Many believe that prisons are places of doom, meant for hardened criminals. However, humanitarians see its inhabitants as people who have the misfortune of being incarcerated and who deserve to be shown love and given hope. AMINA ALHASSAN writes about Al Muhibbah Foundation’s recent charity work for the inmates of Kuje Prisons.
Danjuma (not real name) handed out the hand fans, seeing how hot the weather was and how their august guests were sweltering under the heat. It was just past 2 o’clock, just after the Muslim afternoon prayers had been performed and they were waiting for the visiting imam to address the inmates at the Medium Security Prison, Kuje.
Visits like these are a rare opportunity, and to Danjuma and many others, this was one of those times he and his fellow inmates look forward to. A prison is seen as a place of doom, where one is locked up, key thrown away and forgotten, therefore, any show of concern and love from the free to those who are incarcerated has a very lasting impact.
The inmates had cause to smile as foodstuffs and medicines were given to them by a non-governmental organisation, Al Muhibbah Foundation, founded by Hajiya Dr. Aisha Bala Mohammed, wife of the former FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed
The items were donated by some members of the organisation, in support of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) FCT Chapter and the chief imam of Apo Mosque, Abuja, Sheikh Nura Khalid, who gave the Muslim inmates a spiritual/motivational talk. These items ranged from bags of rice, salt, beans, cartons of noodles, as well as various medications ranging from antibiotics and analgesics.
While presenting the gifts, the director of Programmes, Hajiya Ladi Ibrahim Thomas said the gesture was in line with what the foundation stands for: humanitarian services to the less fortunate.
“All we are after is to better the life of the inmates. At Al Muhibbah Foundation, we are in support of anything that will upgrade the quality of life of Nigerians, so we are here today with some items- medicines for your clinic to support your efforts, some food items and toiletries. We pray that in future we will do more than this.’’
“We have done numerous charity work and donations like this to motherless babies’ homes, orphanages and special needs’ schools. We decided to take our charity train to the prisons today to complement the work of the federal government,” she said. ‘‘We are supported by the Nigerian Medical Association(NMA) FCT Chapter who are donating not only medications to the inmates but also their time and services.’’
The assistant comptroller of Prisons, Kuje Prisons, ACP Yunusa Lawal, received the members of the group and the items in company of other officials of the prison.
Lawal, who expressed delight at the action of the NGO, explained that donations such as these are always welcome. He commended the NGO for their efforts in complementing the federal government’s efforts to provide social services in the society.
“Thank you so much for the humanitarian gesture to the inmates. This is the best assistance you can give because the Nigerian Prison Services has changed from a punitive environment to a correctional centre that is why our primary objective is to reform, rehabilitate and to reintegrate them back into the society after the expiry of their sentence. I assure you that all the commodities and items brought here will be shared judiciously.’’
“We are happy with the way NGOs are always complementing the efforts of the federal government. We appreciate it. We have different categories of inmates here; those that are inmates, those awaiting trial and some who are victims of circumstance.
Asked what he hopes to achieve in the Nigerian Prison service, Lawal responded thus, ‘‘We hope to achieve the reformations, reintegration and rehabilitation after they have finished serving their sentences. Where we find it challenging is in the area of reintegration because it involves our staff and the people outside. The issue of stigmatisation is very real and it is everywhere. So, if we can help reduce stigma against people who have been reformed and trying to be reintegrated into society, it would be a good step in the right direction. I advise others to come in and assist in coming in so that the inmates will not feel as if the society has disowned them.’’
The chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, FCT Chapter, Dr. Achonwa, said the NMA was happy to be associated with the foundation.
“Initially, we thought that apart from bringing drugs, we would bring some of our members to examine, screen and consult with some of the inmates here but we were made to believe that due to some security reasons we might not be able to do so today. We hope that in the near future, we will be given the opportunity to come and have some form of medical consultation with them. Many times, we hear of inmates being rushed to the hospital and we may be able to find out the problem in time and mitigate getting them out of the premises.’’
“The NMA is a very large association which has so many things under its umbrella. We have what we call the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, and we do outreaches in so many places. In September, we were in an IDP Camp at Kuchingoro, and we have been to other villages. Now that we are here, we are going to properly plan on how to come back and see what we can do.’’
Sheikh Nura Khalid, the chief imam of Apo Mosque, and Founder, Islamic Research Centre, Abuja remarked that inmates who found themselves detained or imprisoned because they can’t afford to pay fines, could be assisted through the organisation to grow spiritually and from that become reformed. ‘‘Thereafter, support could be given them in paying their fines after reformation. This will also assist in decongesting the prisons. We expect your expertise in identifying those who fit this category of inmates when the time comes.’’
While delivering a da’awah message to the Muslim inmates, the Imam told them that evidently, they were all incarcerated for different reasons. Some were imprisoned because of negative acts they were found guilty of, while others were victims of circumstance. He said that no matter what the circumstances they found themselves, they should accept it as ordained by Allah. He advised that they use this time to deeply reflect on why they were there, learn from it and become closer to God.
While commending the efforts of the foundation and the Islamic Research Centre, the Imam of the Kuje Prison’s Mosque lamented the low number of Islamic groups and NGOs who visit the Kuje prisons. ‘‘We are sincerely touched by the humanitarian gesture extended to the inmates here today, especially with the da’awah led by Sheikh Khalid. However, it is sad to admit that when it comes to other Islamic groups visiting here, it is an abysmally low number. Your visit today was uplifting, and gives hope to the inmates that they are not forgotten or forsaken.’’
NGOs in the past were not doing much but now, with the likes of Al Muhibba Foundation, there is more awareness and some of them have considered it a part of their priorities, because for the past few years, they have really been active, making donations in different forms as well as giving their time and effort to help the inmates spiritually come to terms with and accept the condition they found themselves.