According to an informant who was recently discharged from the Kirikiri Correctional Center, Mr Atuche lives “like a king”.
Indeed, a correctional facility is meant to teach some lessons to persons sentenced there.
This is usually done by taking away certain privileges they enjoy including their freedom and access to some amenities.
The Kirikiri Correctional Center Apapa is one of Nigeria’s biggest correctional centers with a capacity to contain 1990 prisoners.
According to reports, prisoners in the Kirikiri correctional center are not given the best treatment.
In a May 2002 article by Vanguard, a prisoner stated that “even a hungry dog will reject the food they serve us”.
This is because they were usually fed meals worth ₦450 per day but it was increased to ₦1000.
However, an inmate stated that the prison has a separate “VIP section”.
In this section, inmates have their cook, a person to wash clothes, errand persons, and a generating set that supplies the electricity.
Therefore, the people in the “VIP section” are enjoying almost everything the correctional center is supposed to take from them.
VIP Section
One such person that lives in the VIP section of the correctional center is the former managing director of the defunct BankPHB, Mr. Francis Atuche.
Mr. Atuche is serving a 6-year jail term for embezzling ₦25.7 billion.
According to an informant who was recently discharged from the Kirikiri correctional center, Mr. Atuche lives “like a king”.
The informant, Gbenga Idowu, was a former Prison officer before being convicted of drug trafficking.
Mr. Atuche is said to be intimidating both staff and his fellow Inmates with his amassed ill-gotten wealth.
He is reportedly using the names of senior officers from the State Controller, to the Assistant Zonal Controller through to the ones at the Nigerian Correctional Service HQTRS, Abuja to get away with intimidation.
Also, Mr. Atuche is said to be using his connection with Mr. Odita Alex and there at the Nigerian Correctional Service headquarters in Abuja to intimidate others.
He claims Mr. Odita and the others are on his monthly payroll of hundreds of thousands of Naira.
Furthermore, the former MD lives with nine other people in a block with 20 rooms meant for at least 19 people. While other blocks are stuffed with over 200 people who are suffocating in the same facility.
Mr. Chairman
According to Mr. Idowu, a friend who stays in the same Block 2 beat says Mr Atuche prides himself as the ‘Chairman’ of the upstairs cells.
The friend says he once incurred Mr. Atuche’s wrath because they were holding a boxing practice in the block’s courtyard.
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Not only did Mr. Atuche berate them for disturbing his peace, but threatened to transfer out his friend for challenging his authority.
Also, Mr. Atuche demanded that the ACG, Mr. Ailewon Noel, transfers his friend out of Kirikiri maximum security correctional center.
Surprisingly, the transfer threat was nearly implemented within 24 hours.
However, his friend who is a well-known “street king” was left alone after he prostrated for Mr Atuche.
Budding Riot
According to Mr Idowu, if Mr Atuche is not stopped, he may cause a riot in the correctional facility.
He explains that the followers of his friend have not forgiven Atuche for the humiliation their boss faced.
The friend is a known former National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURT) boss.
His followers are reportedly watching and waiting for the right moment to strike back.
Another act the former MD practices that Mr Idowu believes may cause a riot is how he throws money around.
He is said to be well known for throwing money from his balcony to hungry Inmates once he finishes playing his football.
The inmates reportedly scramble and fight over the peanuts to the annoyance of most staff and Inmates.
However, no one talks for fear of what Mr. Atuche and the senior officers at Abuja in his pocket, will do to anyone who protests.
He also accuses Atuche of stopping other Inmates from getting empty rooms in the block where he stays.
Therefore, Mr Idowu believes that if Mr Atuche is not called to order, there might be a revolt soon.
Mr Francis Atuche was sentenced to six years for ₦25.7 billion fraud.
He was sentenced on June 16, 2021, by Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.
In 2022, an appeal court in Lagos affirmed his conviction.
The question that comes to mind is: Was Frances Atuche used as a decoy to make Nigerians feel justice has been served like breakfast for fraudulent activities?
Why will the same system that convicted him allow him to also enjoy the privileges he should not have in such correctional centre?
