A Survey of the Establishment and Administration of Prisons in some Northern Districts of Zazzau Emirate, 1902-1968

Cite this article: Sirajo, H. (2022). “A Survey of the Establishment and Administration of Prisons in some Northern Districts of Zazzau Emirate, 1902-1968”. Sokoto Journal of History Vol. 11. Pp. 217-228.

A SURVEY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PRISONS IN SOME NORTHERN DISTRICTS OF ZAZZAU EMIRATE, 1902-1968

Haliru Sirajo

Department of History, Bayero University, Kano halirus75@gmail.com 08065512506

Abstract

Prison is a special place where people are detained mainly as punishment, awaiting trial or as correctional measure. It is part and parcel of human civilization world over including Hausaland. The control of prison was always in the hands of the authority- Sarki or Emir and who in turn deploy guards (dogarai) to manage the system. It is generally referred to as Gidan Yari and the person in charge of it was called the Yari, a title usually held by a person of servile origin in the emirate(s) prior to colonial rule. Information on the extent and conditions of pre-colonial prisons is still inadequate. Available colonial records portrayed the conditions of pre-colonial prisons badly and their number few. Colonialism with its attendant effects also dawned on the prison system both in terms of administration and building of many new prisons. These new „modern‟ prisons were built both in major cities and rural areas unlike what obtained in the past. This paper explores the establishment and administration of prisons in Zazzau Emirate and its surrounding district areas from 1902 to 1968.

Keywords:  Establishment, Administration, Prisons, Zazzau Emirate

DOI: 10.36349/sokotojh.2022.v11i01.009

Introduction

Indeed far from merely taking over and retaining these two (Police and Prison) and other negative institutions of the preexisting system, all indications are that the British would have founded them if they had found none in existence.¹

In the aspect of maintaining law and order, the prison institution occupies an important role in the development of security system in human history generally. After the police and judicial court, the next level is the prison where law breakers are confined as punishment to serve their jail terms. Thus, the three - police, courts, and prison always provide the commonest features of the administration of justice. This paper examines the transformation of prison system from the onset of British colonial rule in Zazzau Emirate in 1902, traversing through the changes introduced and up to the post-colonial period when prison establishment was uniformly integrated by the Nigeria government in 1968.   First, a background discussion is provided on the nature of the prison system in pre-colonial Zazzau Emirate. With the advent of colonialism, measures were taken which both led to the establishment of new prisons in Zaria and Kaduna, and the creation of numerous smaller ones across the outlying district areas. This development brought in a new perspective on prison institution itself and the processes through which people were charged and imprisoned. This

1            M.  M.  Tukur  (1979),  ―The  Imposition  of  British  Colonial  Domination  on  the  Sokoto  Caliphate,  Borno  and  the Neighbouring States 1897-1914. A Reinterpretation of Colonial Sources‖, PhD Thesis, Department of History, ABU, Zaria, p. 860. The emphasis is mine.

discussion further includes thesystem of administration and provision of facilities for the upkeep of the prison inmates. In post-independent period, the paper discusses the reasons that prompted the Federal Government of Nigeria to centrally control all prison establishments of which one of the fundamental reasons was to save the system from abuse as obtained in pre-independence period.

Pre-colonial Prison System in Zazzau Emirate

In spite of the plethora of literature on pre-colonial Hausaland generally, information on the nature and operation of prison system is still very sketchy. Islam had a strong influence over Hausaland for a long period even before the nineteenth century Islamic reform (Jihad) that saw the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate in the area. In view of this influence, Islam therefore continued to dictate the general affairs of the state, including offences, charges, punishment and imprisonment. However, issues relating to imprisonment are not very explicit as in other Islamic subjects. Generally,  it  is  said  that  even  the  Holy  Qur‘an  was  not  categorical  on  ―offences  to  be  penalized through imprisonment, yet it narrated past cases of imprisonment that had occurred.‖² During the classical Islamic era, the third Caliph, Ali bn abu-talib (656-661AD), is credited as the first Muslim leader to have built two prisons – Nafis and Makis, for incarceration of law breakers and suspects.³ In Hausaland, information on the earliest pre-colonial prisons is not explicit as expressed by Naniya, whose thesis on the history of transformation of justice system is a classic among the literature in the field. Even the Kano Chronicle was implicit about the prison system, as argued by Naniya.⁴ However, fifteen century was noteworthy as it marked the reign of three great kings: Muhammadu Korau (1445-1495) in Katsina, Muhammadu Rumfa in Kano (1463-1499), and Muhammadu Rabbo⁵ in Zazzau. According to Abdullahi Smith:

The pre-eminence is partly due to the role they are believed to have played in the spread of Islam in Hausaland. Muhammad Korau and Muhammad Rabbo are stated in the kinglists to have been the first Muslim kings of Katsina and Zazzau respectively, while Muhammadu Rumfa is regarded as an Islamic reformer.⁶

Amongst these rulers, Sarki Muhammadu Rumfa, a renowned reformer of Islam (mujaddid),⁷ is credited  to  have  ―established  the  first  prison  in  Kano.‖⁸  Though  this  development  took  place  in

2            M.  Z.  Raliya  (2000)  ―Kano  Prisons  in  the  Nineteenth  and  Twentieth  Centuries,‖  M.A.  Thesis,  Department  of History,  BUK,  and  Mohammed  Buhari  (2010),  ―A  History  of  Zaria  Central  Prison  1903-1967‖,  M.A.  Thesis, Department of History Bayero University, Kano, p. 9 . For more on the subject, see in the same work pp. 11-14. More so, Mohammed Buhari has recently completed a PhD research on Zaria Custodial Center at the Department of History, ABU, Zaria.

