News

Racial inequality a prominent issue in U.S. prisons

Published

4 years ago

March 22, 2022

By Li Zhiwei, People’s Daily

The U.S. has been widely condemned for its long-term and systemic racism against ethnic minority groups and immigrants in its justice system.

While people of color make up 37 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 67 percent of the country’s prison population.

The incidence of human rights violations is particularly high in immigrant detention centers along the U.S. borders.

Data suggests that during the 2021 fiscal year, the U.S. government detained as many as 1.7 million illegal immigrants, of which 80 percent were held in private detention facilities with harsh conditions, including a large number of immigrant children.

Among the 266,000 immigrant children detained by the U.S. in recent years, more than 25,000 have been held for over 100 days.

“There were nearly 5,000 children there (‘emergency intake’ shelter erected in the harsh desert of Fort Bliss), and some 1,500 children are still being held at the troubled site, where conditions in ‘jam-packed’ tents resembled ‘a stockyard,’ were ‘traumatizing’ and risky for the children’s health and safety,” reported the El Paso Times.

Between April and June 2018, the Trump administration implemented a “zero tolerance” policy toward illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Under the policy, adult illegal immigrants were prosecuted by the U.S. government and held in federal prisons or deported, and their children were in the care of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A huge number of immigrant children were forced to separate from their parents.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an American nonprofit organization committed to advocacy for civil rights and racial equality, a total of 4,368 children were separated from their parents or guardians because of this policy, and many still hadn’t found their parents by the end of 2020.

According to over 160 internal reports of the U.S. government, U.S. border officials have committed plenty of misconduct and abuse against immigrants, including verbal, physical and even sexual abuse, pointed out a report released by international non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) last October.

There are also allegations of harsh detention conditions, denial of medical care, and other phenomena at the border, according to the report.

“…human rights abuses run rampant in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. Intentional deprivation (e.g. being kept in a cold room without a blanket or being served rotten food), physical and verbal abuse by guards, sexual assault, and rape happen far too frequently…In fact, an independent medical review of deaths in detention found that in over half of the deaths analyzed, medical negligence had played a role,” said an article by Eillen Martinez and two other American scholars, which was recently published on Medpage Today, a web-based medical news service provider.

Statistics show that in the U.S., African Americans are six times more likely than white people to be incarcerated in prisons. One of every three African-American males born in the U.S. can expect to go to prison at least once in his lifetime, compared to one of every 17 white males.

According to the National Public Radio (NPR), Black Americans are four times as likely as whites to be arrested for marijuana possession; and black men spend an average of 20 percent longer behind bars in federal prisons than their white peers for the same crimes.

An article published on the website of Forbes Magazine pointed out that prisoners of African descent are the most likely to suffer from abuse by prison staff among all inmates, which makes them more subject to psychological trauma and more discriminated against when they reenter society.

Private prisons in the U.S. have a significantly higher proportion of inmates of color and more evident racial inequality. Low-income groups, mostly people of color, are likely to be detained because they cannot afford bail and are eventually pressured into pleading guilty. They usually cannot meet the harsh requirements attached to fines or probation, and end up becoming long-term cheap labor in private prisons.

Racial inequality in American prisons, especially in private prisons, is the epitome of the country’s long-standing systemic racism.

The U.S. has a dark history of exploiting the lives of disadvantaged groups (usually people of color) for the profit of the powerful–from colonial slavery through coolie labor, black codes, and Jim Crow laws, the government has sanctioned this practice, pointed out U.S. non-profit organization Abolish Private Prisons, which believes that “Locking people up for profit is simply the latest incarnation of slavery.”

A non-profit, non-partisan think tank Interrogating Justice noted that private prisons in the U.S. are the product of a symbiotic relationship between police departments, court systems, transportation companies, food suppliers, and other departments and businesses, all of which benefit from mass incarceration. Some believe that the U.S. private prison industry is deeply rooted in slavery and has, some argue, modernized state-sponsored slave labor.

American writer Jabari Asim believes that the idea that African Americans can commit a crime simply by existing is more than just a deeply entrenched racist misconception; it is also an idea rooted in capitalism’s need for a cheap, exploitable labor force. Asim noted, private prisons are specifically designed so that states can profit from the nearly free labor provided by incarcerated people.

News

‘Ombugadu Is a Brand, Not a Title’ — PDP Chieftain

Published

1 day ago

September 15, 2026

Our Reporter

By Emmanuel Kuza

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State, Abuga Ovie, has described the name Ombugadu as a political brand, saying the popularity and wide acceptance of the name have made David Emmanuel Ombugadu a major force in the state’s political landscape.

Ovie, who stated this in an interview on Tuesday, said what started as opposition from some of Ombugadu’s biological brothers and people he described as fathers and uncles who betrayed him for personal political interests had now assumed a wider dimension, with political parties allegedly joining the battle against him.

According to him, the latest development was an attempt to undermine the political value of the Ombugadu name by presenting another person with the same surname, describing it as an indication of how far some political actors were prepared to go to weaken the PDP governorship candidate.

“Ombugadu is a brand, not a title. The people are not fools. They know their own. You cannot simply bring another person bearing the same name and expect the people to forget the political identity that Ombugadu has built over the years,” he said.

