According to
legal practitioner and a member of the NGO, Joint Legal Action Aid, Cyril
Odiboh, two inmates of the Federal Prison in Ubiaja, Edo state who were
convicted for stealing cassava are being flogged 36 strokes of the cane twice
every week as part of their punishment for stealing. Speaking to LIB, the
lawyer said he was in court yesterday and he witnessed the incident. He said
himself and his team would be appealing the judgment and would do a research to
find out if the court went out of line by asking the inmates to be flogged.
What he wrote on his Facebook page below
FOUR INMATES
of the Federal Prisons in Ubiaja, who were CONVICTED OF STEALING CASSAVA from
their victims farm, were flogged thirty six strokes of cane respectively, in
the Magistrate Court, yesterday. They have been receiving this hellish odeal
every Tuesday and Thursday for the first three months of their twelve calendar
months prison sentence.
Only an
appeal of the judgement can save the prisoners from the horrific experience I
witnessed them go through at court yesterday. It is particularly of concern to
me, more because no convicted fraudsters, politician or vandals of our common
wealth has ever been sentenced to such hellish experience of thirty six strokes
of canning twice in a week. Could it be because the convicts were too poor to
afford legal representation?
My heart
bleeds for the poor and the needy who are tempted to steal food for their
survival. Esan South East of Edo State must be a no go area oh. Pray not to be
charged to the Magistrate Court in Ubiaja, it may become your road to Guantanamo
concentration hell.
Only an
appeal to the high Court can vary the terms of their convictions. But
unfortunately the high Courts are on break, until September.
May God have
mercy on His people.
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