3            As cited in M. Z. Raliya (2000), ―Kano Prisons … p. 11

4            T. M. Naniya (1990) ―The Transformation of the Administration of Justice in Kano, 1903-1966‖ Phd Thesis, Department of History, Bayero University, Kano, p. 118

5            It is certain that Muhammadu Rabbo reigned during the fifteenth century but, detailed information on his rule is still unavailable, as cried Abdullahi Smith. In spite of this, Rabbo‘s name appeared in the kinglists of Zazzau and

―that he was ‗the first proper Muslim‘ (awwal man bada li-Islam).‖  See Abdullahi Smith, (1970) ―The Early States of the Central Sudan‖ in J.F.A. Ajayi and Michael Crowder, (eds) History of West Africa, Vol. 1 (Second Edition), London, Longman, p. 190 (note 138)

6            Abdullahi Smith (1971) … p. 90

7            Abdullahi Smith (1971) … p. 191.

8            M. Z. Raliya (2000), ―Kano Prisons …. p. 18, T. M. Naniya (1990) … p. 119. It is said that the prison built by Rumfa, located behind the Karafka market was the first and the only prison built by the Hausa rulers of Kano until

Kano, it could support the view of the existence of the prison system in Hausaland generally centuries before the nineteenth century jihad. While in Zazzau, the probable period in which the first prison was built is still unclear. The closestview, though too simplistic and much recent, states that

―The Pre-British prison in Zaria was a small lock-up near the Emir‘s palace, just behind the Waziri (Old)[sic] Gari‟s house.‖⁹ In addition to it were special farms provided by the Emir in which prison inmates cultivated grains for their feeding.¹⁰ This emphatically shows that prior tothe British colonial incursion, there was a special building set aside for locking up of law offenders and criminals by the emirate government of Zazzau. However, information on the existence of such confinement centers outside the capital of the Emirate (Zaria) is still unavailable. This is in spite of the territorial vastness of the Emirate with a number of vassal states under its suzerainty including Lere, Kauru, Jema‘a, Kagarko and Keffi.

The Establishment of Colonial Prisons in Zaria Province

In 1872, what seemed to be the first colonial prison in the area later known as Nigeria, was established ―with an initial inmate capacity of 300‖¹¹at Broad Street, Lagos. By 1902, the British colonial forces had occupied Birnin Zaria, the capital of Zazzau Emirate; and thereafter, new administrative structures were put in place: province, divisions, and district areas. Under the Indirect Rule system adopted by the British, Native Authorities (NA), headed by Emirs‘was established as a link between colonial officials (Resident and District Officers (DOs)) and the local populace. This led to the establishment of Zaria NA¹² with major arms or departments: Native Courts, Native Treasury, Native Police and Native Prisonand district areas under its administrative control. However, the preoccupation here is on the prison system and its transformation during the colonial and post-colonial periods.

From the onset of colonial rule, Frederick (later Lord) Lugard, described the pre-existing prisons in Northern Nigeria generally as a ‗dungeon‘, because of its terrible condition for human incarceration.¹³ In Zaria, specifically, the colonialists opined that the old prison they met in the city was ―too small and not conducive for human habitation.‖¹⁴ As a result of its ‗smallish‘ capacity, in 1903, just a year after the arrival of the colonialists, a new prison was built to replace the old one in Zaria. The place where the new prison was built is said to be a personal house of the ninth Emir of Zazzau, Abubakar (1873-1876).¹⁵ By 1913, due to increase in the number of NA Courts and corresponding number of convicts, the construction of a much bigger prison in Zaria city was

 

another one, probably built after the nineteenth century jihad. See A. Y. Chiranchi (2004), Native Authority Police and Security in Kano Emirate, 1925-1968, Kano, Yabi Investment Computer Business Centre, p. 70

9            Mohammed Buhari (2010),…, p. 18

10        Mohammed Buhari (2010),…. p. 18

11        www.prisons.gov.ng/history_of_nps p. 1, A. Y. Chiranchi (2004), … p. 70

12        For detailed studies on Zaria NA, see A.D. Yahaya (1980), The Native Authority System in Northern Nigeria 1950- 1970: A Study in Political Relations with particular reference to the Zaria Native Authority, Zaria, ABU Press, Haliru  Sirajo  (2015)  ―A  History  of  District  and  Local  Government  Administration  in  the  Northern  Districts  of Zazzau Emirate, 1902-1976‖ PhD Thesis, Department of History, ABU, Zaria

