“I Want To Make Peace With God And My Victims, I Have Indulged In Criminality Early In My Life” – 14 Year Old Detainee

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

“The lessons of life is that l have cheated my self by getting involved in crime and criminality so early in life”

The words above were the pitiable and remorseful confessions of 14 year-old Abdullahi Surajo, currently cooling his feet at Kurumawa Maximum Correctional Facility in Kano for allegedly, forcefully, dispossessing a lady of her bag containing some valuables including a hand set phone in the Naibawa area of the commercial nerve centre of the North.

Young Surajo who looked completely sober and apologetic while  narrating his walk into the correctional centre  over a  year ago, to Journalists during the recent visit by the Inspector General Police Duty Solicitors Scheme PDSS members to some Police formations and Correctional Facilities in Kano said his only wish now remains to walk back to freedom and, make peace with  God and victims of his misadventures.

He has, therefore, called on the Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to help him out of his present hellish nightmare.

“Tell  our Governor to help me out of this hell, because I have been denied access to justice.

“As you can see, my condition is critical. Deep inside me, I know that I am slowly dying here and only the timely intervention of our Governor can save my life.

“I need a second chance to sincerely repent to Allah and also apologise to the victims of my criminal activities, as well as integrate into the society.” Surajo said

“The teenager, popularly known as “Bolo” was overwhelmed by emotions as he further narrated the hard side of life that  propelled his early foray into  the world of criminality.

“I am an orphan and being raised by my uncle in a household of about 33 persons which comprise my siblings, and other members of the extended family .

“There I was exposed to deprivation, starvation, and debilitating poverty, resulting from the retirement of my uncle from public service.

“I am the youngest here( Correctional centre ). I have spent over a year. I have no legal representation and the authorities hardly take me to court again.

“Earlier, I was taken to court on a few occasions ,without any legal representation.

There after it became  where is his lawyer? Okay, take him back to remand ”

Lamenting further, Surajo noted that if the idea behind keeping him at the facility is to reform, then there is nothing reformatory about Kurumawa Maximum Correctional Centre.

“There is nothing reformatory about this facility. The senior boys are here. You are exposed to hellish and more criminal activities daily.

“Since I was brought here, l have been on one cloth with the hygienic condition so repulsive and nauseating. And in all of these ,nobody cares”, the minor stated.