Some inmates in Nigeria stay behind bars for years regardless of requiring fines of lower than N5,000 for launch, whereas others await trial with out conviction. Sir Emmanuel Onyebadi, Worthy Advocate of the Knights of Saint Mulumba’s Victoria Garden City Sub-Council, decries these injustices, jail congestion and delayed trials, urging reforms to revive dignity and hope. He speaks with Sunday Ehigiator
OkaySM is concerned in a number of social actions. Walk us by means of your contributions, notably within the space of jail advocacy and social welfare?
I ought to make clear that the pinnacle of the Knights on the Sub-Council degree is the Grand Knight. I’m a member of the Sub-Council’s government, and my duty falls underneath jail advocacy. The Order’s tasks are divided amongst totally different places of work, every with clearly outlined features. Therefore, I’ll communicate particularly concerning the work of the Prison and Advocacy Committee of the VGC Sub-Council relatively than declare to talk for the complete Sub-Council. Our committee is anxious with the welfare, dignity, rights and rehabilitation of inmates, in addition to advocacy for justice and humane remedy throughout the felony justice system. In Nigeria, as soon as somebody is arrested and charged, society typically begins to deal with that particular person as a felony. When the particular person is remanded in a custodial centre, there’s typically the notion that they’ve misplaced their rights and privileges and might now not relate meaningfully with society. Through jail visits and different interventions, we search to help folks in these circumstances. Many inmates are awaiting trial and haven’t been convicted of any offence, but some spend years in custody. Our actions cowl a number of areas. First, we go to inmates, pray with them, counsel them, encourage them and assist them preserve their religion. Secondly, we offer welfare and humanitarian help by mobilising donations of meals, clothes and different requirements, notably for indigent inmates who’ve no person to assist them. Thirdly, we advocate in opposition to jail congestion, extended pretrial detention and obstacles to entry to justice. We additionally promote the humane remedy of inmates. We establish inmates who may very well be launched after paying comparatively small fines. In some circumstances, the quantity required is lower than N5,000. Where applicable, we assist such inmates meet these obligations to allow them to be launched. We additionally facilitate entry to authorized help by means of legal professionals who present providers to inmates who need assistance navigating the justice system. Finally, we give attention to rehabilitation and reintegration. Releasing somebody from custody will not be sufficient. Those who’ve spent appreciable time there want assist to rebuild their lives and return to society. We subsequently discover methods of serving to them purchase the assets and abilities essential to reintegrate efficiently.
How are these actions organised throughout Lagos, and which custodial centre does the VGC Sub-Council serve?
The Knights of Saint Mulumba have a presence throughout the ecclesiastical provinces in Nigeria. We belong to the Lagos Ecclesiastical Province and function underneath the Lagos Metropolitan Council, which has sub-councils unfold throughout Lagos State. The VGC Sub-Council is assigned to work with the Ikoyi Medium Custodial Centre. Other sub-councils additionally undertake jail visitation and associated actions at custodial centres throughout the Lagos Archdiocese. Our work is coordinated with the Archdiocesan Prison Apostolate and its jail chaplaincy to make sure consistency in our actions. We additionally report our interventions to the Metropolitan Council, which pertains to the Archdiocese. It is vital to stress that membership of the VGC Sub-Council’s Prison and Advocacy Committee contains each Knights and Ladies of the Sub-Council. Furthermore, the work we undertake on the VGC Sub-Council is replicated, and in some circumstances on a a lot bigger scale, by Advocacy Committees of different sub-councils underneath the Lagos Metropolitan Council, working underneath the management of the Metropolitan Advocate. The Order stays dedicated to selling Christian values of mercy, justice, human dignity and the rehabilitation of offenders by means of sensible motion. In line with the mission of the Archdiocesan Prison Apostolate, we recognise that an individual in jail retains their human dignity and deserves care, whereas additionally respecting victims’ rights and the necessities of justice.