13        Cited in M. Z. Raliya (200), … p. 55, also see Mohammed Buhari (2010) … p. 37

14        Mohammed Buhari (2010),…. p. 30

15        Mohammed Buhari (2010), … p. 30

 

completed.¹⁶ And the figure continued to rise: from 99 inmates in 1913, the number rose to 145 in January 1914, and then reached 159 inmates by December 1914.¹⁷ This new prison, located near Kofar Doka (one of the eight gates of Zaria city), was designated as the Zaria Provincial Prison (Central Prison). With this, by 1916, the condition of the prisoners was reported to have improved thus:

 

…with only two deaths, discipline well maintained and only few minor punishments inflicted on the inmates. The average daily cost per prisoner amounted to 1. 44d and the prison was regularly visited by the Resident every month.¹⁸

Outside Zaria city, district areas were created in 1907, and subsequently district lock-ups were also built for detention of convicts tried and convicted at the district Native Courts. In the area of study (northern districts), such lockups were established in Ikara, Makarfi, Soba, Anchau, Giwa and Rigachikun. While to the south of the emirate, such lock ups were founded in Saminaka, Kauru, Kujama, Kacia and Zangon Kataf respectively.¹⁹ Normally, inmates in these lock-ups were detained temporarily before being conveyed to the Zaria Central Prison where they properly served their jail terms. The district lock ups were supervised by a British Political Officer, who at frequent intervals toured round the Emirate in order to keep in check the activities of the prison warders and the prisoners. Unlike the Zaria Central Prison, records on the district prisons seemed to be scanty. But oral sources reveal that prisoners at the district level, as was the case at the center, were subjected to all sorts of menial works by the NA officials – District Heads, Alkalai, Yari, Dogarai in charge of prison, and other influential men in the community. Similarly, prisoners were also used officially by government at public work sites such as roads, markets and European rest houses. A report on the Zaria Prison in 1916 reveals that:

The work of the prisoners has been very satisfactory. They have principally been engaged on Road work, metalling of the Zaria Kubani road and Zaria town roads under the supervision of the Sarkin Tafarki. Most of the repairs to the Public Building were also carried out by the prisoners under the supervision of the Sarkin Magina.²⁰

More so, farms were also set up by the prison authority, not primarily for the feeding of the inmates but, rather for exploitation of cheap labour and profit. For example, in 1916, the approximate value of prison labour appropriated freely by the colonialists amounted to £362:11:0. And the sum of

£21:14:1½ was realized from the vegetable garden worked on by the prisoners. Other revenue amounting to £13:10:0 was also earned by prison labour. However, at the same year, the average number of prisoners was 134, and the daily cost per prisoner amounted to 1.44d only. In addition, the total amount expended on prisoners for the year 1916: Food - £245:14:3, Clothing - £49:0:8,

 

16        E. J. Arnett, (1920), Gazetteer of Zaria Province, London, Waterlow & sons Ltd, p. 33, M. G Smith (1960),

Government in Zazzau 1800-1950, London, Oxford, p. 213

17        Cited in M. M. Tukur (1979), … p. 862

18     SNP10/NAK/ZARPROF/97P/1917 … pp. 35-36

19     See Mohammed Buhari (2010), … p. 41

20     SNP10/NAK/ZARPROF/97P/1917 … p. 37

Bedding etc – £20:0:0 and the total was £314:14:11.²¹ It is worth noting that health and sanitary condition of prison inmates during colonial period was nothing to write home about. There were references to outbreak of diseases in prisons across the region of which the commonest were small pox, pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, cerebral spinal meningitis, coronary thiambosis, diarrhea, and malaria fever.²² For example, ―the number of deaths in the Native Gaol from 1^st January 1920 to March 31^st 1921 was 12, the chief causes of death being pneumonia and fever.‖²³ This toll was only referring to the death that occurred at the Zaria main prison with the exception of smaller prisons located in many district areas.

The Establishment of Prisons in Kaduna Capital Territory

To the south ofZaria, lies Kaduna, an area which by 1913 was conceived as the new headquarters of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria.The formal relocation from Zungeru to Kaduna was fully actualized in 1917 by Lord Lugard.²⁴ Besides the transfer of military (the West African Frontier Force – WAFF), administrative staff (clerks and labourers) and firms, particularly the Royal Niger Company (RNC); prison was one of the earliest colonial government buildings in the new capital.²⁵ For it was in the same 1913, that the firstprison in Kadunawas established – the Mando Prison Camp. It was a minimum security prison(mainly first offenders of not more than three-month sentence), prison farm for inmates, and for training of detective dogs. Shortly afterward, the Kaduna Central Convict Prison was founded in 1915, to accommodate all classes of prisoners such as the short and long sentences, condemned criminals, and female prisoners and so on. Thus, when the transfer from Zungeru to Kaduna was completed on January 5, 1917, the prison in the new capital received:

