Inmates at the Buea Central Prison have developed a forceful, soldier-like sleep due to overcrowding. The Buea Central prison was built to accommodate at least 700 inmates, according to the 1936 plan that authorized its construction. This was the main post prison during post-1919 British colonisation in South West Cameroon.
During those days, the colonial powers, alongside local authorities, respected the prison space per inmate. Unfortunately, this is not what is practiced today. The numbers have tripped that with records showing over 2000 inmates at the Buea Central Prison.
Overcrowded Wards
According to an investigation by Cameroon New Agency, 11 Wards house the inmates at the Buea Central Prison, BCP. These include wards: A, B, C, D, E, F, J, K, L, Women’s, and Minors’ wards. Each of these wards is overcrowded, with some hosting as many as 400 inmates, a source lamented.
The J-ward is the worst, we are told. It is literally considered the ward for punishment; it hosts some of the worst prisoners. But it also hosts the most impoverished prisoners.
Taking Turns to Sleep
In ward J, over 300 inmates in a very small hall are compelled to trade spaces to sleep. There, inmates sleep for 6 hours and then are forced to wake up and stand while those who were standing go ahead to sleep.
“Even at that, those who sleep get to sleep on others. They sleep on the bare floor and bare body (due to the heat),” the source who requested anonymity noted.
“When someone wants to go ease themselves in the toilet, they climb on each other to get there…Homosexuality is very common in the Buea Central Prison due to overcrowding. However, once caught, you are given some harsh treatment”
The same scenario is recorded in all the other cells, except the D ward cell, where the prison willingly reduced the population to 120 members. The cell is considered the VVIP cell. It hosts all the richest and privileged inmates. There, no one sleeps on the floor. But inmates pair up on the bed.
