Inmate had 25 mobile phones in cell

chika ebuzor

August 30, 2016 5:31 AM

This is a wake-up call to the authorities to take the issue of welfare and security in prisons across Nigeria seriously.

On Monday, August 29, 2016, there was a riot in the prison following the refusal of the inmates to allow warders carry out a routine cell search in-line with prison procedure.

A source who spoke to Punch, said some of the inmates who did not want to be searched, attacked and injured the warders, who fired sporadically to bring the situation under control.

The source also confirmed that 25 mobile phones were recovered from a suspected Boko Haram inmate during the search among many other banned items.

The source said “The incident happened this morning. The warders, who were acting on instructions from the prison authorities, decided to search the cells and seize prohibited items.

“During the search, they found 25 handsets with a Boko Haram suspect. After a search of the convicts’ cells, they moved to the awaiting-trial cells.

“But those men, who saw the warders approaching with some ‘already’ seized items, decided to resist them. They attacked the warders with stones and every object they could lay their hands on, and in the process, many of the warders were injured.”

A jailbreak was foiled in the Ebonyi state prison on Thursday, August 18, 2016 by men of the mobile police unit.

Also 15 inmates at the Nsukka prison on Tuesday, August 9, 2016, escaped by scaling the fence.

READ: 15 inmates escape from Nsukka prison

chika ebuzor