Document #1304073
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
A political science professor at the
University of Texas in Austin stated in a telephone interview that
the Kuje Prison in the federal capital of Abuja lately became
popular with the government as a detention centre for pro-democracy
activists (14 Feb. 1995). The professor, who is a specialist in
Nigerian and African politics, said that the State Security Service
(SSS) also runs several detention centres around this capital
region. The professor said that, although Kuje prison has recently
developed a reputation as a detention centre for pro-democracy
activists, it has been a general purpose prison. Federal prison
authorities do not keep high profile prisoners at Kuje prison for
long periods (ibid.). Instead, the authorities tend to transfer
political prisoners to other federal facilities around the country.
This move enables the government to deny the prisoners' whereabouts
and also prevent Kuje prison from becoming a permanent location for
possible public demonstrations or protests.
The professor stated that one of the groups
involved in the campaign to end military rule in Nigeria was
Campaign for Democracy (CD), which is a pro-democracy coalition of
human rights, women's, worker, and student groups. Pro-democracy
activists, who were arrested for whatever reason across Nigeria,
were sent to Kuje prison. Thus, the professor thought it was
possible that some of the arrested activists were women. Although
the professor indicated that the oil workers' strikes in southern
Nigeria began in July 1994, he was unaware that Kuje prison was
used to detain women Social Democratic Party (SDP) members, who
were arrested after a strike in Benin City in July 1994 (ibid.).
The University of Texas professor also added that Benin City was
notorious for demonstrations by oil workers and pro-democracy
groups in 1994. For additional details on Benin City as a centre
for strikes and demonstrations, please refer to Response to
Information Request NGA19848.E of 15 February 1995. This document
is available at Regional Documentation Centres.
In a 15 February 1995 telephone interview,
a journalist with the London-based African Concorde
corroborated all the above information provided by the University
of Texas professor.
For general information on the make-up of
the pro-democracy movement in Nigeria following the annulment of
the 1993 presidential election results, and the involvement of oil
workers in the drive to recognize the victory of the SDP candidate
in the 1993 presidential elections, please refer to pages two to 17
of the Human Rights Watch Africa report entitled Nigeria: "The
Dawn of a New Dark Age" of October 1994. This document is
available at Regional Documentation Centres. Also, please refer to
the attachments for additional information on the pro-democracy
activists who were at one point or another sent to Kuje prison.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
Professor of political science
specializing in Nigerian and African politics, University of Texas,
Austin. 14 February 1995. Telephone interview.
Journalist with the African
Concorde, London. 15 February 1995. Telephone interview.
Agence France Presse (AFP). 9 August
1994. Jacques Pinto. "Unions to Meet Military Amid Strike Chaos."
(NEXIS)
_____
. 7 August 1994. "Whereabouts of
Abiola Still Unknown." (NEXIS)