Kano to turn 115-year-old prison into museum

• The state government said the transformation of the prison will help to preserve the state’s colonial and cultural heritage

The Kano State Government says plans are underway to convert the 115-year-old Kurmawa Maximum Security Prison into a museum.

The state government said the transformation of the prison will help to preserve the state’s colonial and cultural heritage.

The governor’s Special Adviser on Information, Ibrahim Adam, announced the development in a Facebook post on Sunday.

According to him, the inmates currently held at the Kurmawa Correctional Centre would be relocated to a modern facility in Janguza, near the military barracks along the Kano–Gwarzo–Dayi Federal Highway.

“Kano State government under the leadership of Governor Abba K Yusuf will transfer all inmates currently at the Kurmawa Correctional Centre to Janguza, while the Kurmawa Correctional Centre will be transformed into a museum dedicated to preserving historical artefacts and promoting the rich culture of the State,” he wrote.

The new Janguza facility, constructed during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, can accommodate 3,000 inmates.

Built in 1910 by the British colonial government within the precincts of the Kano Emir’s Palace, kurmawa prison was originally designed to house 690 inmates.

Over the years, Kurmawa has stood as one of the most prominent symbols of colonial footprint and correctional history in Northern Nigeria.