The Enugu State Command of Nigeria Prisons Service has begun moves to re-possess its reformatory located at Hilltop, Ngwo in the state capital.
The command acquired the land on which the reformatory was built in 1933, operated it till the civil war and abandoned it.
The social welfare department of the old East Central State also operated it for sometime before it was abandoned.
The land has been encroached on with buildings already erected in parts of the premises by persons suspected to be members of the Ngwo community.
Reports said residential quarters built for the members of staff of the reformatory have been taken over by staff of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Similarly, the classrooms used by the then inmates have been taken over by a school.
The Controller of the command, Chris Ntewo, said the prisons authority was ready to return to the place to re-establish its borstal.
Ntewo said the prisons authority had borstals in Kaduna and Abeokuta but none in the South-East and South-South regions.
He lamented that young people involved in criminal activities had to be remanded in prison custody with hardened criminals because of the non-existence of a borstal in the area.
The controller said when established, the borstal could provide a respite for the two zones to reform delinquent children.
When approached on the encroachment, the Esaa of Ngwo Asaa, Igwe Innocent Ayalogu, said the community was not involved in the encroachment.
``Anybody encroaching on that land is on his or her own. The land belongs to the Nigeria Prisons Service. We did not send anybody there,’’ he said.
A member of the NSCDC, who occupies one of the quarters, also said he was officially allocated the place by the Enugu command of the corps.
A female teacher in the school occupying part of the premises also said it was rented to them by a state government agency with the proviso to vacate whenever the government needed the place.
Why does a person from another have to pay $50 upfront on a monthly basis, in order to speak,to an inmate. And if you dnt your calls ate not forwarded, I'm a pensioner frm South Africa, and thing to contact Mr Caleb Johnson inmate no 142 @ the Oko prison,nut was asked to,pay, and I'm being messed around always being told that I must call on a Saturday n Sunday between 12 and 2. I called @1.45 and was told its late to speak to him. I was asked to call on Sunday but many time I call,get caller tune,silence and reverts back to caller tune,then says the person IM calling is not available. Pls im writing through this
ReplyDeletepls shed,some,light on this,why does a,person calling from another country have to pay $50 monthly in order to speak to an inmate.im a pensioner,cnt afford to pay that amount or is this a scam. I desperately need to call Mr Caleb Philips inmate 142. Oko prison. Pls awaiting your urgent reply. Thank you, awaiting your reply urgently.