Exposé: Agba Jalingo exposes illicit business going on in Nigerian prisons

Journalist and activist, Agba Jalingo, has alleged that Nigerian detention centres and prisons have become hubs of extortion, corruption, and illicit trade, where inmates can buy virtually anything with money.

Speaking on Arise TV’s Perspectives programme alongside publisher Azuka Ogujiuba, Jalingo recounted his experiences in detention, including six months at Calabar prison under the administration of former Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, and nine days at Kuje prison in Abuja.

He claimed that despite official assurances, nothing in Nigerian prisons is free.

“One of the biggest lies in Nigeria is that bail is free. Or that visit to prison is free. It is a lie. None of them is free. If you don’t pay money, you will not see your relative in prison,” he said.
According to him, extortion ranges from token amounts to large sums.

“In Calabar, they collect as little as ₦50. If you bring ₦10,000, ₦20,000, they collect it. Even in Kuje, which is supposed to be the best prison in West Africa, they still collect money from you.”

Jalingo further alleged that with enough money, detainees and inmates can access prohibited items and services.
“People stay in jail and live large.

They have phones, they do everything they want. The only thing I did not see in jail is human parts and guns.

Every other thing, including cocaine, is in jail. If you want sex, you will have it. With the right amount of money, everything can be arranged.”

He also claimed that most detainees in police custody and prisons are innocent, stressing that only a small percentage of those held have committed actual crimes.

Jalingo narrated one of his ordeals, saying he was kept in the boot of a Toyota