Adedamola Adedayo: What Ola Cardoso’s “Suky” Says About The Nigerian Criminal Justice System

The typical narrative surrounding the Nigerian criminal justice system, which includes the Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the judiciary, and correctional facilities (formerly known as prisons), reveals a significant level of corruption and dysfunction. This situation leaves many Nigerians, particularly the underprivileged, vulnerable to the system's shortcomings.

To address the flaws in the prison system, the Correctional Service Act was enacted on July 31, 2019, replacing the Prison Act of 2004. Unlike its predecessor, the updated statute aligns with international minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. It emphasises respect for inmates' dignity, prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment, and ensures their safety and security.

Unfortunately, efforts to implement and enforce these laws have not been as effective as anticipated, and correctional centers across the country continue to deteriorate. This ongoing issue is highlighted in the film Suky, produced and directed by Ola Cardoso, which was released on Prime Video on March 7. Co-produced with Bamidele Adelusi and featuring a screenplay by Isaac Ayodeji, the film portrays the criminal justice system and focuses on the plight of prisoners through the experiences of its main character.

Young Suky witnesses his father, Adigun, a popular street boxer, being killed by Sledgehammer, the notorious henchman of Aje Gang, for reneging on a deal to lose a fixed boxing match. As the young boy seeks vengeance, he is adopted by a Barrister who promises to get legal justice for his slain father. Twelve years later, with the case still dragging on, the Barrister and his wife are murdered in cold blood in their home by the same gang. The gang also render the youthful Suky unconscious and frames him for murder, leading to his arrest and incarceration at the notorious Aja Prison.

In the maximum security facility led by the morally corrupt and vicious officer Marshal, Suky is confronted with the brutal reality of survival. He forms relationships with Ijaya, who becomes his trainer, and Dr Simisola, the prison’s female medical doctor. All the inmates and prison staff are at the mercy of the Marshal, who often dehumanises them, while he maintains loyalty to Senator, a politician and an ally of the dreaded Aje Gang. Still eyeing revenge on Sledgehammer, Suky is enlisted into Marshal’s circle, where he participates in the Dambe fight till he gets the chance to face and defeat Sledgehammer in a fight-to-death. In the end, there seems to be hope of freedom for Suky—Marshal gets a taste of his own medicine, and Dr Simisola, having secured her release, promises to help Suky get justice.

Suky is created by Nemsia Studios, the production outfit led by BB Sasore and responsible for films such as Breath of Life, God Calling and A Green Fever, in conjunction with the Cardoso-led Film Bank Production. It stars James Damilare (the lead actor), Tobi Bakre, Bimbo Ademoye, Femi Adebayo, William Benson, Olarotimi Fakunle, Phillip Asaya, and Boma Akpore, amongst others. The art department is led by the production designer Victor Afrigold Allan who, together with the make-up and special effects artist, Ruth Harcourt, built scenes that acutely simulate the horrors of a typical Nigerian maximum security correctional facility.

One of Cardoso’s bold moves in his film is the subtle interrogation of the concept of justice within the context of the Nigerian judiciary. Does justice hold any value when it is delayed? Isn't the delay of justice itself a tacit strategy to its denial altogether? Can the Nigerian judiciary system be trusted with cases that involve the high and powerful? Is the independence of the judiciary a myth? The film projects the Senator and his cohorts as representatives of the Nigerian elite who often use their political influences to perpetrate hideous subterranean activities and subvert justice.

In Nigeria, criminal and terrorist networks have been linked to certain political figures that are believed to be their sponsors. This sentiment is remotely reflected through the Aje Gang, a criminal group funded by the political class and responsible for the murder of a supposedly respected legal practitioner. From the film's resolution, there's a possibility that Suky will never be free or that he will eventually lose his life to an act of extrajudicial killing, considering that people like the Senator and the acclaimed Aje Gang leader are still alive. This, too, is a pointer to the elusiveness of justice.

The overpopulation of correctional facilities is a concern. According to reports, as of 2024, the number of inmates awaiting trial or remanded in prison is at least 54,092 in the 257 correctional centres across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. It means that 10 of every 100,000 of the country's national population are locked up in prison, pending court ruling. Out of every five inmates in the country, more than three have not been convicted of any offence, yet they languish in terrible prison conditions while awaiting trial. The overcrowding in prisons often exposes problems such as the inadequacy of food and medical supplies for inmates, which may result in malnutrition and outbreak of communicable diseases. The Aja Prison in Suky comes close to this reality. Here, inmates are packed together in a decrepit, poorly ventilated room where they barely have personal space. They are often bare-chested and are arranged together like sardines when they sleep at night. We also see scenes of the inmates struggling for basic provisions like food and water (at twenty-seven minutes of running time) that are barely sufficient for them.

Laws that are supposed to protect the rights of inmates capitulate under the abuse of power by prison officers who oppress and dehumanise the inmates. These power-drunk and morally corrupt officers often resort to extra-judicial measures to deal with erring inmates. An instance of this is evident in Suky where Marshal publicly and personally executes a group of inmates that were alleged to have attempted a jailbreak. In Nigeria, officers of his kind are known to liaise with powerful political figures who may replace hardened criminals with innocent persons or influence the fates of certain inmates behind the courts. We see this play out in the film when Senator orders the killing of Suky, which Marshal attempts to carry out before realising the potential of the young man. This is equally reflected in how the politicians wager on the lives of inmates in the Dambe fight. The relations between Marshal and Dr Simisola reveal issues of sexual harassment, physical assault, bullying and power tensions among prison staff.

Ultimately, Cardoso’s Suky exposes the dismal infrastructure and healthcare system in Nigerian correctional facilities. Throughout the film, the staff and inmates of Aja Prison have access to an understaffed medical facility, with just a doctor to attend to their health needs. The fictional Aja Prison is a life-like recreation of an important, biting truth: the deeply rooted infrastructural dysfunctionality in Nigerian social systems that are supposed to function in the best interests of the people. Though not necessarily rooted in history or inspired by specific sociopolitical incidents, the film is a facsimile of the absence of integrity in the Nigerian justice system, further justifying the skepticism and distrust of Nigerians towards the system.