'I go prison, lose my kidney for helping pesin'

“Wen dem arrest me, dem use phone track me and parade me for di streets. Wen pipo ask dem my offense dem go say I put hand into kidnapping”.

34-year-old Chikodi Mmeregini tok as e begin dey tori how police arrest and detain am for over for prison for over two years.

Chikodi lose over two years of im life inside prison for mata wey e say e know notin about.

Im originally from Abia state but dem born am for Lagos state.

E tell BBC Pidgin how di mata start for 2019 and how e end up in prison.

'Dem charge me for conspiracy'

Chikodi say afta e move away from im family home, e get im own one room apartment. On di course of life, e accommodate one boy wey e meet for Lagos and dem stay togeda for a while.

According to im, di boy na security man for one company, e say one day, police men arrest am say make im provide im roommate unto say two of dem conspire go steal for wia di boy dey work.

“Dat night, di boy go work and call me for phone, say im no go come back again, say if any pesin find am come, make e tell dem say im no dey stay dia again, I ask am weda anytin happun, e say no” na so Chikodi narrate.

E add say afta dat day, di boy no come back again and no body don see am till date.

From Lagos, dem carri am go Benin city, say afta eleven days e bail im sef wit 50,000 naira wey im mama manage raise.

Di police call and detain am again afta di first arrest and later release am.

Chikodi say “di third time dem call me, as I go na im dem carri me go dump me for Panti. Panti carri me go court, I dey for Panti for almost two weeks. Di charges na say I receive stolen money”

Panti na di major police station for criminal investigation for Lagos state. From di court dem carri Chikodi go Ikoyi prison wia e spend about three months.

“My mama later perfect di bail and dem release me. My next hearing dem withdraw di case. As I wan go house dat day dem arrest me again, na di Zone two police station. Na dia I dey ooo during #endSARS and COVID 19, na afta much begging dem release me” na so e tok.

Afta COVID 19, dem (police) call am again say make e come, as im go back, from dia dem carri am go court. e say dis time dem change im charges to stealing, burglary and conspiracy.

E say “from court, dem move me again to Ikoyi prison wia I spend almost two years, along di way, nobody dey come for me. Wen court sit, dem go keep me for court cell morning till night and dem no go call my case”.

Chikodi say at a point, courts go strike sake of End Sars wahala and im remain in detention. E say most times, Di magistrate court wey dey handle im mata no dey sit, yet im dey dia.

“I begin dey pray. I turn pastor for prison as nobody wan help. God send me helper come. As I reach court I meet new magistrate and e ask questions about how I take come prison.

‘I loose one of my kidneys for prison’

“My experience for prison dey tough, I no know how hellfire dey, but life inside prison na hellfire on earth”

No so Chikodi describe im experience for Ikoyi prison. According to am, di prison suppose house 800 inmates, but wit wetin im see, dem dey over 2000 inmates dia.

“Anytin you want inside prison, you fit get am, but dat na if you get money. Na we wey no get money dey suffer for prison. For my cell, about 13 beds dey, but we dey almost 157 dia. If you must sleep on di bed, you must pay” na so Chikodi tok.

E say due to di overcrowded nature of di prison, dem dey pile up for ground wen dem wan sleep, say one of im roommates die for prison sake of heat.

E say di water for dia dey very dirty, di food wey dem dey give no follow, in di morning dem go give us beans wit water, wetin dog no fit eat.

“For afternoon, na garri and water and for night e fit be garri and water or white rice. Life for prison na hell. I feel say na dat condition follow cos my health issue”.

E say im become very sick inside prison, say e begin dey slim down, im belle dey over big. E add say wen dem carri dem go court, even di complainants dey pity am cos of im condition.

“Dem get clinic for prison but na mostly paracetamol and malaria drug dem dey give dia. Wen I later secure my release, I go lab and dem confam say my liver don damage and dem need to comot am” na wetin Chikodi tok.

Afta im release, Chikodi undergo surgery to comot im bad kidney. Im dey now live with one kidney.

How dem release am

While Chikodi dey go through im ordeal for prison, one day dem carri am go court and one lawyer pity im mata and begin chook mouth for im mata.

Di lawyer take over im case and convince di judge say di suspect no even partake in di crime, but na pick up dem pick am afta dem no fit find di major suspect and im don languish for prison since dem.

Di judge discharge and acquit am for 2022 and dem release am to di custody of di Justice Project for same year.

Chikodi say, “na later I found out say di lawyer come from NGO wey dey help prisoners, dem dey call dem Justice Project”.

Di Justice Project na NGO wey get Nigeria goment approval to help prisoners and detainees wey need help.

Leader of di team Moses Ida-Michael Tell BBC Pidgin say di NGO don handle over 30 similar cases.

E say ‘plenti pipo dey enta detention sake of mistaken identity, dem dey pick up some alongside di real suspects, some be passersby wey dey unfortunate. So wen some of dem no get good adviser or representative, dem dey end up suffering in prison, our work na to help such pipo”.

Mr Michael say during in visits to plenti prisons, im don notice say di prison yards dey overcrowded and plenti of di inmates na pipo wey dey await trial while di real convicts dey less.

E add say dem dey also help re establish former inmates like Chikodi. Na dem foot di bills for Chikodi liver surgery and help am secure di work wey im dey do now.

Life afta prison

Before di whole kasala burst for Chikodi domot, im bin dey work as construction worker wey dey drive pay-loader machine. Im bin don get small experience for restaurant business too.

E say di way dem take arrest am, how dem shame am before pipo and di negative effects of di case make am start life afresh.

“Although dis ordeal no make me change my perspective of helping pipo, but e scata my life, I come out from prison with notin. Di money wey I save wit my former work, I use am for di case and e finish”.

E say im girlfriend leave am afta she hear say im don go prison. Chikodi mama dey nurse leg injury while im sister wey be in oda help go through fibroid surgery recently.

“Pipo dey avoid me, nobody wan relate with me. I loose a lot. If not for di pipo wey come help me, I don decide say if na die, make I die” na so Chikodi tok.

Na di Justice Project also find am di job wey e dey do now as assistant chef for one restaurant for Lagos state.

E say im future plan wen im stand on im feet na to open im own restaurant.

'70% of inmates for Nigeria dey await trial'

Plenti Nigerians dey await trial for various prisons across Nigeria, dis follow dey cause congestion for di prisons. Chikodi say di treatment dem dey get inside prison even dog no fit accept am.

According to di kontri Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, inside interview wit di News Agency of Nigeria, di high number of Awaiting Trial Inmates (ATIs) dey put undue pressure on custodial centres for di kontri.

Reports say a total of 51,541 out of di 75,635 inmates (68 per cent) in various prisons for di kontri dey await trial.

Mr Aregbesola say di situation na di greatest challenge di service get presently.

“No fewer dan 70 per cent of Nigerian inmates dey serve time without being sentenced as dem dey await trials." E tok.
Nigeria law say any body wey dey accused of crime dey innocent before di law until proven guilty, but plenti pipo afta arrest dey end up in prison even before dia trial.

Di long detention of accused pipo for prison for Nigeria dey against section 296 of di 2015 Administration of Criminal Justice Act of Nigeria. Di law provide say make period of remand no pass 28 days.