By Editor
Team Bail Is Free, an offshoot of the Edo Civil Society Organizations (EDOCSO), has urged the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) to write “Visit Free” at various strategic and conspicuous places to prevent those visiting the facilities to check on their loved ones not to be exploited.
The Coordinator of Bail is free campaign, Leftist Justice Oni-Edigin disclosed this on the group’s WhatsApp platform.
He said that few weeks ago, they got the information that some innocent Nigerians who went to visit their loved ones at the Nigerian Correctional Service facilities were being told to part away with some money before they could see them and they decided to investigate if it their allegations were true.
According to him “You will recall that a few weeks ago Team Bail is Free Campaign, attention was drawn to the negative activities going on in the Nigerian Correctional facilities, which has to do with impunity, massive extortions of citizens who come to visit their loved ones that are in incarceration by men and women of the Edo State Comptroller of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
“The allegation was investigated and confirmed to be true, which prompted Team Bail is Free to reach out to the State Comptroller to express their disappointment on the level of impunity and extortion of members of the public.
“Having expressed our total displeasure in strong terms, in the way and manner Nigerians are being extorted in the Correctional facility in the state, we urge the State Comptroller to act swiftly to curtail this act of national disgrace and shame without further delay.
“We demanded they should inscribe in strategic points within the Correctional facilities “VISIT IS FREE AND A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL” especially in the main extortion point”.
Leftist Oni-Edigin said also that the Team Bail is Free visited the Correctional facility at Sapele Road and Oko to see the level of compliance of the state command.
Oni-Edigin said to their demands, at the Sapele Road Correctional facilities, they met with some officers who took them round the facility to see the level of compliance.
He further appreciated the Comptroller, Edo State Correctional Service for his swift response to complaints from members of the public adding that a lot still needed to be done by the Comptroller based on their observations.
He called on the members of the public to bring to the notice of Team Bail is Free of any forms of extortion in the Correctional Service facilities pointing out that, it our collective responsibility to save and protect public institutions.