What particular intervention has the VGC Sub-Council undertaken to enhance inmates’ welfare, notably in healthcare?
During our jail visitation in 2025, we found that many inmates urgently wanted medical help. The correctional authorities have been making efforts to keep up the dignity and welfare of inmates, however the giant variety of folks of their custody positioned appreciable stress on the assets out there to them. We discovered a number of inmates affected by hernia and requiring surgical procedure. Others wanted primary medical care and medicines. Following that go to, we determined to pay attention a few of our assets on serving to critically ailing inmates entry remedy. As a Sub-Council, we mobilised funds amongst ourselves to assist hernia surgical procedures. The initiative was profitable, and we’ve adopted it as an annual programme. Each 12 months, we goal to assist a specified variety of inmates who require the process. The course of is clear. The correctional authorities establish inmates in important want of surgical procedure, whereas our medical practitioners liaise with the power’s medical personnel to evaluate the circumstances and coordinate the intervention. We present the required funding and medical provides, whereas the surgical procedures are carried out by the suitable medical personnel on the correctional facility’s clinic in Kirikiri. We have witnessed these procedures and seen the aid they convey to beneficiaries. For our Sub-Council, our goal for the 2025–2026 interval has been to assist roughly 10 inmates to bear hernia surgical procedure. We have funded the programme, with three circumstances remaining on the time of this interview, pending the presentation and identification of appropriate beneficiaries. We have additionally supplied medical provides primarily based on lists of important medicines submitted by the correctional authorities. We have accomplished two rounds of such assist, with one other deliberate earlier than the tip of November. These interventions aren’t meant to interchange the tasks of presidency. Rather, they’re our contribution to making sure that inmates who urgently want medical care aren’t uncared for due to useful resource constraints.
From your jail visits, how would you describe the situation of custodial centres in Nigeria, and what wants to alter?
The expertise will not be nice. Congestion is without doubt one of the first stuff you discover if you go to a custodial centre. The variety of folks held there’s huge relative to the amenities out there, and one can solely think about the situations within the rooms the place inmates sleep. The amenities require further enhancements to make them extra appropriate for human habitation. This is especially regarding as a result of many inmates haven’t been convicted of any offence; they’re awaiting trial. We additionally found that delays typically happen as a result of inmates can’t be transported to court docket when their circumstances are scheduled for listening to. Moving inmates requires practical autos and ample safety preparations. When these are unavailable, court docket appearances might be delayed, prolonging detention. Feeding and entry to requirements are additionally issues. While I can not communicate authoritatively about each facet of the feeding preparations as a result of I wouldn’t have all of the related data, the general situations exhibit the necessity for higher funding within the correctional system. The authorities in command of custodial centres don’t decide how many individuals are arrested and introduced into their amenities. Once people are remanded, the authorities should accommodate them, no matter whether or not the out there infrastructure can adequately assist the inhabitants. Our court docket system additionally contributes to the issue. Repeated adjournments, delayed trials and different procedural challenges imply that some inmates stay in custody for prolonged intervals. The function of incarceration ought to embody rehabilitation. If somebody has dedicated an offence, the correctional system ought to assist that particular person recognise the results of their actions, reform and return to society as a greater citizen. Unfortunately, some former inmates battle to reintegrate as a result of society rejects them and so they lack the abilities or assist wanted to earn a residing. This can contribute to reoffending. The downside is subsequently not restricted to the custodial centres themselves. It additionally entails the justice system, public attitudes and the absence of enough rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.
What reforms would you advocate to handle congestion and extended detention in custodial centres?
