Their original
anger, frustration and bitterness have crystallised into melancholy. Apparently
helpless, dejected and depressed, they are crying for justice. They are friends
and relatives of Nigerians who are languishing in various prisons in far-away
China, for offences ranging from illegal entry and expired travel documents to
drug trafficking. There are also, cases of Nigerian inmates who did not know
why they were arrested.
anger, frustration and bitterness have crystallised into melancholy. Apparently
helpless, dejected and depressed, they are crying for justice. They are friends
and relatives of Nigerians who are languishing in various prisons in far-away
China, for offences ranging from illegal entry and expired travel documents to
drug trafficking. There are also, cases of Nigerian inmates who did not know
why they were arrested.
They just found themselves in the prisons. Ever since Sunday Sun
in its issue of December 25, 2011, reported that over 1000 Nigerians were
languishing in China prisons, the families of the inmates have been making
frantic efforts through several civil and government agencies to secure the
freedom of their loved ones, many of whom are allegedly there on trumped up
charges. However, the matter took a new turn on January 1, 2013, when at about
1am, a Nigerian prisoner who identified himself simply as Paul, cried out from
Beijing Prisons in China to Sunday Sun, to help tell the world that they were
grappling with the worst kind of treatment prisoners could face anywhere in the
world. Again at about 3am on January 16, 2013, Paul screamed again that they
were dying and this time, he gave an disturbing figure of over 700 Nigerians
still rotting in Chinese jails.
“Please my brother, we are dying. We are over 700 hundred
Nigerians in various prisons here. Our health condition is very terrible. If
you are sick, nobody takes you to the hospital. The kind of food they serve us
here is better not tasted. It is tasteless. In fact, I lack the proper word to
describe the kind of food they serve us. We spend heavily on our feeding from
the money our families in Nigeria send to us. It is really bad and I hope you
understand what I mean when I say it is bad. What is bad is bad and it is bad,”
Paul said in subdued tone.
Nigerians in various prisons here. Our health condition is very terrible. If
you are sick, nobody takes you to the hospital. The kind of food they serve us
here is better not tasted. It is tasteless. In fact, I lack the proper word to
describe the kind of food they serve us. We spend heavily on our feeding from
the money our families in Nigeria send to us. It is really bad and I hope you
understand what I mean when I say it is bad. What is bad is bad and it is bad,”
Paul said in subdued tone.
On what he wants done for them, he said: “We want our president,
Goodluck Jonathan to hear our cry and come to our aid. There is a new policy
here in China that empowers other countries to come and take their citizens
back to their countries for prosecution. We call on Nigerian government to take
advantage of that law and rescue us from this hell called prison. “We would
gladly like to face prosecution back home if they say we committed any offence
because here, we are not prosecuted. They just dumped us in the cell, even when
most of us did not do anything to warrant being here. We appeal to the
President and all Nigerians to remember that their kith and kin, most of who
are innocent, are languishing in China and they should do something to save our
lives.”
Goodluck Jonathan to hear our cry and come to our aid. There is a new policy
here in China that empowers other countries to come and take their citizens
back to their countries for prosecution. We call on Nigerian government to take
advantage of that law and rescue us from this hell called prison. “We would
gladly like to face prosecution back home if they say we committed any offence
because here, we are not prosecuted. They just dumped us in the cell, even when
most of us did not do anything to warrant being here. We appeal to the
President and all Nigerians to remember that their kith and kin, most of who
are innocent, are languishing in China and they should do something to save our
lives.”
