Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
The Bauchi State Controller of Prisons, Suleiman T. Suleiman, has lamented that five persons who have been convicted to be stoned to death and 10 others whose legs and hands are to be amputated are languishing in prison.
Suleiman, who was speaking in an interview with journalists in his office last Tuesday on the state of the prison in the state also lamented that these two sets of convicts have been in jail for over 10 years without any action taken on them.
He said six other inmates have also been condemned to death; five on life sentence and 188 are on long term sentence from two years and above.
According to Suleiman, the prison now has 947 inmates in the 500 capacity Bauchi prison.
He said: “The condemned convicts we have are mostly coming from Sharia courts; this and other related cases like amputation of hand or leg victims have been in jail for over 10 years without knowing their fate. Their hands or legs are not cut off yet, they don’t know their fate. There are those who are supposed to be stoned to death, so I am worried.
“I feel touched that each time I go to any of the prisons to visit, they would be the first to confront me with questions about their cases. I have written to the state governor and Chief Judge to see that something is done about these people.
“They’re the only category of people that cannot be taken to court because they have already been convicted, but there’s no execution.”
The Prison Controller said if their legs cannot be amputated, they should be given terms of imprisonment and if these cannot also be done, they should be granted pardon and counseled them to be of good behaviour and free them.
He said this has become necessary because “I am really worried, and the officials in charge of them are also worried about their cases. I want the government to execute the law as it is and if they cannot do that, the governor has the power to give clemency to these convicts.”
