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
1st January 1920 to March 31st 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 11th 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 1st
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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