Our justice system is basically adversarial, and we have to make higher use of different dispute decision mechanisms to resolve applicable circumstances with out extended litigation. Alternative dispute decision is already being practised in some states, together with Lagos. Expanding entry to those mechanisms might assist cut back the variety of circumstances that proceed by means of prolonged court docket processes. We additionally want to enhance investigative procedures. Ideally, when somebody is suspected of committing an offence, the authorities ought to conduct correct investigations and set up credible proof earlier than taking the required steps in direction of prosecution. In some circumstances, nevertheless, individuals are arrested first, and investigations start afterwards. This can lead to extended detention, circumstances that don’t proceed successfully and conditions through which individuals are held with out enough proof to justify prosecution. We should strengthen investigative requirements and be sure that individuals are not subjected to pointless detention. Public schooling can also be vital. In Nigeria, it may be simple for somebody to be accused of an offence, and allegations can typically have severe penalties even when the particular person is later discovered to be harmless. Addressing these challenges require authorized reform, higher investigative practices, extra environment friendly courts and a change in public attitudes in direction of individuals who have been detained. However, on the VGC Sub-Council, we’ve chosen to focus notably on interventions that immediately protect human life and dignity. That is why healthcare has turn out to be a serious precedence for us.
Beyond healthcare, what’s the Sub-Council doing to assist inmates’ schooling and abilities improvement?
We haven’t deserted our different tasks. We proceed to assist inmates in schooling and different areas the place we are able to make a distinction. For instance, we found that some inmates have been on account of sit for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations however had no person to sponsor them. So far, we’ve assisted 17 candidates to sit down for his or her WAEC examinations. That quantity is just a small fraction of those that want help. Unfortunately, the price of sponsorship is comparatively excessive, limiting what we are able to at present do. We have additionally encountered inmates who’re college graduates pursuing grasp’s and even doctoral programmes. Some of them want sponsorship to proceed their schooling. If we are able to safe extra assets, we wish to assist these inmates in order that they will proceed their research and emerge from custody higher ready to contribute to society. Education may create alternatives for inmates to show each other. Those with the requisite data and {qualifications} might assist put together fellow inmates for examinations and different tutorial pursuits. Skills acquisition is one other vital space. We have seen inmates engaged in soap-making, paintings, tailoring, fragrance manufacturing and the manufacture of diffusers, amongst different actions. Some of the merchandise are properly made and will compete favourably within the market. The problem is discovering the assets and alternatives to develop manufacturing and create a sustainable marketplace for them. With applicable assist, these actions might generate revenue, enhance inmates’ welfare and equip them with marketable abilities earlier than their launch. There is appreciable expertise inside custodial centres. What is required is a extra deliberate effort to develop these talents and join them with alternatives.
What position does public consciousness play in bettering welfare of inmates and supporting their reintegration?
Public consciousness is extraordinarily vital. Unfortunately, there’s inadequate public understanding of the situations in custodial centres and the challenges inmates face. Many folks depend on what they learn on social media or within the information with out totally appreciating the realities of life in custody. Our sensitivities to the struggling of others look like diminishing. We hear stories of killings, kidnappings and different horrible incidents, and so they typically turn out to be simply one other information story.
We now not reply to such struggling with the extent of concern it deserves. If we can not empathise with folks in troublesome circumstances, it turns into more durable to supply significant help. We want to coach the general public concerning the realities of incarceration, together with the truth that many inmates are awaiting trial and haven’t been convicted of any offence. There are additionally restrictions on taking pictures of inmates and their residing situations, which may make it harder to point out the general public what occurs inside custodial amenities. Nevertheless, organisations comparable to ours have a duty to make use of applicable channels to boost consciousness, encourage compassion and promote constructive interventions. The extra folks perceive these challenges, the extra probably they’re to assist efforts to enhance inmates’ welfare and rehabilitation.
What’s your message to inmates and their households, notably those that really feel forgotten or deserted?
First and foremost, we see inmates as human beings who’ve discovered themselves in troublesome circumstances. We encourage them to not regard themselves as outcasts however to recognise that they will nonetheless use their time in custody to enhance themselves. We remind them that they haven’t essentially been forgotten by their households or society. Some households might not even know that their kinfolk are in custody.
