Nigerian Prisons Service Explains Why VIP Inmates Get Special Treatment In Jail

If you have ever wondered why some prisoners get preferential treatment while the rest of the jailed masses are treated badly, we have an answer for you as revealed by the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Prisons Service, DCP Enobore Francis.

Francis told the Daily trust newspaper that it has to segregate prison inmates on the basis of social standing in order to safeguard lives as some of these more affluent inmates could be endangered if they are thrown into the general population.

Enobore said, “The VIP system is derived from profiling and is designed to safeguard the lives of those prisoners. If you throw these prisoners along with other inmates, you may open the cell in the morning and find them dead. How do you explain that?”

He said the prison service is a reform system that belongs to all Nigerians, saying, “We want to enlighten Nigerians that the prison is not meant to punish people, the punishment ends with the judge’s pronouncement, thereafter correction begins.

“Members of the public should feel like co-owners of the correctional system because it is funded with tax-payer’s money and is designed to safeguard the society,” he said.

He also told the paper that following a series of prison attacks, the service has put in place measures, including improved collaboration with sister security agencies, to prevent further occurrences, saying that is why the attacks have been curtailed in the last few months.

Source