Following the wide outrage, the Nigeria Prisons Service has explained why they handcuffed the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, while he appeared for his trial at the Abuja Federal High Court on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.
The NPS spokesman, Francis Enobore, said the officer in charge of the escort had the right to determine if the inmate should be handcuffed based on security situation, the environment and intelligence report made available to him Punch reports.
He said, “Handcuffing an inmate is at the discretion of the officer in-charge, depending on the security situation, the environment and intelligence report available to the officer. Sometimes they look at the atmosphere and take the necessary decision.
“If you suspect that the atmosphere, security-wise, may not be conducive to the inmates in your custody, you can use handcuffs; to avoid a situation where you have to start telling stories, you use your discretion to study the environment and take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of the inmates in your custody.
“Remember that we not only try to secure the inmate from escaping, we equally provide protection for the inmate. The officer in-charge must ensure that the life of the inmate is not jeopardised. It is the officer in-charge of the escort that studies the security environment and takes the decision to use handcuffs.”
Metuh was arrested by the EFCC on Tuesday, January 5 2016 and remained in the custody of the anti-graft agency till when he was arraigned on January 15.