Rather than assume they’ve been deserted, inmates ought to see their circumstances as a chance to rediscover their talents, develop their potential and put together for a greater future. Those approaching launch additionally want counselling. We work to encourage them to return to society with a constructive outlook and a willpower to contribute meaningfully. However, rehabilitation can not succeed with out acceptance by the broader society. Former inmates typically face stigma and suspicion, making it troublesome to safe employment and rebuild their lives. We should subsequently educate our communities to offer individuals who have served their sentences, or who’ve in any other case been lawfully launched, a chance to exhibit that they’ve modified. Of course, real repentance and accountability are vital. Respecting the rights of victims and the necessities of justice doesn’t forestall us from exhibiting compassion to offenders and supporting their rehabilitation. The biblical story of the prodigal son reminds us of the significance of welcoming somebody who returns and seeks a contemporary begin. Similarly, Christian educating calls on us to go to these in jail and supply them care and encouragement. Compassion for folks in custody will not be completely a Christian duty. Every member of society has a job to play in guaranteeing that individuals who have offended, or who’re awaiting trial, are handled with dignity and given applicable alternatives for rehabilitation.
Does the VGC Sub-Council collaborate with CSO’s, authorities businesses or different establishments to advance jail advocacy?
Yes. We work with established our bodies by means of which we supply out lots of our actions. These embody the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) and the Association of Catholic Lawyers. We additionally work by means of the Prison Chaplaincy of the Archdiocese of Lagos, which coordinates prison-related actions throughout the Church’s buildings. These partnerships present avenues for advancing our advocacy, supporting inmates and coordinating interventions. Our collaboration with these organisations helps be sure that our actions are correctly directed and that we are able to contribute to broader efforts to enhance the welfare and rehabilitation of individuals in custody.
Funding is clearly vital to sustaining these interventions. How can members of the general public assist your work?
Public consciousness is a crucial start line, and this interview is a part of that effort. When folks perceive what we’re doing and see the outcomes, organisations and people could also be inspired to associate with us on particular interventions. One problem in Nigeria is belief. People typically hesitate to contribute as a result of they’re unsure whether or not their donations will likely be used for the needs meant. That is why transparency and accountability are important. In our personal interventions, we don’t merely launch funds and depart the whole lot to likelihood. We work with the related professionals and authorities, be sure that assets attain the folks accountable for particular duties, and monitor the method to substantiate that the meant work is completed. For instance, in our medical interventions, we work with medical personnel to establish the wants, coordinate remedy and observe up on the method. This strategy helps us obtain outcomes and offers us confidence that the assets entrusted to us are being put to correct use. With higher consciousness and confidence in our work, we consider Nigerians, company organisations, faith-based teams and worldwide companions might assist particular tasks in healthcare, schooling, abilities acquisition and rehabilitation. Such partnerships would allow us to succeed in extra inmates and develop the impression of our interventions.
What’s your remaining message to Nigerians about jail advocacy and the work of KSM?
My message is that we should cease stereotyping everybody detained in a correctional centre as a felony who can now not match into society. We want to alter the notion that everybody behind the partitions of a custodial centre is past redemption. People in custody stay human beings who deserve dignity and applicable care. We must be keen to assist initiatives that allow them purchase helpful abilities, proceed their schooling and return to society as higher residents. The final goal will not be merely to assist folks depart custody. It is to assist them rebuild their lives, embrace constructive values and keep away from returning to the circumstances that introduced them there.
The Knights of Saint Mulumba stay dedicated to selling Christian values of mercy, justice, human dignity and rehabilitation by means of sensible motion. We additionally recognise the significance of respecting victims’ rights and guaranteeing that justice is served. We should all contribute to constructing a society through which individuals are held accountable for his or her actions however aren’t denied the chance to reform and make constructive contributions. That is the spirit through which we undertake our jail advocacy work.
