46 A’IBOM INMATES MISS COURT HEARINGS OVER LACK OF VEHICLES — OFFICIAL
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By; Sunmola Ganiyat
No fewer than 46 awaiting-trial inmates at the Medium Security Correctional Centre in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, have been unable to attend court proceedings due to a shortage of operational vehicles.
The Officer in Charge of the facility, Chief Superintendent of Corrections Samuel Bassey, disclosed this on Tuesday when members of the Eket Federal Constituency Media Professionals Forum visited the centre.
Bassey said some of the inmates had been transferred from Nsit Ubium Local Government Area as far back as 2023 but had yet to appear in court because the facility lacked vehicles to transport them.
He said the centre sometimes had to hire minibuses from local motor parks to convey inmates to court, a practice he described as risky because of the need to ensure the drivers were trustworthy.
According to him, the correctional facility oversees nine local government areas with 18 courts, while all its vehicles are currently non-functional.
Bassey said the centre had repeatedly written to relevant authorities seeking operational vehicles but had yet to receive assistance.
He appealed to the government, corporate organisations, non-governmental organisations and philanthropists to support the facility, describing the situation as worrisome.
The correctional officer also raised concerns about the deteriorating infrastructure at the centre, noting that heavy rainfall had damaged several roofs and exposed inmates to harsh weather conditions.
On welfare, Bassey said the Federal Government was adequately feeding inmates, while medical services were being provided by trained professionals at the facility’s clinic.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Eket Federal Constituency Media Professionals Forum, Enobong Nsimah, called for collaboration with the correctional centre to provide legal services to inmates without representation.
He also proposed partnerships to equip inmates with vocational skills to support their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Members of the forum subsequently inspected the centre’s deteriorating residential quarters and appealed to the authorities to provide better accommodation and a conducive working environment for correctional officers.
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