…transfer of 240 prisoners and 70 warders under the charge of the Super Intendant of Prisons, Mr. Caill. They were met by a military escort at Kaduna and moved into the prison.²⁶

The new Kaduna convict prison not only served the emergent urban capital of the region, it also, centrally, controlled the activities of other lesser prisons in the area. One of such was the Kakuri- Kaduna Open Prison Camp, established in 1953. It is said to be ―the only Open Prison of its type in Nigeria,‖  and  its  main  purpose  has  been  ―preparing  prisoners  for  eventual  re-integration  into society.‖²⁷ Similarly in 1961, a borstal institution was opened in Kaduna, for detention and schooling of young offenders. On the whole, between 1913 and 1961, three prisons of different

 

21        See SNP10/NAK/ZARPROF/97P/1917 … pp. 36-37

22        See Mohammed Buhari (2010), … pp. 48-49

23        SNP10/NAK/ZARPROF/105P/1921 … p. 54. The emphasis is mine.

24        The earlier headquarters were: Lokoja (1899-1901), Jebba (1901-1902), and Zungeru (1902-1913 and 1917). And from then onward, Kaduna (which presently is Kaduna State) became and remained the new headquarters of the region until 1967 when regions were dismantled and States created in Nigeria.For more on the establishment of Kaduna, see S. Bello and E. Oyedele ―The City of Kaduna‖ in Cities of the Savannah (A History of some Towns and Cities of the Nigerian Savannah), Lagos, Ministry of Information, 1977

25        S. Bello and E. Oyedele (1977) … p. 66

26        New Nigerian, Thursday, 5 January, 1967 (No 311), p. 6 (captioned: ―Kaduna as Capital is 50 today‖).

27        A.  M.  Baba,  (2006),  ―Governments  Prisons  in  Kaduna  Capital  Territory  1913-1967‖,  Postgraduate  Seminar, Department of History, Bayero University, Kano, p. 4

 

dimensions and a borstal were established in this burgeoning headquarters of Northern Nigeria. These prison establishments are still operational in Kaduna.

 

Prison Administration and Reform System

Locally, the NA Prisons were earlier under the watchful eyes of the Dogarai, who were under the stewardship of an appointee of the Emir, called Yari (the Chief Warder).²⁸ It is said that the first Yari of Zazzau was called Bagobiri, and he was succeeded by Aliyu Dabbuje, a First World War veteran, employed later by the Zaria NA during the reign of Emir Ibrahim (1927-1937).²⁹ After this duo, the office of the Yari became a princely office held mainly by members of the royal family. More so, the prison Dogarai, during that period,were accorded with certain special treatment such as permanent employment under the NA Prison department. They also received 2/6 more stipend than the ordinary Dogarai, who used to receive 30/- per month as at 1921 in Zazzau Emirate.³⁰ However, in spite of the better pay, in the same year (1921), the Yari (the Chief Warder) was found guilty of stealing the prisoners‘ food and was subsequently jailed by the Alkali.³¹ The modus operandi and record keeping in the prison consisted of the Prison Register, Warrant File, Punishment Book, Prisoners‘ Property Book, Daily Ration Book, Prison Labour Record, and a monthly Roll of Dogarai, showing where each was deployed.³²

Beginning from 1925, there was a reform aimed at improving the standard of NA Police, which, apart from policing the society formed bulk of the prison security personnel. The aim of the reform centered on changing the status of the Wakilin Yandoka (Chief of NA Police) office from being occupied by men of servile origin to members of royal family (Princes – ‗Ya‟yan Sarki). The architect of this reform was H.R. Palmer, a British colonial official, described as ―an indirect rule par excellence. (who was) sensitive to anything actual or potential that would upset its continuation

 

28        See Mohammed Buhari (2010), pp. 37-40. Moreover, what should be observed here is the changing status of the Yari office, from men of servile origin (Dogarai) to members of royal family (Princes – ‗Ya‟yan Sarki ). This was not accidental. The brain behind it was H.R. Palmer, who in 1925 reformed the NA Police in Kano. According to Kemi Rotimi, Palmer‘s desire was to enhance the efficiency and credibility of the NA Police. Thus, ―he suggested the appointment of a member of the royal family in each emirate to be at least the nominal head of the police‖. This was called the princely-liaison officer scheme. This also brought the phenomenon of ―the son of our Emir is doing the job, let me go and join it‖. The scheme was said to have improved the NA Police reputation and an increase of spirit of loyalty to Native Authority. Within short time, the scheme was functioning in the Kano, Sokoto, Zaria and Katsina NA‘s. For details see Kemi Rotimi (2005), ―Ennobling the Police: The 1928 Princely-Liaison Officer Scheme and its Aftermath‖ in A.M. Yakubu et al (eds) Northern Nigeria: A Century of Transformation, 1903-2003, Kaduna, Arewa House, ABU, pp. 161-177

