RCCG advocates prison reforms as ex-inmate recounts ordeal

A falsely accused, Daniel Archibong, has narrated that he regained freedom after nine years awaiting trial in the Kirikikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God, whose outreach facilitated Archibong’s freedom, called for a reform of the nation’s prison system to ensure the timely trial of accused persons.

The call was made during the 5th annual conference of the RCCG Prison and Hospital Ministry held at the Redemption Camp, Mowe, Ogun.

At the conference, Archibong narrated how what he termed a malicious allegation of defilement landed him in prison, where he spent nine years.

“I was on my way to work on September 17, 2015, when I was accused of penetrating into a minor’s private parts with my finger, which I knew nothing about, but I had no lawyer and my relatives were in the village.

“I was involved in a fight with the father of the minor and some people, who were my business rivals in 2012. The complainant was a paramilitary member (Man-o-War), so he was fond of bullying people.

“In 2015, I started making money, then I set up a lucrative business with a capital estimated at about N500,000. They noticed the changes in my financial status and decided to implicate me by making false accusations (defilement) against me at the police station, probably for vengeance. I was given the option of paying them N300,000, so the case would not be pushed further and taken to the court of law.”

Archibong expressed his disappointment in the Nigerian Police Force, which allegedly failed to act professionally in the handling of his case.

“I was acquitted at the Ikeja High Court recently. While I was in detention, the RCCG team rendered spiritual, moral, and financial support. When I came back from prison, I could not find any of my goods or properties. I am still looking for a job, but I am a salesboy for somebody,” he said.

During the event, the clamour for quick trials of detainees in correctional facilities became the theme of discussion among the volunteers, while the Special Adviser (Admin) to the General Overseer, Oladele Balogun, also called for reform in the justice system of the country.

Balogun also noted that the church also offers legal aid assistance to victims of miscarriage of justice awaiting trials.

“There are a lot of people who are innocent, yet they are being jailed. What we are advocating, even through the church, is for our country to have a fair justice system so that only offenders are punished.

“We urge the government to ensure that innocent people do not suffer jail terms. In RCCG, we have the legal department; if there is any innocent individual that needs legal support, we are ready to assist them, provided that they are telling the truth,” he said.

The Controller of Correctional Service, Lagos State Command, Ben-Rabbi Freedman, complained that inmates awaiting trial, including those in need of legal advice, are one of the causes of congestion in correctional facilities, and it may result in several deaths.

“Seventy per cent of inmates in correctional facilities in Nigeria are awaiting trial, this is an issue. Some of the inmates do not have legal representation, though there are legal aids provided for the indigent, including assistance from non-governmental organisations and RCCG, but this is not enough.

“The issue of criminal justice is really begging for serious attention. We have institutional gaps in the paths of the police and the judiciary,”  Freedman said.

The National Chairman, RCCG Prison and Hospital Ministry, Ariyo Popoola, also announced that N69,764,505 was spent on humanitarian services provided to 14,594 prison and hospital beneficiaries from May 2023 to April 2024 by the church.