Human rights advocate and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has called on authorities to immediately discontinue the use of “Black Maria” vans for transporting awaiting trial inmates, describing the practice as inhumane and degrading.
Sowore said at the Magistrate Court in Abuja on Tuesday, that the individuals awaiting trial should not be treated as convicted persons, stressing that the conditions in which they are conveyed to court violate their dignity and fundamental rights.
He argued that the continued use of the vans by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Correctional Service exposes detainees to overcrowded, poorly ventilated, and unsafe environments.
According to him, such transport conditions amount to punishment before conviction and undermine the principle of presumption of innocence enshrined in law.
He further criticised the use of the vehicles, suggesting that if they must remain in operation, they should be reserved for high-profile public office holders accused of wrongdoing.
He specifically mentioned former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, among those he believes should be subjected to such conditions.
Sowore maintained that justice cannot thrive in an environment where detainees are exposed to what he described as cruel and degrading treatment, urging the government to adopt more humane and globally acceptable standards for inmate transportation.
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