My Trip to the Prison
A tweet (or a post on X) birthed this piece and I thought it best to pen down my experience visiting a Nigerian prison.
The year was 2017 when I joined my school’s fellowship members to take the gospel to the inmates at the Federal Correctional Centre in Ado-Ekiti. Before then, I had never seen the four walls of a prison; although my Mom would argue that I had passed through Agodi Prison a number of times during my childhood. A team had previously gone a few weeks back to request permission to come of which we were granted. I knew it was going to be an interesting experience but what I did not know was how that experience would make me see life differently.
We arrived the prison just about 10am that rainy morning. There were a number of barricades just before the entrance of the gate and we were told to alight and walk into the gate. Our chartered bus would not enter the prison with us. We approached the gate with the provisions, foodstuff and toiletries we brought along for the inmates and prison officials. Just as we entered the gate, we were subjected to our first search. The only thing on me was my phone and a provision I carried. We were then allowed in and given a firm instruction not to take pictures with our phone cameras. We had some warders escort us from the gate to the reception of the prison. It was quite a long walk. The first thing that caught my attention was the height of the fences surrounding the prison. Very high is the right word to describe it. Prison walls are usually above 12fts and could reach 17fts or even more. That’s like twice the height of Layi Wasabi added with mine. I began to wonder how prison breaks and escapes happened. Definitely, it was not going to be a one man’s job if it did anywhere in the world.
At the reception, we were welcomed by officials who checked the items we brought and expressed disappointment that we did not bring enough to feed the entire prison. We didn’t bring too little neither did we bring too much. The number of inmates were boldly written in the cell and a list of items needed by the prison was was also conspicuous for anyone visiting to see. It was at this point we were subjected to another search. A thorough one this time. My phone was taken and dropped in a safe. The same with everyone of us. After the thorough search, we were sternly warned again not to take anything in, just in case someone was hiding something. Their major emphasis were on phones, cameras and sharp objects (even a biro). Before we departed the reception, we put down our names in a registration file and we were given a visitor’s tag with another warning to keep it safe and not misplace it. It seemed like a lot of warnings at this point (We were told the consequence of misplacing it was that we were going to be remanded. I giggled).
As we entered the prison, I saw a different kind of life. I saw old men and young men in their typical blue uniform. Our female counterparts saw middle-aged women and nursing mothers (The female prison was quite a distance from the male prison, so there was no way both male and female prisoners could see or connect). Quite a number of the prisoners were either cutting grasses or washing clothes under the supervision of the warders. It is custom for the warders to gather the inmates into a hall whenever visitors want to speak to them as it was in our case but there was one inmate who acted like a middleman to gather everybody to the hall. He seemed to have a decent relationship with most of them. I would end up knowing that he was like the Pastor of all the inmates.
The prison is not expectedly a place of excitement but I noticed a spark of excitement from a few when we came. My guess was that they were happy to see people still recognize with them and count them worthy of a visit. We entered the hall with the Prison chaplain and a warder and sat patiently for the inmates to gather so we could start. A number of them trooped in and sat as well. Before long, the hall was filled. However, the crowd in the hall did not mean that everyone there was inclined to hearing the gospel or had any hope of changing for the better. While we entered, we were shown from a distance a cell reserved for very notorious criminals who were kept in there and not allowed outside unlike others.
The event started with a praise and worship session. A worn out drum set coupled with a Bata drum was enough to produce the melody they needed to dance. To describe the way they sang and danced would mean for me to admit that I have never seen anyone or group of persons anywhere sing and praise God the way they did. I was awestruck. They moved their bodies with passion, rolled on the floor with thanksgiving, waved to God in adoration, shouted with life and vigor. There was sheer excitement in their midst. A people who were imprisoned expressed more joy than I’ve ever done or seen anywhere? Whatttt!!?? Little wonder Paul when in prison wrote to the church in Philippi, encouraging them to rejoice always. That must have been his lifestyle in prison — rejoicing in the Lord no matter what he was going through.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4 NIV
I asked myself what motivated them to rejoice and do all of the things they did and my answer was HOPE.
These men lived with the faintest of hope. Hope that one day, they were going to be released after their jail time. Hope that one day, they were going to be pardoned even if they had been sentenced to death or life imprisonment. For them, the message of the gospel was the only hope they had. That even if the final cause will be death, it would only be a transition to eternal life in Christ Jesus.
After the message, a number of them surrendered their lives to Christ with tears in their eyes. I was incredibly filled with emotions while being amazed at the same time. When I initially saw some of the inmates on our way from the reception, I tried to think of the crimes some of them may have committed to end up in such a place as this; but at this point, it did not matter anymore what they did. They were new creations in Christ.
“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 CEV
After the service, the prison officials thanked us and informed us that many of the inmates were still awaiting trial and had not been convicted of the crime(s) they were charged of. Some as long as 10 years. My heart sank. While many were there as a result of their involvement in criminal activities, a number of them are charged with acts they knew nothing about or were not involved in. My interaction with one of them just about proved it. I knew fully well that he needed help when we talked but that ability to help was not in my hands. Unfortunately, some of these inmates do not have legal representatives to take up their case because they cannot afford one. While my visit to the prison is one I’ll always remember and be grateful for, it is not a place I wish for anyone to be in. From the structures of the prison, to the kind of manual labour they had to go through and even down to their standard of living. It can be a horrible and a terrible place to be in.
Nonetheless, a prison visit is a great opportunity to identify with and share hope and love to prisoners who have lost almost everything.
“Identify with those who are in prison as though you were there suffering with them, and those who are mistreated as if you could feel their pain.”
Hebrews 13:3 TPT
P.S- I appreciate my friend and lawyer, Ayobamidele Kehinde who assisted in remembering detailed events from the visit.
Till another time,
Love and Light.
