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PFN, CDHR, Lawyers Disagree Over Prison’s Beauty Pageant

Published

4 years ago

March 31, 2022

The Executive Director, Prison Fellowship Nigeria, Mr Benson Iwuagwu, has said there is no ground for the anger that greeted the recent beauty pageant held in Kirikiri Maximum Custodial Centre from the legal perspective.

Iwuagwu, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, described the reaction of many Nigerians to the pageant as a moral stance, which is akin to jungle justice.

He said, “I do not see any objective ground for the hullabaloo. But when you look at the morality and the sensibilities, that is how we make noise and later the thing dies down; it is akin to jungle justice of ‘catch him, kill him’ before we now come to find out and ask, ‘was it necessary for us to act that way?’ Of course, there are better ways they could have protested that would be beneficial to society and the people.”

On whether the event was against the law, he said, “If you are talking about law, there is the presumption of innocence that is attached to every person, who is a suspect; it is a constitutional matter. It says until a person is convicted by a duly constituted tribunal or court, such a person is held to be innocent. That is our law.

“Secondly, the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, introduced a scale of topical shift in the correctional or prison’s regime in Nigeria and if we view that shift in paradigm, and we find that there are provisions that look more at reformation and victims’ remedy, the question to quickly ask is, does that pageant take away any victim’s life? The answer is an objective ‘no.’”

People should be educated on inmates’ rights, says prison minister

Also, the Head of Prison Ministry, The Citadel Global Community Church, Babafemi Famuyide, said the public should be educated to understand that inmates also have rights that should be respected.

Famuyide, in an interview with The PUNCH, said one of the purposes of prison was to reform the character of inmates and rehabilitate them.

He said, “The message I want to emphasise is that we must educate the public to understand that even though these inmates are incarcerated and cut off from society, they also have rights and we must do everything possible to also aid and help in ensuring that they are reformed and properly rehabilitated and reintegrated back into the society so that they can contribute their own quota to the society.

“Also, the purpose of prison is to protect society and to reduce recidivism through character reformation and the rehabilitation efforts. Also with reintegration of these inmates back into society as the end goal, correctional facilities should therefore, offer education, vocational training and any other assistance needed to achieve the above.

“Providing meaningful activities support prison management and it aids in the metal health and rehabilitation of inmates.

“Everything must therefore be done to reduce the rate of recidivism in our justice system. Having said this, can we then say that holding a beauty pageant was not wrong in itself considering that it was conducted to celebrate International Women’s Day? I think that is very key for us to note.

“The beauty pageant also was not the only activity that was carried out that day at the facility. It is also worthy of note to mention that the costumes, hairdos and other accessories that were used by the contestants were the products made by the inmates themselves through skill acquisition trainings that they have had while being incarcerated.”

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, in a separate interview, also supported the programme, saying it should be extended nationwide to other custodial centres as it was part of the reformation process that inmates should be exposed to.

The National Publicity Secretary, CDHR, Gerald Kathy, said since terrorists were being rehabilitated and reintegrated into society, how much more were other criminal suspects.

He stated, “The beauty pageant is what should be encouraged by all centres. They are being referred to as correctional centres; the essence of that is to receive criminals and rehabilitate them to become useful to themselves and society.

“Today, you see that terrorists are being rehabilitated and reintegrated into society. If the controller was subsequently transferred because of that, then it would be very unfortunate; it defeats the reason we had to change the name of the service. Yes, the case is still on, but why their cases, especially that of Chidinma is still on, she should not be allowed to waste away until the court describes her as a criminal; she’s still a suspect.”

But human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), described the beauty pageant as insensitive.

“There is no provision in the Nigerian Correctional Services Act that provides for beauty pageants in any correctional centre in Nigeria,” he said.

Another SAN, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, took a swipe at the NCoS over the event.

According to him, inmates, especially those who were alleged to have committed capital offences, should be discouraged from such programmes.

He said, “Those who are in custody are entitled to constitutional protection, which is called presumption of innocence; in other words, we can’t judge them or condemn them until the court has ruled on the matter.

“However, with the way they were dressed, giggling and laughing seem to be an excessive display of such right, especially with one of them, who allegedly committed a capital offence. Also, given that public opinion is important in guiding judicial decisions, because justice is in three ways: justice to the society, the victim and the suspect.

“The feelings of the family or others, who have died as a result of their actions can’t be neglected. To me, it was wrong and people facing trial should go through some moral restrain. There are other positive events they can participate in and not the open display of beauty.”

Another SAN, Ifedayo Adedipe, said such event was uncalled for.

“That’s immoral. I am not talking from the illegality or otherwise, I simply think such an event is uncalled for,” he said.

PUNCH

Headline

Woman Passes Out After Receiving 100 Strokes Of Cane

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

A woman has passed out after she and her partner were each flogged 100 times in public for engaging in sex outside marriage under strict Sharia laws in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was later carried away after the punishment was carried out in Banda Aceh, located at the northern tip of Sumatra island on Thursday.

