Posted by By MURPHY GANAGANA, Abuja on
Seventeen out of the 42 suspects still in police detention over the murder of Peoples Democratic Party[PDP] governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Engr. Funsho Williams, are still battling for survival following an epidemic outbreak in their cells at the Force Criminal Investigation Department[FCID] in Abuja, with no fewer than 20 detainees already afflicted with chicken pox.
…20 afflicted with chicken pox
Seventeen out of the 42 suspects still in police detention over the murder of Peoples Democratic Party[PDP] governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Engr. Funsho Williams, are still battling for survival following an epidemic outbreak in their cells at the Force Criminal Investigation Department[FCID] in Abuja, with no fewer than 20 detainees already afflicted with chicken pox.
Besides some notable politicians who were arrested in connection with Williams' murder and later released on bail, the 42 suspects were reportedly picked up at various locations and detained at the FCID annex Alagbon, Lagos, since July last year and later transferred to Abuja on November 15, for further interrogation.
Police sources attributed the outbreak of chicken pox last weekend at the FCID cells to poor sanitary conditions, lack of proper ventilation occasioned by over-crowding, with over 300 suspects holed up in three medium-size cells.
Daily Sun checks revealed that despite the deteriorating health conditions of the affected detainees, they have not been moved out for proper medical attention, but merely kept in quarantine in a small room where police medical personnel are battling frantically to save their lives.
It was a pathetic sight when Daily Sun visited the FCID cell yesterday, as some of the afflicted detainees pleaded passionately with President Olusegun Obasanjo and Minister of State in charge of Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo, to look into their case and save them from imminent death.
'We are dying instalmentally here and nobody seems to care about us", laments one of the detainees, as he narrated the plight of the 42 suspects held over the murder of Funsho Williams.
'They arrested and detained us at Alagbon since July 2006 till November 15, when they transferred us to Abuja. 'At Alagbon, they did their investigation and couldn't establish any case against us.
Then, they said we were being taken to Abuja after over four months in detention without trial on the pretext that the IG wanted to personally interview us with a view to granting us bail.
But since they brought us here last November, they just dumped us in the cell and nobody is talking to us.
'Now, there is an epidemic outbreak and 17 of us are seriously affected. We feed ourselves here and as at present, we've run out of cash."
Our fear is that death is now starring at us daily, and we don't want to die here. So, we are appealing that if they have a case against us, they should charge us to court without further delay or release us to go to our homes", a frail and pale-looking detainee who pleaded anonymity told Daily Sun. Contacted on the development, police spokesman, , Haz Iwendi, said he was not aware of the incident, but promised to get details from the Deputy Inspector General of police[DIG] in charge of the FCID, Sir Kierran Dudari. However, in a telephone chat with Daily Sun on Thursday, DIG Dudari confirmed the outbreak of epidemic in the cells, just as he assured that the situation is under control.
'We've taken care of that problem by sending police medical personnel including police doctors to handle the situation. The doctors were all over there until the situation was brought under control", the DIG explained.
But he declined comments on why the affected inmates were not moved out of the cells for proper medical attention, and their continued detention for almost six months without being charged to court, saying only the IGP is competent to speak on those issues.