Calitown.com investigations have revealed that the Calabar Prisons in Afokang, Calabar South LGA, has 22 persons on death row. While 12 inmates are serving life sentences, the 22 on death row were convicted for various offences, ranging from first degree murder to armed robbery but are awaiting state governor, Liyel Imoke’s nod, for the execution of the convictions handed them.
Again, the 200 capacity prison currently houses a prison population of 725 inmates, plus two lodgers, 525 inmates more that the prison can contain. In prison parlance, a lodger is an individual confined in a prison without a warrant.
Our investigations also revealed that not too long ago, a female Prison Superintendent (names withheld) believed to have been on the payroll of one of the inmates, considered to be highly connected in the outside world, was given money to purchase an expensive cell phone on the condition that the inmate be allowed to discreetly use the phone during the hours when the female officer is on duty. The same female officer is fingered in a smuggling ring that supplies the inmates cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and other hard substances.
While prison authorities may be aware of the negative role of this officer in the prison, efforts at curbing her excesses have been far and few.