29        See Mohammed Buhari (2010), … pp. 37-40

30        See SNP10/NAK/ZARPROF/105P/1921 … p. 51 31 SNP10/NAK/ZARPROF/105P/1921 …53

32        See SNP10/NAK/ZARPROF/105P/1921 … p. 54

or survival along the line of his own conception of what it should be.‖³³ Thus, in 1925, Kano NA Police was reorganized during Palmer‘s time as the Provincial Resident. The reform was meant to dignify and to bolster efficiency and credibility amongst the NA Police. The idea was not exclusive to  Kano  because  Palmer  ―suggested  the  appointment  of  a  member  of  the  royal  family  in  each emirate to be at least the nominal head of the police.‖³⁴ By 1928, the famous ‗Princely-Liaison Officer Scheme‘ was launched and by the following year the scheme was functioning in the Kano, Sokoto, Zaria and Katsina Native Authorities (NA). This brought the phenomenon of ―the son of our Emir is doing the job, let me go and join it.‖³⁵ Significantly, the new scheme was adjudged to have improved NA Police‘s reputation and also increased the spirit of loyalty to NA establishment in general. With this development, two important offices emerged: the Wakilin Yandoka (the Chief of NA Police) and the Yari (the Chief of Prison Warders or Prison Superintendent).³⁶ Generally, this development had direct bearing on the prison system in all the emirates of Northern Nigeria. In Zazzau Emirate, after the headships of Bagobiri and Danbujje, the next Chief Warders to command the affairs of Zaria Prisonwere all princes. The first was Abdullahi (born 1901),³⁷ son of Emir Ibrahim, who was appointed as Yarin Zazzau in 1937, by Emir Jafaru (1937-59). Until 1922 when he joined the native prison department, Abdullahi was a school teacher in Makarfi, and later deployed to Zaria city, where he also taught in an adult literacy class (also known as Makarantan

„Katti). Shortly after the accession of Emir Aminu in 1959, Abdullahi was removed and replaced by Umaru Idris (1934-2013),³⁸ another prince and an elder brother to the late Emir, Shehu Idris (1975- 2020).³⁹ Umaru‘s career in the prison services extended up to the federal level during the Nigeria‘s‘ Civil War (1967-70), where he served as the Chief Superintendent of Prison.

Evidently, there is a dearth of information on district lockups and for this reason much of the discussion in this section of the paper concentrated on the ‗Zaria Central Prison.‘ This is not unconnected with the fact that the central prison in the city was officially the place where most of the convicts from various district lock-ups were referred to serve their jail terms. This particularly involved offender tried and sentenced to serve for more than six months. However, a full list of

 

33        A. G. Saeed (2005), ―Sir Herbert Richmond Palmer and the Establishment of Colonial Rule, 1904-1930‖in A.M. Yakubu et al (eds) Northern Nigeria: A Century of Transformation, 1903-2003, Kaduna, Arewa House, ABU p. 143

34        Kemi Rotimi (2005), ―Ennobling the Police … p. 164

35        Kemi Rotimi (2005), ―Ennobling the Police: … p. 164. For a detailed work on NA Police, see L. K. Yahaya (2009),

―A History of Native Authority Police in Katsina Emirate C.1907 To 1969,‖ PhD Thesis, Department of History, Bayero University, Kano

36        Both of the two were under NA Police and Prison Department, under WakilinYandoka (Chief of NA Police).

37        See NAK/ZARPROF/27 Zaria NA Staff List 1943 – 1944?(Zaria Central Prison Warders), p. 11

38        Born in 1934, Umaru Idris belonged to the Katsinawa ruling dynasty through his grandfather, Sambo (1881-1890), the 11th Emir of Zazzau. He joined the Zaria NA in 1954, rose to become its first Welfare Officer and then appointedYarin Zazzau (Prison Superintendent) in 1959. He was turbaned as Dangaladiman Zazzau in 1963. During the Nigeria‘s Civil War period (1967-70), he became Chief Superintendent of Prisons. After the war, Umaru returned to Kaduna and served the state government as Director of Sports for several years. Until his death in 2013, he was the District Head of Rigasa, in Kaduna metropolis. See Mohammed Buhari (2010) … pp. 39- 40. And for more on his biography, see M. T. Lawal (2004), ―The History of Dangaladima Office Zaria Emirate in the 20th Century,‖ B.A. Dissertation, Department of History, BUK, Kano, pp. 53-59

39        Late Emir of Zazzau, Shehu Idris, was born on the 20th February 1936 and died on Sunday, 20th September, 2020 at the age of 84. He reigned for 45 years and was the longest monarch to have reigned in the history of the emirate.

 

Zaria NA Prison Warders (1943-1944), which comprised the central and districts warders (qualification and places of work generally) is provided in the following table.

