Comparison between Dss cells and Kuje prison

(1) Feeding

(a) Prison food is rated 3 on a scale of 10 for standard meal. But prison allows for self-feeding for inmates that want to buy and cook their own meal or have someone prepare their meal and deliver it. So, an inmate that can afford it can eat whatever he wants, as often as he wants and as much as he wants. It will be prepared to his taste.

(b) DSS food is rated 7 on a scale of 10 for standard meal. However, DSS does not allow its inmates to be on self feeding or to buy food or to have someone deliver food to them, except on very rare occasions. You are restricted to their ration and their feeding schedule.

(2) Water

(a) Prison inmates drink from the boreholes within the prison which supply water to the prison. But sachet water, bottled water, all manner of nonalcoholic beverages are available for inmates who can afford them.

(b) DSS detainees have only the water supplied by their borehole. They do not allow any other sources of water or beverages to get to inmates.

(3) Regulation visit

(a) Prison inmates are entitled to visits under various laws (local and international laws). Except in well-established situations, the prison officials are forbidden from monitoring conversations between an inmate and his visitors. If the visitor is his lawyer, prison authorities are strictly forbidden from listening into their conversation. It is up to the prisoner to determine who can visit him or not within the visiting period.

(b) There is really nothing like regulation visit for DSS detainees. It is up to DSS officers what they can allow and what they cannot allow. Usually they allow one of your lawyers and one of your relatives (your wife) to be those that can visit you. You’re generally not entitled to visits. They listen into every discussion between you and your allowed visitor. They insist that discussion between you and even your wife should be in English.

(4) Access to newspapers, books, television:

(a) Kuje prison, like most prisons in Nigeria, has a library. Every cell has TV with DSTV or Go-TV (inmates contribute money for subscription). Apart from library books, prison inmates can read books and can bring in their own books, provided each such book is cleared through the welfare department. Inmates can watch video games and have their mp3, and other music players.

(b) In DSS cell, there is no tv, no newspaper, no book except religious books (Bible and Quran) and no library.

(5) Community life

(a) Prison inmates are opened out up to 9 hours each day. Once out of their cells, they are free to mingle with other inmates, play games and sports with them, worship or fellowship with them.

(b) DSS inmates are restricted to their cells 24/7 unless there is a reason to bring you out briefly when they want to interrogate you. Once that is done, you are back to your cell. Your only community is your cell mates (about 35 in a cell). There is absolutely no sporting facilities.

(6) Conditions of incarceration:

(a) International law does not allow prisoners to be detained in underground cells. They must have ventilation. (Nigeria is far below the international standards, but there are no underground cells in Nigerian prisons)

(b) DSS has underground cells known as Alpha Cells. Sowore and his codefendant are in one of such cells. In those cells inmates cannot see the natural light from their cells. DSS cells are designed to inflict psychological torture on the detainee.

(7) Purpose of detention

(a) Prison authorities detain you for correctional purposes or to make you available for your trial. So, many things in the prison are designed to reform the inmate. For this reason, you have educational institutions such as the Open University and others within the prison, various religious groups minister with the inmates. You have sports, parties, etc.

(b) DSS detain you in order to investigate you and to pressure you to cooperate. It is thus a hostile place for torture and pressure and surveillance. There is CCTV camera in every cell, just like the Big Brother, without the fun side.

There are so many other areas of comparison to show that being remanded in prison is several times better than being remanded in DSS or any police cell.

It was unwise for Sowore to choose to be detained in DSS cell. He has been totally isolated from society. He has not read newspapers or seen a tv screen since his detention. His only source of access to the outside world was if he meets his lawyers in court or his relative (the relative that was allowed), and they tell him what is happening outside.

In rare occasions, a DSS detainee develops a rapport with DSS officers handling him. In such case, they use their discretion to allow such inmate to come out of his cell more often to sit and gist with them. An example was Nnamdi Kanu. After a while in their custody, many DSS officers liked to chat with Nnamdi. They liked to listen to Nnamdi’s ideas, etc. So, they allowed him time outside the cell. But Sowore has not developed such rapport with the officers. Besides, he lacks Nnamdi’s charisma and intellect.

Also, the DSS officers were annoyed when Sowore started yelling “RevolutionNow” in court the first time he appeared in court. DSS read a different kind of meaning into it. Obviously Sowore wanted to imitate Nnamdi Kanu. But the outcome was totally different. First, whereas Nnamdi Kanu did his own right in the presence of the Judge like calling President Buhari a mad man right in the presence of the judge, Sowore always waited for the judge to leave the court before staging his own drama. So, everybody saw Nnamdi as genuinely fearless, while they saw that of Sowore as calculated opportunism to create impression of courage. Because Nnamdi exploded in the presence of the judge, DSS looked to the judge for how to respond to Nnamdi, and the judge only cautioned Nnamdi. However, because Sowore did his own after the judge left, it was up to DSS to control the situation and they swiftly subdued him physically there and then. Nnamdi was seen as daring the judge and the state, which was an act of courage, but Sowore was seen as insulting the DSS officers and they took it personal.

Also, it was unwise for Sowore to try to imitate Nnamdi Kanu. Each time Nnamdi was in court, there were at least 3,000 supporters in the court premises chanting in support of Biafra. That worried the authorities. So, Nnamdi’s court appearance was a major security event. But despite the efforts of Sowore’s friends, not up to 20 people come to court as his supporters. Nnamdi had the elements of a revolution, while Sowore lacked every bit of it.

Today, we shall know exactly what the DSS is up to on Sowore. If they release him today, then they only wanted to mess with him and his lawyer as a psychological message. If not, they will have to come up with a plan. As Rambo suggested earlier, it is possible that DSS is planning to keep Sowore in detention for as long as Buhari is in office. When Femi Falana begins to say there is a 3rd term, and he is representing a man that calls for “revolution now”, these people read more meaning into the relationship between Falana and his client.

We shall know more by the end of today.