a few of the juveniles, like Tony and Jamiu are
still optimistic of a better life, if government intercedes.
The children called on the government to come to their aid by
empowering them and ensuring that the training is been constant so that they
can be of better persons when they get back to the society.
Jamiu said, “Government should please come to
our aid, we also want to turn a new leaf and we want to make this country
proud.
“They need to help us here so that many of us
will not go back to the society and become hardened criminals”.
Also, Tony opined that
if the government must be ready to orientate the prison officials managing the
facility so they don’t see them as people that cannot be corrected.
“I want the government to come to our aid here,
we are suffering and there is no doubt about that we are going through pains.
“They should help us by bringing vocational
programmes that would assist us. The people here always see us hardened
criminals that cannot be changed and that are why they have not assisted us so
that we can become better person”, he said.
This investigation was
done with the support of the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism
(PTCIJ)
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