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DISCLAIMER: This document does not meet current format guidelines Graduate School at the The University of Texas at Austin. of the It has been published for informational use only. Copyright By Tosin Funmi Abiodun 2013 The Dissertation Committee for Tosin Funmi Abiodun Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: A Historical Study on Penal Confinement and Institutional Life in Southern Nigeria, 1860-1956 Committee: Toyin Falola, Supervisor William Roger Louis Juliet E. Walker Ruramisai Charumbira Bessie House Soremekun A Historical Study on Penal Confinement and Institutional Life in Southern Nigeria, 1860-1956 by Tosin Funmi Abiodun, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December 2013 Dedication To my best friend and steady supporter, Michael Asoro Acknowledgements The research and writing of this dissertation has been a personal journey. During the course of this journey I learnt so much about the American culture, my place as a black woman in the Diaspora and the complexities that comes with being an African woman. There are many who made this journey interesting. I am grateful to my advisor, Professor Toyin Falola, for his academic supervision. He challenged me on several occasions and provided both financial and intellectual support. I am grateful to members of my dissertation committee. I thank Professor William Roger Louis for creating a healthy and supportive academic environment, for providing financial support and for inviting me to join the society of Churchill scholars. I benefitted immensely from the British Studies seminars, particularly from a lecture delivered by Professor Anand Yang on the experience of convict workers in Southeast Asia in the nineteenth century. I owe thanks to Professor Juliet Walker for teaching me so much about the African American experience. I am indebted to Dr Charumbira for her sound ideas and constructive feedback. I also thank Professor Bessie House Soremekun for her support. This work examines an under-researched subject in Nigerian historiography and the gathering of materials would have been an impossible feat without the kind assistance and generosity of many individuals. I am grateful to Architect Theo Lawson for sharing pictures and architectural plans of the old colonial prison with me. I thank Professor Kemi Rotimi for granting me access to his research documents, particularly for sharing archival documents on the 1952 Prisoners’ Revolt in the Lagos Prison. I am grateful to Dr Adoyi Onoja for his careful reading of my essays and for providing useful comments which helped me in shaping the direction of my research. I owe many thanks to Dr Akin Alao for intellectual and moral support throughout the course of my graduate study. v I would not have completed this research without the kind assistance of staffs of the Nigerian National Archives located in Ibadan. In view of the difficulties in obtaining records on the prison and imprisoned colonial subjects, I am particularly grateful to Mr Abraham Olayemi for locating valuable archival documents and historical newspapers. Mr John Adegoke also provided research assistance at the archives. I thank members of staff at the Obafemi Awolowo University Library, University of Ibadan Library and the Inter-Library Loan service at the University of Texas at Austin. Financial assistance for this research came from two sources: the department of history at the University of Texas provided travel grants which enabled me to conduct research in Nigeria and the John Warfield Center for African and African American Studies, under the leadership of Dr Joni Omi Jones, counted me worthy for the Lumumba fellowship. My appreciation extends to the community of African scholars at the University of Texas at Austin including: Segun Obasa, Naminata Diabate, Lady Jane Acquah, Adam Paddock, Brian Mcneil, Jason Morgan, Daniel Kahozi, Danielle Sanchez Porter, Cacee Hoyer, Ryan Groves, Sylvester Gundona, Dr Tola Mosadomi and Dr Niyi Afolabi. My family members deserve praise for their support and words of encouragement, especially when the journey became uninspiring and challenging. I am forever indebted to my husband and best friend, Michael Asoro, for his positive affirmations and unwavering emotional and spiritual support. I thank my mother whose sacrifice and unconditional love brought me thus far. Mum, you are one in a million. I thank my brother, Captain, and my sisters, Oluwatobiloba and Olusola, for their unflinching support. Last but not least, my appreciation goes to my son for assuring me with his gaze and smile that the future is not only colorful but also bright. You are my joy and inspiration. I thank my creator who gave me strength and good health. vi A Historical Study on Penal Confinement and Institutional Life in Southern Nigeria, 1860-1956 Tosin Funmi Abiodun, PhD The University of Texas at Austin, 2013 Supervisor: Toyin Falola This dissertation fills an existing gap in Nigerian historiography by exploring the history of penal confinement and prisons in Southern Nigeria. Using archival materials and other historical sources including autobiographies, newspapers and prison writings, this study shows that colonial prisons that were established in Nigeria differed significantly from those that existed in Britain. The idea of using the prison as a reformative tool did not manifest in the colonial context. Ultimately, the colonial prison system established in Southern Nigeria served as a tool used by Europeans for silencing opposition, subduing nationalist forces, harnessing cheap labor and warehousing problem populations including criminals, lepers and lunatics. Penal administration in Southern Nigeria went through many transformative stages. This dissertation contextualizes these changes within the broad context of significant historical events such as the Atlantic Slave Trade, colonial rule, the First World War, the Second World War and the decolonization era. It shows that administrative problems that hamper the development of Nigeria’s penal system in the post-colonial era such as overcrowding, inefficient work force, health problems and inadequate infrastructure began during the colonial era. The penal crisis experienced in Nigeria is indeed a colonial legacy. The first five chapters of the study follow a vii chronological sequence that covers much ground in the colonial history of Southern Nigeria from 1860 to 1956. In addition, this dissertation explores the history of the prison in Southern Nigeria not only from the official perspective, but also from the perspective of incarcerated colonial subjects. It details the penal experience of nationalists. More importantly, it moves beyond the elitist view by providing information on the penal experience of ordinary criminals whose existence and agency is often ignored or mentioned in passing in mainstream Nigerian history. The last chapter of this study approaches the history of prison in Southern Nigeria from the subaltern perspective. Using official prison documents, prison memoirs, and prisoners’ letters, it explores prison sub-cultures and highlights the different ways in which ordinary prisoners reacted to, coped with, and challenged the carceral element of colonial rule. viii Table of Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................ xii List of Figures ...................................................................................................... xiii Introduction ............................................................................................................1 Theoretical Perspectives ..........................................................................................5 Relevant Literature.................................................................................................17 Sources and Methodology......................................................................................34 Overview of Chapters ............................................................................................36 Chapter 1: Crime, Customary Law and Penal Code in Pre-colonial Southern Nigeria Introduction ...................................................................................................39 Customary Law in pre-colonial Southern Nigeria ........................................39 Punishment Procedures in Pre-Colonial Southern Nigeria ...........................47 Penal Confinement in Pre-colonial Southern Nigeria ...................................56 European Penetration, the Atlantic Slave Trade and the Rise of New Cultures of Confinement in Southern Nigeria ........................................................59 Conclusion ....................................................................................................65 Chapter 2: The Birth of the Prison in Southern Nigeria, 1860-1912 Introduction ...................................................................................................67 Southern Nigeria: A Description of the Territory and its Peoples ................68 Colonial Lagos ..............................................................................................72 The Birth of the Prison in Colonial Lagos, 1861-1900 .................................83 Crime and Criminal Activities in Colonial Lagos ........................................91