Nigeria Prison Service denies plans to transfer of Boko Haram to Anambra prisons

 

 Following the complete shutdown of Onitsha and various cities in Anambra state on Saturday by traders protesting the planned shifting of Boko Haram suspects to Anambra prisons especially Ekwulobia prison [see] , Federal Government has suspended the plans. And the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) has denied ever thinking in that direction.

NPS has said there are no plans to transfer Boko Haram suspects in custody to prisons in Anambra State as being speculated.

The NPS Public Relations Officer, Francis Enebore, said most of the terror suspects in prison custody are still awaiting trial and cannot be moved out of the jurisdiction of the court where they would be prosecuted.

He dismissed speculations that the prison authorities had formalised plans to transfer terror suspects from the northern states to Anambra State, saying there is nothing like that.

Enebore said, “Most of the terror suspects are awaiting trial and so, there is no way they can be moved to another state because they must be tried in the state where they committed the crime.
“Apart from this, our duty is to move them from prison to court for trial and since they have not been convicted, how can we transfer them to other states outside the jurisdiction of the court where they would be tried? People are just saying things they know nothing about, there is no truth to the rumours that we are transferring terror suspects to other states.”