By The decision by those in authority to be remanding underaged boys (between ages 12 to 17 years) for various offences may have turned to have serious negative consequence on the victims.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that some of the released victims have narrated how they were sexually molested by older inmates in prison.
This was revealed by 14 and 16-year old hawkers simply known as John and Benson (surnames withheld) who were arrested and convicted by the court and remanded in Kirikiri along with more than 30 other underaged boys for hawking.
It was earlier reported that recent development where the minors were kept in the prison with hardened criminals for ‘reform’ .
The revelation has confirmed the reservation of the public concerning such arrangement.
John said he was brought from Abakaliki in Ebonyi State to Lagos by his brother who bought some wares for him to be hawking in the streets of Lagos.
He said they resided in Apapa and he had to trek from there to Maryland before he was arrested.
He said he was arrested by the Task Force and taken to their office at Oshodi where he was asked to pay N10,000 fine so that he will be released.
He said he had no such money and his wares had already been seized.
He was then taken to Ogba Special offences Tribunal with other suspects who committed similar offence.
John said at the court he was also fined the same N10,000 and there was no way he will raise the money as his brother who brought him to Lagos was angry he incurred such expenses and asked him to serve those months in prison.
“I was taken to Kirikiri where I witnessed what I have not seen before,” the boy told our correspondent.
He said when they were taken there, there were already older inmates that were waiting for them, and they were all young boys that were brought that day.
He said they were shared among the detention camps where he was sexually molested.
He said he was helpless and could not shout because he was terribly afraid coming to the place in the first instance, and despite the pains he continue to bear it until they were satisfied.
Another victim who suffered the same fate where he was detained also said there was nothing he could do and at some point he was taken as wife where they were pouring everything inside his anus.
P.M.EXPRESS asked to know from prison officials and they confirmed such occurrence do take place there, blaming it on the congestion in the prison given chances for the molestation.
A particular source said their manpower was very low compared to the number of inmates in their care.
He also hinted that there were about 3600 inmates and the total number in the work force was between 130 and 150.
It was also gathered that the place was so polarized that there were inmates that have become more powerful and cannot be control by the management and so they do whatever they like in the prison.
The Deputy Controller of prison in charge of Kirikiri Medium Prison declined to speak on the matter when correspondence visited his office.
But he admitted that there were underaged boys detained there and he had reported to the appropriate quarters concerned.
However, source at the prison said that the management was aware of such thing happening there. He said when such acts came up or there was any reasonable suspicion, the victims were usually transferred to another cell.
On why minors were being taken to Kirikiri, it was gathered that the remand centres in the State were overcrowded and suspects were increasing everyday due to the population of Lagos State.
P.M.Express
