Contrary to the views that life is hard for female inmate that gave birth in Kirikir Prison and their children, the Lagos Command of the Nigerian
Prisons Service has said that female inmates who give birth in Kirikiri
Prisons, Lagos receive adequate care.
Spokesperson of the command, Mr. Biyi
Jeje, told our Punch correspondent in a telephone interview on Thursday that
currently, there were nine nursing mothers (with nine babies) and six
pregnant women in the female wing of the Kirikiri Prisons, Apapa.
Jeje told Saturday PUNCH that women who
gave birth in the prisons were usually those who were pregnant before
their incarceration.
The NPS has always maintained that its warders have nothing to do with the pregnancies of female inmates.
Jeje told our correspondent, “Most of
the inmates came to the prison at the early stage of their pregnancies,
when some of them probably did not know they were pregnant.
“In any case, NPS takes adequate care of
its pregnant inmates including nursing mothers. There is a new hospital
in the female wing of the Kirikiri Prisons, which has experienced
nurses and doctor.
“The bill for the treatment of the inmates is footed by the Lagos command and the NPS headquarters.”
He explained that there were cases when there were need for pregnant female inmates to be taken out of the prison for treatment.
“This happens when such inmates develop complications during labour,” he said.
Jeje stated that the command had an arrangement with two hospitals in the state to care for the “special inmates”.
According to him, the babies of such
inmates do not stay too long in the prisons. They are released to the
relations of the inmates after 18 months, pending the release of the
mothers.
“We have a well organised crèche with
baby foods and toys. All these are aimed at giving the children a
measure of normal life. We are conscious of the fact that even though
these children were born within the prison walls, they may go on to
become great people in life,” Jeje said.(Punch)
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