Nigerians have urged President Bola Tinubu to take urgent action to save Nigerians suffering and dying in Dongguan Prison, China.
Opened in November 1988 as Shilong Prison and renamed in 1995, the facility has expanded and now occupies most of Xinzhou, an island in the East River. Reports indicate that over 5,000 Nigerians are imprisoned there, many of whom are allegedly innocent of the crimes they were charged with.
Mr. Onowu Chukwuemeka, a former inmate who spent 15 years in the prison, described the daily horrors faced by prisoners. He claimed that many Nigerians were wrongfully accused and that court-appointed attorneys were often compromised and working for the Chinese government. He described the prison as a labor camp where inmates are forced to work grueling hours for manufacturing companies, with the false promise of reduced sentences. Those who fail to meet quotas are subjected to beatings, starvation, and solitary confinement. Inmates work under deplorable conditions without safety equipment, leading to deaths from inhaling toxic fumes and handling hazardous materials.
The meager food provided, consisting of half-cooked rice and vegetables, is barely enough to sustain the inmates. Visits from the Nigerian Ambassador during former President Goodluck Jonathanās administration were a brief spark of hope, but these efforts ceased with the change in government. During President Muhammadu Buhariās administration, despite outrage from human rights organizations, there were no visits or efforts to address the situation from the Nigerian embassy in China.
An American sociology professor, Stuart Foster, a former inmate, recounted that his situation improved only due to the intervention of the American embassy. He described the severe mistreatment of other foreign prisoners, especially Africans, who often went over a year without a court date or outside communication. Foster noted that he would still be in prison if not for the U.S. Consulateās intervention.
In 2013, former inmates told The Australian Financial Review about being forced to make disposable headphones for major airlines, earning about Ā£0.85 per month, and facing beatings, tasering, or solitary confinement for not meeting production targets. In 2019, Der Spiegel interviewed
several ex-inmates of Dongguan Prison who described overcrowded living conditions, sweltering heat, and long working hours manufacturing various products like model Porsche cars, Samsonite luggage locks, and transformers.
Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), responded to the outcry of Nigerians in the prison, condemning the inhumane treatment. He urged the Nigerian authorities to take action to secure the lives of its citizens. Nwanguma highlighted the stark contrast between the American authorities’ decisive intervention to save an American citizen and the Nigerian authorities’ inaction under successive administrations.
Nwanguma called on President Tinubuās administration to urgently intervene diplomatically to secure the release of innocent Nigerians in Dongguan Prison and end the rampant violations of human dignity. He emphasized the need for the Nigerian government to respond in a manner that values the liberty and dignity of its citizens, inspiring patriotism and sacrifice for the country.