November 18, 2019

The police arrested and detained thousands of people without charging them to court as the constitution demanded. People were detained for over 24 months instead of the 24 hours the constitution demanded. People were extorted and even killed or dumped to starve to death in Abattoir and other police detention centers. After DPA began to draw the attention of the world to the problem, the courts of Abuja jumped into action, but the situation was already too bad. On 4th and 5th November the court evacuated hundreds of detainees and remanded them in prison and set Monday and Tuesday (18th and 19th November) for their appearance in court. But how can any court try 400 people at once? That was the problem the Chief Judge realized today. 160 of these wretched victims were to appear in court today. But that was canceled. First, there were not enough police personnel in Abuja because they had gone for their best assignments - elections in Bayelsa and Kogi. And police are needed to help control 160 criminal defendants in court. What if they decide to run away, they must have wondered. The prisons don't have enough handcuffs for all of them at once. For these reasons today's court was canceled. That was unfortunate because effort had been made to send lawyers to the intended court. The solution now is to move the court again back to Abattoir. It will be a court in the open. The detainees will be bused back to Abattoir. Trial will be held there. Those that can be set free will be set free and those that may need to be remanded will return to the prison. (None will be held in Abattoir again. We believe that they now know that human beings cannot be detained in Abattoir). So, tomorrow, there will be a new chapter in Nigerian justice. 160 people will stand trial in one location at once. About 25 judges will participate in this trial bonanza. This is the problem created by the police. DPA is monitoring the situation closely.