Civil rights activist and investigative journalist, Agba Jalingo, has exposed what he described as deep-rooted corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), accusing some prison officials of selling cell spaces to wealthy inmates for as much as ₦300,000.
Speaking during a two-day Investigative and Accountability Journalism Masterclass organised by the Agba Jalingo Foundation in Calabar, Cross River State, the journalist recounted his personal experience during his incarceration at the Afokang Federal Correctional Centre.
“Some prison officials across the country sell cell spaces to richer inmates. Some charge ₦250,000, ₦300,000 or more. I know this because I spent time there and saw how it works,” Jalingo revealed.
He described his time behind bars as an eye-opener that exposed the depth of systemic corruption in Nigeria’s prison system, noting that the sale of cell spaces is only one of several forms of exploitation.
“Many inmates are languishing in jail not because they are guilty, but because they cannot afford legal representation or the bribes demanded by officials,” he added.
Jalingo stated that the prison system is skewed in favour of the rich, while the poor suffer endless detention without justice. He said his experience motivated him to continue advocating for prison reform and justice for wrongly convicted inmates.
The journalist also commended Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, for granting amnesty to 54 inmates of the Afokang facility following his personal appeal.
“While I was in Afokang, I took down the names of several inmates wrongly imprisoned or serving sentences for minor offences. I wrote to Governor Otu, asking him to extend mercy, and I must commend him for acting swiftly,” Jalingo said.
He further called on the Nigerian Correctional Service to conduct an internal investigation into the alleged sale of prison cells and other corrupt practices across correctional facilities nationwide.
