Festus Keyamo, a Lagos based lawyer has written a protest letter to Nigerian Prison Service authorities complaining about an attempt by warders to sodomise his client, Charles Okah.

Okah is standing trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja in relation to the October 1, 2010 Independence Day bombing in the federal capital has been in prison custody since 2010 when he was arrested.

In March, Okah’s senior brother, Henry, was sentenced to 24 years in prison for masterminding the octber1, 2010 bombing incident.

In a letter dated July 30 and addressed to the comptroller general of prisons and copied to the minister of interior, Keyamo alleged that a prison warder with the aode of others tried to sodomise Okahin his cell in Kuje prison.

“On Wednesday, 3^rd July, 2013, at about 6.30 am, some Prison Warders, specifically Mr. Isah Musa (the Chief Clerk), Mr. TankoGokuje, (the Assistant Yard Master) and three (3) other Prison Warders (hereinafter referred to as the culprits) entered our client’s cell (No.1) and demanded to search his anus because they claimed they had information that he was hiding “incriminating” materials therein. Before entering his cell, they made sure all other inmates were locked up in their various cells,” the lawyer stated.

He said that Okah initially resisted the body search having been warned that it would lead to a forced sexual act on him but was forced to succumb by the five warders.

Rather than search him however, Keyamo alleged that “Mr. IsahMusa pulled off his clothes and sustained erection and attempted to carry out the acts of sodomy on him.”

“To achieve this, our client was then held to the ground by Mr.Tanko Gokuje and three (3) other warders. Our client had to intensify his struggle and resistance to prevent the completion of the criminal act. Our client screamed for help and this was heard by other inmates,” the lawyer alleged.

He said further that when Okah reported the incident to the prison authorities, they pleaded that he should not make any formal complaints and “further suppressed the incident.”

In his letter, Keyamo demanded an investigation of the incident and asked that the culprits be appropriately sanctioned.