Friday, May 11, 2012

Nigeria: Secret Prisons


RELATED ARTICLE: ITA OKO ISLAND, Nigeria (AP) — The prison, cut out of the dense jungle that engulfs this island outside Lagos, never officially existed in records, though critics of Nigeria's military rulers were locked up here decades ago in harsh conditions.

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In this photograph, documents and keys from a broken desk are seen on Ita Oka Island outside of Lagos, Nigeria. Ita Oko Island in Nigeria holds a prison that never officially existed in records though it housed critics of the nation's military rule. It now sits in ruins as a haunting reminder of past abuses of power, yet Africa's most populous nation still plans to open another classified facility to hold and interrogate members of a radical Islamist sect. Image: Jon Gambrell/AP

In this photo, an abandoned water storage tank is seen at the former prison known as Tekunle on Ita Oko Island outside of Lagos, Nigeria. The prison is cut out of the dense jungle that engulfs this island outside of Nigeria's largest city, but it never officially existed although many critics of the nation's military rule were kept here. Ita Oko Island allowed Nigeria's military governments to have opponents disappear into the swamps of the Lekki Lagoon at a camp accessible only by boat and helicopter. Date: May, 11, 2012. Image: Sunday Alamba/AP

In this photo taken Tuesday, May, 8. 2012, showing the remains of a burnt down part of a former prison known as Tekunle on Ita Oko Island outside of Lagos, Nigeria. The prison is cut out of the dense jungle that engulfs this island outside of Nigeria's largest city, but it never officially existed although many critics of the nation's military rule were kept here. Ita Oko Island allowed Nigeria's military governments to have opponents disappear into the swamps of the Lekki Lagoon at a camp accessible only by boat and helicopter.