By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

The National Association of Seadogs (NAS) Pyrates Confraternity,Kaduna State Chapter, has in commemoration of the World Mental Health Day 2024,visited the Correctional Facility in Kaduna on Thursday, where it donated drugs for inmates with mental health issues and commenced the process of releasing 5 inmates.

The Association led by the President, Prof. Joshua Okpanachi ,also invited Medical Doctors from the Federal Neoro-Psychiatric Hospital Barnawa Kaduna,who engaged the inmates cell leaders on mental health talks and how they could identify other inmates who exhibit signs of mental illness,with a view to extending what they learned to the other inmates in their respective cells.

Speaking to journalists in an interview,,Deputy Vice President of the National Association of Seadogs in Kaduna State,Mr Anthony Ogbechie,said the association was in the process to release 5 inmates and had already paid their fine in the court.

According to him, ” the major other thing that took place is we are commemorating the World Mental Health Day 2024, a day celebrated worldwide.We used this opportunity to train the staff, the inmates on the need to understand mental stability. As at today, mental health is perceived to be everywhere based on the economic situation, especially in Nigeria.”

“This inmates, some of them are here for crime they do not commit,some of them are here because they were mistakenly captured with others. Some of them are here not even knowing what to do next in life.”

“So we’ve come with Doctors from the Federal Neoro-Psychiatric Hospital Kaduna for them to educate everybody on what you need to do about mental health. If you see your neighbour, your fellow inmate behaving abnormally, the steps to take to report it so that the authorities would take charge. “

He said by embarking on such a mission, it’s hoped that the inmates would have improved treatment and a situation where the inmates would be free to speak their minds on matters concerning their health, especially on mental health.

“Like what happened today, heads of each cell were.. educated on how to notice when the inmates are going outside the normal behaviour for them to take speedy response by reporting the issue to the officials of the Nigerian Correctional Services for them to take quick response. The psychiatric doctors who were here also advised that there should be swift referrals if any of their inmates is behaving abnormal.”

“Going forward, it’s something we would be coming to do on a regular basis as we gave them drugs today for mental cases, we would be coming to do regular checks with the staff of neuropsychiatric hospital..to confirm the status of those people and what to be done,” he said.

Dr.Asabe Comfort Omokaro of the Federal Neoro-Psychiatric Hospital Barnawa Kaduna who engaged the inmates, said in an interview that the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, is ” prioritising mental health in the workplace .”

She said the Correctional Facility is a place of work for the Correctional personnel and also a place where people who commit one offence or the other are being kept.
“Studies have shown especially in Nigeria that 60% of those inmates have one form of mental illness issue or the other.It’s quite high when you compare that to the general population where we are talking about 25%,” she said.

She said they were there to create awareness and educate the staff and inmates on mental issues and they were able to communicate that with them and they understood.

Dr. Muhamad Mubarak Bello, a Resident Doctor at the Federal Neoro-Psychiatric Hospital Kaduna, also said they’d been able to sensitise the inmates on mental health issues and what should be done when they see any inmates with signs of mental illness.

Some of the inmates took turns in asking the Doctors questions relating to the issues being discussed and were further admonished to use the period of their stay in the facility by being of good behaviour and shunning all kinds of substances that could affect their behaviour.