 

Name Date of Birth Educational Qualification Date entered NA Services Place of Work 1. Yari Abdullahi 1901 ETC 1922 Zaria City 2. Musa Katsina 1870 ETC 1925 Zaria City 3. Mamman Garko 1894 ETC 1935 Zaria City 4. Tanko Kura 1908 ETC 1939 Zaria City 4. Sale Yaro 1914 LHEC 1938 Zaria City 5. Rilwanu 1916 LHEC 1938 Zaria City 4. Bala Yaro Zaria 1910 LHEC 1938 Zaria City 5. AmaduZabarma 1913 LHEC 1940 Zaria City 6. Jarmai Zaria 1891 LHEC 1926 Zaria City 7. IddeZabarma 1911 LHEC 1940 Zaria City 8. Danlami I 1909 LHEC 1938 Zaria City 9. Danguggo Zaria 1913 LHEC 1938 Zaria City 10. Maigamo Zaria 1911 LHEC 1941 Zaria City 11. Musa Zaria 1915 LHEC 1941 Zaria City 12. Alu Zaria 1916 LHEC 1941 Zaria City 13. Shaihu Manu 1915 LHEC 1914 Zaria City 14. Amadu Zaria 1912 LHEC 1940 Zaria City 15. Ali Danbaraima 1918 LHEC 1941 Zaria City 16. Tanko Zaria 1948 LHEC 1941 Zaria City 17. Danlami II 1887 LHEC 1941 Zaria City 18. Jamo 1911 LHEC 1932 Zaria City 19. Yusufu 1873 LHEC 1923 Zaria City 20. Bazariye 1869 LHEC 1924 Zaria City 21. Abdu Rano 1874 LHEC 1924 Zaria City

Zaria Native Authority Prison Warders 1943 – 1944⁴⁰ Zaria Central Prison Warders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40        The table is modified by the author and some irrelevant and less important portions were removed from the original excerpt. The full meanings of the qualification acronyms are: ETC – E.T.C. Toro, LHEC – Literate in Hausa and in English Characters. See NAK/ZARPROF/27 Zaria NA Staff List 1943 – 1944, p. 3.

Name	Date of Birth	Educational Qualification	Date entered NA Services	Place of Work
22. Sule	1914	LHEC	1941	Zaria City
23. Shekarau	1906	LHEC	1941	Zaria City
24. Mamman Fada	1918	LHEC	1941	Zaria City
25. Mamman Zaria	1914	LHEC	1941	Zaria City
26. Garba Kano	1916	LHEC	1941
27. Abas Zaria	1919		1941
28. Ibrahim Kazau	1917		1941
29. Dalhatu Zaria	1923		1941
30. Ishaku Zaria	1923		1941
31. Danjuma Zaria	1917		1941
32. Sule Gusau	1923		1941
33. Tanimu Zaria	1918		1941
34. Bello Gaya	1917		1941
35. Mu‘azu Zaria	1920		1942
36. Ladan Zaria	1918		1942
37. Barau Zaria	1906		1942
38. Zama (Wardress)	1906		1935
39. Balarabe	1920	M. III	1941	Zaria City

 

District Warders

1. Is‘hakuShama	1890		1940	Kaduna
2. Maigari	1903		1935	Kaduna
3. Abdu G. Baki	1893		1938	Rigachikun
4. Hassan	1880		1927	Giwa
5. Turakin Maka	1903		1942	Ikara
6. Aliyu	1910		1941	Makarfi
7. Musa	1893		1940	Soba
8. Abdu Kano	1883		1939	Lere*
9. Abdu Kwalo	?? [sic]		?? [sic]	Kacia*
10. Inte	1888		1941	Anchau
11. Ya‘u	1913		1941	Kauru*
12. Aliyu	1913		1941	Kagarko*
13. Musa Kano	1888		1935	Katab*
14. Lukka	1901		1942	Jaba*
15. Alif	1897		1928	Kagoro*
16. Adam	?? [sic]		?? [sic]	Moroa*
17. Hassan	1913		1943	Birnin Gwari*

Source: NAK/ZARPROF/27 Zaria NA Staff List 1943 – 1944, pp. 11-13. Note: The districts or towns with asterisk were southern districts (serial number 9-17) and not directly part of the area of

 

discussion. While the staffs with no mention of their qualification and place of work was based on what obtained in the original archival document.

Training of Prison Staff and Welfare of Inmates

Administratively, from staff strength of forty-seven warders as at 1949, the prison department of Zaria NA, 1950/51 had fifty-eight warders, one wardress, a chief warder; and a prison superintendent (Yarin Zazzau).⁴¹ And by 1952-1953, more than twenty of these warders, including the chief warder, attended courses at the Warders Training Depot, Enugu, which was established in 1948.⁴² The courses were meant to train warders on the modus operandi, new techniques and administration of prison.⁴³ Concurrently, efforts were also made in the 1950s to improve the health and general welfare of inmates in the Zaria Central Prison. It all started in 1951, when a twelve-bed capacity sick bay was erected inside the Zaria prison compound. This initiative was part of the work of an astute prison reformer, named Mr. R. H. Dolan, the Director of Prisons (1946-1954). He was