Corroborating Paul’s tale of woes, another jailed Nigerian who
identified himself as Ayowale, said he was released on Tuesday last week, and
returned to Nigeria on Wednesday, January 23. He said he went to China in 2004
and had been doing business in that country until he was arrested on February
22, 2006 on charges of credit card fraud. He told Sunday Sun that although he
told the Chinese authorities that he was innocent because he was engaged in
buying shoes and baby clothes and sending same to his people in Nigeria who
usually remit the money to him after sales, he was sentenced to 10 years
imprisonment on March 10, 2007.
identified himself as Ayowale, said he was released on Tuesday last week, and
returned to Nigeria on Wednesday, January 23. He said he went to China in 2004
and had been doing business in that country until he was arrested on February
22, 2006 on charges of credit card fraud. He told Sunday Sun that although he
told the Chinese authorities that he was innocent because he was engaged in
buying shoes and baby clothes and sending same to his people in Nigeria who
usually remit the money to him after sales, he was sentenced to 10 years
imprisonment on March 10, 2007.
“I was a businessman based in China and my business was buying
shoes and baby wears and sending them back home after which the money is
remitted to me for more purchases. Sometimes, I would even go to Thailand and
Malaysia to buy products that I would send home for sale. That was my business
until I was arrested and charged with credit card fraud. “It is better not to
go to court because they will provide a lawyer who will do the government’s
bidding. Whatever you tell your lawyer will be used against you in the court of
law. And you can’t get a lawyer of your own except the one provided for you by
the government”, he said.
shoes and baby wears and sending them back home after which the money is
remitted to me for more purchases. Sometimes, I would even go to Thailand and
Malaysia to buy products that I would send home for sale. That was my business
until I was arrested and charged with credit card fraud. “It is better not to
go to court because they will provide a lawyer who will do the government’s
bidding. Whatever you tell your lawyer will be used against you in the court of
law. And you can’t get a lawyer of your own except the one provided for you by
the government”, he said.
The man who served in Beijing prisons number two, where it was
gathered, over 70 Nigerians are languishing, said life in jail was terrible. He
said they worked until recently when the authorities introduced the work
system. “I refused to do any work since I had almost finished my term when they
introduced it. I also don’t know the kind of work they do in the factories but
from what I observed, the work is so tedious and terrible because it tells on
them. They wake up early in the morning, go to factory and come back around
noon but by 2pm, they are back in the factory to work till night. They no
longer sleep or rest as before.
gathered, over 70 Nigerians are languishing, said life in jail was terrible. He
said they worked until recently when the authorities introduced the work
system. “I refused to do any work since I had almost finished my term when they
introduced it. I also don’t know the kind of work they do in the factories but
from what I observed, the work is so tedious and terrible because it tells on
them. They wake up early in the morning, go to factory and come back around
noon but by 2pm, they are back in the factory to work till night. They no
longer sleep or rest as before.
These are the people that are very sick. Now tell me, how do you
want them to get well? We went out once in a week and they allowed us only one
hour. People are dying there in the prisons,” he stated. Narrating his ordeals
in jail, Ayowale said: “You serve your sentence by points but the way they
calculate the point is confusing. People die like fowls in the prisons. It is
in their law that people above 65 years of age should not be in prison, but we
have people that are more than 70 years in our prison.
want them to get well? We went out once in a week and they allowed us only one
hour. People are dying there in the prisons,” he stated. Narrating his ordeals
in jail, Ayowale said: “You serve your sentence by points but the way they
calculate the point is confusing. People die like fowls in the prisons. It is
in their law that people above 65 years of age should not be in prison, but we
have people that are more than 70 years in our prison.
There was a Japanese who was above 90 but he was in the same
prison with us. “Life is really terrible there. Look at my skin. When I was
arrested, my skin was smooth but look at what the condition in the prison
turned my skin to. You can see the infections I contracted from inside the
prison. I pleaded with the prison authorities for more than six years to take
me to the hospital but nobody listened. I cried day and night but nobody
listened.” Accusing the Chinese government of treating the Nigerian embassy
officials in China with disdain, he said: “Each time we complained to our
Embassy, the embassy would write to them and they (Chinese) would book
appointment with the Embassy but they never honoured the appointments.
prison with us. “Life is really terrible there. Look at my skin. When I was
arrested, my skin was smooth but look at what the condition in the prison
turned my skin to. You can see the infections I contracted from inside the
prison. I pleaded with the prison authorities for more than six years to take
me to the hospital but nobody listened. I cried day and night but nobody
listened.” Accusing the Chinese government of treating the Nigerian embassy
officials in China with disdain, he said: “Each time we complained to our
Embassy, the embassy would write to them and they (Chinese) would book
appointment with the Embassy but they never honoured the appointments.
