VZCZCXRO8937
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0393 2771302
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031302Z OCT 08
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0211
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 9863
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0181
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS LAGOS 000393 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: DHRF GRANT IMPROVES PRISONERS' PLIGHT IN 
EKITI 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: A March 12, 2008 workshop funded by a 2007 
Democracy and Human Rights Fund (DHRF) grant, and coordinated 
by the New Initiative for Social Development (NISD), brought 
together representatives of the prisons service, police, 
judges and other stakeholders to discuss issues related to 
prisoners awaiting trial in Ekiti State.  Participants agreed 
that increasing legal aid to prisoners, speeding up 
investigations of cases by police, and increasing the number 
of judges available to hear cases would address many of the 
problems.  As a direct result of the workshop, NISD was able 
to arrange bail and release for ten prisoners.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) A March 12 workshop entitled "Stakeholders in Access 
to Justice for Prisoners Awaiting Trial in Ekiti State", 
coordinated by the New Initiative for Social Development 
(NISD), brought together representatives of the prisons 
service, police, judges and others to facilitate prisoner 
case review.  A 2007 Democracy and Human Rights Fund (DHRF) 
grantee, NISD's Executive Director Abiodun Oyeleye told 
PolOff, PolSpec and the Ambassador's Special Self Help 
Coordinator (SSHC) March 12, that NISD wanted to bring 
coherence to an overburdened prison and justice system. 
Overpopulation is a significant problem for Nigerian prisons, 
Oyeleye said, adding that the slow justice system and high 
costs of trials exacerbate prison overcrowding.  The 
facilities are inadequate; juveniles are often kept with 
adults and women are often kept with men; defense lawyers are 
scarce and not well-trained; and there are not enough judges 
to hear all the cases in a timely manner, Oyeleye concluded. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Workshop objectives included: getting stakeholders 
to understand the rights of prisoners; developing a better 
understanding of the present condition of the prisons in 
Ado-Ekiti; identifying and understanding factors linking 
access to justice for prisoners awaiting trial; and making 
appropriate suggestions and developing a work plan of action 
to accelerate justice for prisoners awaiting trial.  All 
organizations handling prisoners, from the police who make 
the initial arrest to the judge who finally rules on the 
case, were represented at the workshop.  Sam Anjorinap, 
Assistant Controller for the Ekiti State Prisons, said that 
although the Ado-Ekiti Prison was built by the British before 
Nigeria's independence and designed to hold 200 inmates, it 
now holds 290 prisoners.  Anjorinap assured the stakeholders 
that prison officials did their best to meet international 
standards for the care of prisoners; other attendees 
disagreed with this assessment.  Foluke Adebayo, NISD, 
defined what rights prisoners have while incarcerated, citing 
Chapter Four of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic 
of Nigeria, saying that if all the rights available to 
prisoners were enforced, their nationwide living conditions 
would improve.  Oyeleye described the prison service in 
Nigeria as one of the most neglected agencies of government 
at both the federal and state levels, lacking funding, staff 
and equipment. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Stakeholders agreed on next steps including 
increasing the number of visits to prisons by police 
investigators to speak with suspects, increasing legal aid 
available to prisoners, and lobbying for more judges in the 
state to hear cases.  The most important result of the 
conference, Oyeleye said, was that the stakeholders had come 
together to communicate honestly about the problem and all 
understood each others' position better. 
 
¶5. (SBU) April 14, Oyeleye told PolOff that, as a result of 
this conference, NISD was able to arrange bail and release 
for ten prisoners.  Oyeleye told PolOff that information 
shared at the conference, coupled with increased trust and 
cooperation resulting from conference interactions, directly 
contributed to NISD's ability to help these prisoners. 
 
¶6. Special Self-Help/DHRF Coordinator Mary Hess contributed 
to this cable. 
 
¶7. This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja. 
 
BLAIR