―popularly known among prison staff as Napoleon (in Prison Administration)‖⁴⁴ and his directorship saw the relocation of prison headquarters from Enugu to Lagos.⁴⁵ Dolan introduced the ‗earning schemes for long term first offenders‘ prisoners‘ in order to enhance their welfare. The goal of the scheme was to enable well-mannered inmates to earn modest sum of money which was to serve as an incentive or assistance towards their reformation while in prison and upon their discharge. Similarly, religious and moral reformation of prisoners was also prioritized aspreachers of both faiths (Muslims and Christians) were permitted into the prison. This was the time amosque for the Muslims and a prayer room for Christian inmates was provided within the Zaria prison. So alsoa formal policy on prison visitation was introduced in which relatives of prisoners were allowed to pay visit to their kindred in order to conserve and maintain family ties.⁴⁶

In spite of all these developments, the Zaria NA Central Prison was also not void of violence and jail break during this period. It is reported that from 1950-1951, about forty-one inmates escaped and only a fraction were apprehended. Also from 1952-1953, thirteen inmates escaped but eight were later recaptured. The escapees were said to have sneaked away during working periods outside the prison, while others managed to escape on admission in hospital.⁴⁷ This security lapse could be some of the reasons, as shown above, that earlier in the1950sa significant number of prison warders from Zaria NA were sent for training courses in Enugu, in order to generally improve their work. In a related scenario, Gaskiya ta fi Kwabo⁴⁸ newspaper of Friday 11^th May, 1962, carried a report,

41        NAK/PRI/2/ZARPROF (Colonial Annual Report, Zaria Province 1950), p. 217; as cited in Mohammed Buhari (2010)… p. 47

42        Prior to the establishment of prison training school in 1948, there was already a borstal institute earlier built in the same city of Enugu in 1932 for detention and reformation of juveniles of less than sixteen years of age. See A. Y. Chiranci (2004), … pp. 76-77

43        NAK/PRI/2/ZARPROF (Colonial Annual Report, Zaria Province 1950), p. 240-241; as cited in Mohammed Buhari (2010),… p. 47

44        Mohammed Buhari (2010), … p. 45

45        See A.Y. Chiranchi (2004), … p. 77

46        See Mohammed Buhari (2010), … pp. 39-52

47        See Mohammed Buhari (2010), … pp. 46-47

48        Gaskiya ta fi Kwabo (Truth is Worth More Than a Penny) was a Hausa vernacular and pan-Northern Nigerian newspaper, established in 1939 in Zaria under its first editor, the revered Hausa novelist, Abubakar Imam. It was later in 1945 reorganised under Gaskiya Corporation.

 

 

―FURSUNA YA NEMI TAWAYE A ZARIYA‖ – (literally - Prisoner had staged a protest in Zaria). Technically, however, the incidence was a violent protest. In the report, a convict of Ijaw extraction, named George Amachere was handed over to the Zaria Yandoka (NA Police) for investigation over a violent act of using a sharp knife (made from a 6 inch nail) to stab the Chief Warder, M. Rilwanu, and the Yarin Zazzau, M. Umaru Idris,⁴⁹ who was on supervision duty. The rampaging prisoner is said to have first stabbed Rilwanu on his cheek and then pursued the Yari Umaru and struck him on the head with the knife. Also on the same day, coincidentally, one John Okoro was caught in possession of the similar type of weapon used by George; though, both were forcefully stripped off of the weapons by their co-inmates in the prison.⁵⁰

Consequent upon these incidences, not only in Zaria but the nation as a whole, a ‗Prison Armed Squad‘ was introduced in order to forestall violence and ensure protection of lives and properties of both the prison staff and inmates. It was also meant to counter any aggression or mob attack on the prison from outside. In Zaria, the Prison Armed Squad initiative came into full force in 1966 where warders were sent to the Police College, Kaduna, for special training on the use of firearms and other security techniques.⁵¹ The next important development in the aspect of prison administration was its national integration late in the 1960s by the Federal Military Government.

Unification of the Nigerian Prison System

Despite efforts to have a unified prison administration in Nigeria during the colonial period, the dream failed due to extant historical and regional political factors in the country. Three prominent colonial Directors of Prisons: Colonel V.L. Mabb (1934-46), R.H. Dolan (1946-55), and C.M.K. Carew, all made efforts, during their respective tenures, to unify the prison system but failed. The noticeable problem was that in the North prisons were under the supervision of the Northern Inspector General of Police, while in the South, it was under the Director of Prisons.⁵²This was why in the north both police and prison institutions work in many facets parallel, both in style and administration up to the early post-independence period. However, before the end of the First Republic in 1966, general overhaul of Nigeria‘s prison services had already started. The ‗Prison Armed Squad‘ scheme was introduced nationally which encouragedprison warders to attend training at the Kaduna Police College.⁵³ Moreover, the prison system was also not left out in the general wave of reformation of key government institutions embarked upon by the military regime after