They toy with our Embassy as they like and they are not
straight- forward. I want our government to know that the Chinese government
does not respond to the Nigerian Embassy the way they respond to other
countries that have embassies there. The way they treat Nigerians is painful.
They are rude to our government. I urge our government to find solution to the
way Chinese government treats our Embassy and citizens there. Nigerians are
dying in prison.” On the quality of food in the prisons, he said: “We feed ourselves
because even pigs cannot eat the kind of food they give us. They serve us white
rice without stew in the morning, afternoon and night. A lot of people have
become diabetic; some have developed vision impairment due to what they eat.
straight- forward. I want our government to know that the Chinese government
does not respond to the Nigerian Embassy the way they respond to other
countries that have embassies there. The way they treat Nigerians is painful.
They are rude to our government. I urge our government to find solution to the
way Chinese government treats our Embassy and citizens there. Nigerians are
dying in prison.” On the quality of food in the prisons, he said: “We feed ourselves
because even pigs cannot eat the kind of food they give us. They serve us white
rice without stew in the morning, afternoon and night. A lot of people have
become diabetic; some have developed vision impairment due to what they eat.
They injected some of us three times daily to suppress the
effect of the diabetes. They can’t take you to the hospital where you can get
proper medical care. We feed ourselves and we spend $60 every month to do
that.” Ayo, who is worried that he didn’t know the kind of skin infection he
contracted, urged the Nigerian government to do something urgent to save the
lives of Nigerians in Chinese jails who are the brink of death due to illnesses
like diabetes, High Blood Pressure, chronic cough and weakness of the bones.
effect of the diabetes. They can’t take you to the hospital where you can get
proper medical care. We feed ourselves and we spend $60 every month to do
that.” Ayo, who is worried that he didn’t know the kind of skin infection he
contracted, urged the Nigerian government to do something urgent to save the
lives of Nigerians in Chinese jails who are the brink of death due to illnesses
like diabetes, High Blood Pressure, chronic cough and weakness of the bones.
He lamented: “I don’t even know the kind of infection that I
have contracted. All I know is that it comes and disappears, leaving black
spots on my skin as you can see. Sometimes, it appears after I have eaten
certain food. For six years and 11 months, I battled with the disease without
any assistance from the prison authorities.” Another Nigerian who came back
recently to Nigeria from Dun guan City Prisons in China, painted a more
dreadful picture of life in Chinese jailhouses.
have contracted. All I know is that it comes and disappears, leaving black
spots on my skin as you can see. Sometimes, it appears after I have eaten
certain food. For six years and 11 months, I battled with the disease without
any assistance from the prison authorities.” Another Nigerian who came back
recently to Nigeria from Dun guan City Prisons in China, painted a more
dreadful picture of life in Chinese jailhouses.
The source that identified himself as Ejima, a native of Ebonyi
State, said he travelled to China in January 2006 but was arrested on November
10, 2007. He said he was jailed for seven years but spent five years and two
months before he was released on January 10, 2013. According to him, he was
released before his seven years term because he worked hard in the factory as a
prisoner. Ejima summed up the situation the fate of Nigerians in China thus:
“We are not seen as human beings; they see us as animals, especially
Nigerians.”
State, said he travelled to China in January 2006 but was arrested on November
10, 2007. He said he was jailed for seven years but spent five years and two
months before he was released on January 10, 2013. According to him, he was
released before his seven years term because he worked hard in the factory as a
prisoner. Ejima summed up the situation the fate of Nigerians in China thus:
“We are not seen as human beings; they see us as animals, especially
Nigerians.”
Source: Sun
