By Amos Tauna, Kaduna
A civic group, the Eagle Brain Youth Transformative and Development Initiative (EBYTDI), has alleged that a shocking injustice continues in Kaduna State, with hundreds of detainees, including one Emmanuel Musa, remaining imprisoned for years without trial due to the Kaduna Correctional Centres’ lack of basic logistics to transport them to court.
A statement issued by its Executive Director, Mr. Daniel Ejembi, revealed that Emmanuel Musa, a resident of Ungwan Gajere, Maraban Rido, was arrested in 2018 after he intervened to prevent a suspected bandit from being lynched at his home, insisting that the suspect be handed over to the authorities.
He explained, “Instead of receiving commendation for upholding the rule of law, he was detained, and for six long years, the Kaduna Correctional Service has failed in their duty.”
“This case is not an isolated incident. Many detainees in Kaduna prisons have never set foot in a courtroom, not due to delays in their cases, but because the correctional centres lack vehicles, fuel, and security personnel to escort inmates to court.”
Ejembi lamented the human cost of this institutional failure, emphasising the innocent lives destroyed, such as Emmanuel’s, who has spent six years in prison without conviction and is now suffering severe psychological trauma.
He further explained that the family has been shattered; his dependents, who relied on him for their survival, are now struggling in poverty. He stated, “The justice system is mocked when detainees cannot even appear in court; the legal process collapses into a cruel farce.”
According to him, the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice, the Nigerian Correctional Service, and the Judiciary must answer why there are no functional vehicles to transport detainees, why the government has failed to allocate funds for inmate logistics, and who will be held accountable for these unconstitutional delays.
The group has called for immediate intervention from Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, the Controller of Corrections, the Chief Judge of Kaduna State, and the Nigerian Human Rights Commission to address the broken system.
Ejembi stressed the urgent need to provide operational vehicles and security for inmate transportation, prioritise cases of those detained without trial, and hold officials accountable for their negligence.