A masked official dressed in brown robes administered the caning before members of the public who gathered to witness the punishment.

Her partner was also seen wincing in pain while receiving the lashes.

The pair were among several individuals punished for violating Sharia regulations in the province.

Authorities from the Banda Aceh Sharia Court and the Prosecutor’s Office handed down punishments ranging from 25 to 100 lashes for offences including extramarital sex allegedly arranged through online applications.

Aceh remains the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia operating under Sharia law, where unmarried couples are prohibited from having sexual relations.

Caning is commonly used in the province as punishment for offences such as gambling, alcohol consumption, same-sex relations and sex outside marriage.

Under Aceh’s Sharia regulations, child rape offenders face some of the harshest penalties, including up to 200 strokes of the cane, a prison sentence of as long as 200 months or fines equivalent to two kilograms of gold.

The punishments are usually carried out publicly as a way of shaming offenders in addition to inflicting physical pain.

Such canings are often conducted outside mosques or in open public spaces, with residents watching and taking photographs during the exercise.

Human rights organisations have continued to condemn the practice, arguing that it causes emotional trauma and violates international human rights standards.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised the punishments, saying they conflict with Indonesia’s constitution and global legal obligations.

Amnesty said in a statement: “Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.

‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’”

Despite the criticism, local authorities have defended the punishments as part of Aceh’s religious and cultural identity, insisting they serve as a deterrent against immoral behaviour.

Earlier in January, another couple in the province reportedly received 140 lashes each after being found guilty of drinking alcohol and engaging in sex outside marriage.

(Daily Mail)

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Senegal’s President Sacks Prime Minister After Months-long Feud

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government following months of rising political tension between the two former allies.

The decision was announced in a surprise decree read on national television by a presidential aide, stating that Faye had “ended the duties” of Sonko and “consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government”.

Sonko, who remains a highly influential figure among Senegal’s youth, responded on social media, saying he would “sleep with a light heart”.

The political fallout comes at a time of growing economic strain in the country, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) putting Senegal’s public debt at 132% of its GDP.

His removal followed a tense parliamentary session on Tuesday, where Sonko openly criticised President Faye’s handling of the debt situation.

The development is striking given that Faye’s rise to power was largely tied to Sonko’s popularity and political backing.

Sonko would almost certainly have contested the presidency himself in 2024, but was barred from the race due to a defamation conviction. Instead, he threw his support behind Faye, rallying voters with the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye”.

The alliance helped unseat former President Macky Sall in a dramatic electoral victory, despite both men having been released from prison only days before the vote.

Tensions between the two leaders had been building for months, with Faye reportedly accusing Sonko of excessive dominance within the ruling Pastef party, while Sonko accused the president of weak leadership and failing to defend him against critics.

(BBC News)

Headline

Six Nigerians Arrested In Thailand Over AI-Powered Romance Scam

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Six Nigerian nationals have been arrested by the Thailand Police Force for allegedly operating an AI-powered deepfake romance scam syndicate from a luxury condominium along the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi Province, following a cocaine trafficking investigation that exposed their activities.

Thai authorities said the operation began after police arrested a Nigerian suspect identified as Patrick and three associates in April over alleged drug trafficking offences. During the raid, officers reportedly seized assets valued at about 2.5 million baht.

Investigators said financial transactions linked to the suspects led them to several foreign nationals living in a high-end riverside condominium near Phra Nangklao Bridge in Nonthaburi. Police discovered that many of the occupants were staying in groups of five or six per apartment under student visas despite not being enrolled in any educational institution or engaged in lawful employment.

According to Thai police, officers executed search warrants on three condominium units on May 22. The suspects allegedly refused to open their doors, forcing authorities to break into the apartments.

Videos circulating on X captured the moment police officers forcefully gained entry into one of the apartments before arresting the suspects.

During the operation, one suspect reportedly attempted to escape by climbing over a balcony, while another was found hiding on the bathroom floor while allegedly sending warning messages to occupants in neighbouring units.

Police recovered 18 mobile phones, three laptop computers and three bank passbooks from the apartments. Authorities said some of the phones were still logged into active conversations with victims at the time of the raid.

Investigators alleged that the syndicate specialised in romance scams targeting older Thai women by using AI-generated faces and manipulated video calls to create fake online identities.

The suspects allegedly posed as pilots, United States military officers, doctors and engineers to gain the trust of victims before requesting money under false pretences.

Police said the fraudsters typically claimed that valuable packages or gifts sent to victims had been withheld by customs officials and required payment of clearance fees before release.

Authorities also said they recovered scripts for sexually explicit conversations allegedly used to emotionally manipulate victims into transferring funds. Investigators claimed the group relied heavily on artificial intelligence technology to generate realistic Western faces for fake video interactions.

Thai police said all six suspects are currently facing preliminary charges bordering on illegal association and immigration overstay, while additional fraud and romance scam charges are expected to follow as investigations continue.