Located in the quiet, landlocked,
stony, ancient Idah, the headquarters of Igala Kingdom in Kogi State,
North-central Nigeria, Idah Prison built in 1901 by the British colonialists,
is unarguably the oldest existing prison in Nigeria. An outsider who sees the
prison’s high fence would begin to wonder if it has existed for that length of
time since it has the semblance of other prison fences across the country, but
that is the fence built by the Federal Government of Nigeria much later to give
the colonial prison a modern outlook. As you wade through the tight security at
the main gate, you find yourself inside a compound that serves as the front of
the administrative block which forms part of the modern fence.
Then, right in front of you is the
ancient building with all the attributes of an antiquity. Divided into two
wings of male and female sections and a kitchen standing in-between, there
appears a small and narrow entrance into the main prison compound, which is
made of a very thick and strong iron rod. A peep through the narrow gate
quickly brings into focus, inmates seated in clusters and chatting. The
impenetrable walls are made of stones and the roofing appears to have suffered
incalculable damage from weather elements, but they are still very solid
from all indications, although the zinc is rusty, an indication that they could
be leaking when it rains.
