by Jewel Stephen
Contrary to reports of a jailbreak yesterday at the Medium Security Prison, Kiri-Kiri, Lagos, the Nigerian Prison Service has said that there was no such thing.
The prison yesterday witnessed heavy security lock-down following a rowdy protest by inmates.
The spokesperson of the prison service, Ope Fatiniku reacted to reports saying: “Indeed, there was a riot at medium Security Prison Kiri-Kiri, Lagos yesterday at 1330 hours.”
Fatiniku said the situation was immediately put under control by the prison authority.
He also confirmed that there was no case of an escaped prisoner.
Fatiniku further revealed that the Acting Comptroller General of Prisons, Aminu A Suley, has set up a probe panel to investigate the reasons behind the riot.
However the Prison service confirmed that one person died while seven inmates were injured.
According to him three of the injured were treated and discharged from the Prison’s Clinic, while four were admitted in various hospitals. The dead inmate, he disclosed, was one of the four that were admitted in the hospitals whose identities were not disclosed due to security reasons.
Observers, however, believe that the number of casualties are more. Authorities of the prison service were said to have shot at the rioting inmates killing many and injuring many more.
It is bad news that there was riot in Medium Prison, Kirikiri. It is worrisome and sad that lives were lost. Shooting at armless inmates was not the best thing to do except the prison authority was no longer in control, which in itself is an indictment.