49        Umaru Idris was born on the 18th December, 1934, in Zaria City. He was a prince by birth through his grandfather, Emir Sambo (1881-1890), of the Katsinawa ruling dynasty of Zazzau Emirate. In fact, he was an elder brother to the late Emir, Alhaji (Dr.) Shehu Idris. He started first as a clerk in 1954, and then appointed as the first Welfare Officer in Zaria NA. Umaru was appointed as Yarin Zazzau (Prison Superintendent) by Emir Muhammadu Aminu, shortly after his accession to the throne in 1959. He took over as Yarin Zazzau from Yari Abdullahi, who is said to be not in good terms with the Emir, Aminu; and that accounted for his removal according to a report. In 1963, he was turbaned as Dangaladiman Zazzau. During the Civil War periods (1967-1970), he joined the federal government as a Chief Superintendent of Prison. After the war, Umaru returned to Kaduna, and this time served the state government as Director of Sports for years. In 1990, he became the District Head of Rigasa, Igabi Local Government Area in 1990, the position he held until his dead early in 2013. For more on his biography, see M. T. Lawal (2004) ―The History of Dangaladima Office Zaria Emirate in the 20th Century‖ B.A. Dissertation, BUK, Kano, particularly chapter five (pp. 53-59). Also see Mohammed Buhari (2010), … p. 40

50        For details see, Gaskiya ta fi Kwabo, Friday 11th May, 1962, p. 1 (The English rendering is mine).

51        See Mohammed Buhari (2010), … pp. 65-66

52        www.prisons.gov.ng/history_of_nps p. 2-3, see also A. Y. Chiranchi (2004) … pp. 76-77

53        See Mohammed Buhari (2010), … pp. 65-66

 

1966.⁵⁴ It was observed that not only the police, prison wasalso accused of being hijacked and misused by politicians in the 1950s and 1960s as a tool of repression against political opponents.⁵⁵ Thus, similar to the taking over of NA Courts and NA Police, the Federal Military Government in 1968 also announced the unification or integration of all prisons in Nigeria. The decision directed all hitherto NA Prisons to be administered according to the Nigerian Prison Regulations with effect from 1^st April, 1968. This development was later reinforced with Decree No.9 of 1972 which holistically ―spelt out the goals and orientation of Nigerian Prisons Service.‖⁵⁶ In other words, since then, prison system became an exclusive federal government affair, as no State has the power to operate or maintain prison.⁵⁷ With this marked reorganization therefore, the control and administration of all the prisons in Zaria shifted to Kaduna, the capital of the newly created North- Central State of Nigeria. This also led to permanent closure of smaller lock-ups in many district areas as well.

Conclusion

It is observed that prison system is  not generally an alien development in the area of study. Available records revealed that the system was in existence in Hausaland centuries beforeand continued up to the dawn of the colonial rule in northern Nigeria, and in Zazzau Emirate in particular.As observed in the paper, the pre-existing Zaria city prison was declared unbefitting by the British and thus a bigger prison was built in 1913 to centrally servethe entire Zaria Province. Smaller prisons or lock-ups were also established in some of the district areas in order to cushion the activities of NA Police and Alkali Courts. At Kaduna, the Northern Regional headquarters, prisons were also built for detention of suspects and lawbreakers. As discussed in the paper, the Zaria Central Prison and several district lockups were under Zaria NA, while the Kaduna prisons were controlled directly by the British administrator of the capital. Initially, traditional guards – dogarai were allowed to continue as prison watchmen until reforms were made which brought in modern prison warders. One of the sweeping changes introduced, apart from training and welfare, was the involvement of sons of emirs to serve as heads of NA Prisons departments from 1929. However, there was no unified prison system (administration) in the country, both during the colonial and the period of Nigeria‘s First Republic (1960-66). As clearly demonstrates, all efforts to unify the system failed until 1968 when the military regime abolished all NA prisons and streamlined it under the Nigerian Prisons Service with headquarters in Lagos.

54        The first attempt was a Working Committee set up to look into the possibilities of unifying the various Police and Prisons in Nigeriaduringthe short-lived regime of General Aguiyi Ironsi (15th January to 29th July1966). See see L. K. Yahaya (2009), …p.223

55        The notoriety of the ruling Northern Peoples‘ Congress (NPC) against its arch opponent, the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) in Northern Nigeria, during the first Republic was a clear example of prison service abuse.NEPU supporters were often politically muzzled through unjustified imprisonment. For more, see H. Sirajo (2014) ―An Historical Appraisal of Northern Peoples‘ Congress (NPC) and Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) Activities in Zazzau Emirate, 1950 – 1966,‖ in Kano Journal of History (KJH) Vol. 1 No. 2 December, 2014. Department of History, Bayero University, Kano

56        www.prisons.gov.ng/history_of_nps p. 4

57        According to its 2016 publication, ―Today the Nigeria Prisons Service has a total of 241 Convict Prisons, 84 satellite Prisons, 15 Farm Centers, 2 Prisons Camp and 3 Boarstal Institutions.‖ See ―Nigeria Prisons Service (Integrated Service Charter)‖, Nigerian Prison Servicom Unit, Abuja, (2016), p.1

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