He further alleged that a former governor was working to introduce a political associate who had served as Accountant-General of Nasarawa State into the political equation, with the alleged objective of destabilising the PDP and weakening its chances by ensuring that the party fields a less competitive candidate in 2027.

“The plan, as we understand it, is to destabilise the PDP and make sure the party presents a weak candidate, thereby creating an advantage for the former governor’s preferred candidate. But all those efforts have proved abortive because the national leadership of the PDP stood its ground and refused to lose its best bet for the 2027 governorship election,” Ovie said.

The PDP chieftain said the resolve of the national leadership to retain Ombugadu had demonstrated the confidence the party had in his capacity to win the governorship election, despite what he described as attempts by some political actors to frustrate his ambition.

Ovie urged political parties and their leaders to resolve their internal differences instead of concentrating their efforts on Ombugadu, whom he compared to David in the Bible, saying he remained focused despite betrayal and opposition from those close to him.

“Ombugadu is like David in the Bible. Even when his brothers forsook him, he remained focused. Today, despite the people who have betrayed him, he remains focused and has a blueprint that can rescue Nasarawa State,” he said.

He said political parties should concentrate on presenting their programmes and convincing voters about how they intend to address the challenges confronting the state rather than expending their energy on attempts to stop Ombugadu.

“Political parties should fix their problems instead of wasting their strength fighting Ombugadu. Let everybody bring their blueprint before the people and explain what they intend to do for Nasarawa State,” he said.

Ovie maintained that the 2027 election should be about ideas, competence and the future of Nasarawa State, rather than attempts to manipulate political structures or undermine individuals perceived to enjoy strong grassroots support.

He urged the people of the state, particularly the Eggon community, to remain politically vigilant and resist what he described as efforts to make them settle for less, insisting that voters would ultimately determine who enjoys their confidence at the polls.
Reduce repeated references to Ombugadu

News

200 widows benefit from empowerment outreach in Plateau

Published

1 day ago

September 15, 2026

milcah

By Israel Adamu, Jos

Two hundred widows from communities across Langtang North Central State Constituency of Plateau State have benefited from an empowerment outreach organised by Gimbiya Gani Nandir Lar under the Jagoran Talakawa movement.

The outreach, held at Pilgani in Langtang North Local Government Area, was aimed at supporting vulnerable women and drawing attention to the challenges faced by widows, particularly those struggling to provide food, pay school fees and meet other basic needs for their families.

The organiser, Nandir Lar, who is the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate for Langtang North Central State Constituency, said the gesture was motivated by compassion and concern for vulnerable members of the society.

She stressed that the outreach was not a political programme but an expression of love and support for humanity.

Nandir Lar said: “The plight of widows may not always make headlines, but their struggles are real, painful and deserving of our collective attention.

“This is simply an expression of compassion and love for humanity. It is not a political programme.

“Our constituency is home to people with diverse needs, including mothers, widows and young people who are seeking opportunities to improve their lives.”

Former Provost of the Federal College of Education, Pankshin, Amos Chirfat, commended the initiative, saying it had brought smiles to the faces of vulnerable women in the constituency.

Minority Leader of the Langtang North Legislative Council, Dirya Sheni, also commended Nandir Lar for supporting widows and other vulnerable members of the community.

At the end of the outreach, each of the 200 beneficiaries received a 10-kilogramme bag of corn flour, seasoning and N10,000 cash

News

SCUML, REDAN Strengthen Collaboration on Anti -Money Laundering Compliance

Published

1 day ago

September 15, 2026

milcah

By Francis Wilfred

The Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), and the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) have expressed commitment to ensure a full compliance with the Anti Money Laundering/Counter Finance on Terrorism/Counter Proliferation Financing, (AML/CFT/CPF) laws within the Nigeria’s real estate sector.

They made the resolve during a stakeholders’ engagement held on Thursday, September 10, 2026

The engagement focused on Mutual Evaluation readiness, risk-based supervision, beneficial ownership transparency, customer due diligence, internal controls and stronger collaboration between SCUML and the real estate sector.

Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE 1 Ibinabo Amachree, speaking on behalf of SCUML highlighted the strategic role of real estate operators in protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s financial system, particularly given the sector’s vulnerability to money laundering and other financial crime risks.

Amachree encouraged REDAN members to move beyond registration to ensure that compliance is embedded in their day-to-day operations. He mentioned the areas to include: understanding institutional risks, knowing customers and beneficial owners, identifying politically exposed persons, conducting appropriate sanctions screening, maintaining effective internal controls and meeting applicable reporting obligations

He, therefore, reaffirmed readiness to working closely with REDAN and other stakeholders to improve compliance, build capacity and promote a stronger culture of accountability across the real estate sector

“The message is clear: effective compliance is not just about meeting regulatory requirements; it is about protecting businesses, strengthening the real estate sector and safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s financial system”, she said.

In his remarks, the Chairman of REDAN, Lagos state, Mr Tony Kolawole pledged readiness to partner with SCUML in ensuring compliance with AML/CFT/CPF in the real estate sector to uphold financial integrity.

The engagement also provided an opportunity for REDAN members to share practical regulatory and operational challenges affecting the sector, reinforcing the importance of continuous dialogue between regulators and industry stakeholders.