Ebonyi (Nigeria) – 13 inmates and one prison guard in Abakaliki Prisons in Ebonyi State (South-east Nigeria) were believed to have been killed in the early hours of Thursday, when the inmates of the prison rioted over the poor meals served to them by the prison and attempted to escape from the facility, Thisday reports.
Trouble started when prisoners on Thursday morning revolted against the poor treatment, especially inadequate feeding that has been persistent in the prison for a long time.
It was gathered that the angry inmates started rioting inside the prison and used every object within their reach to attack prison officials and consequently injured many.
During the riot, the inmates allegedly snatched a rifle from one of the guards in the prison yard and shot some at them, prompting the officials to defend themselves.
In the course of the riot, the leader of the inmates, who allegedly incited other inmates against the officials, was allegedly killed.
The Ebonyi State Comptroller of Prisons, Oputa Emilia, confirmed the incident, saying three persons were injured but denied that lives were lost.
She admitted that the angry prisoners broke part of the fence, adding that the situation had been brought under control.
During the mayhem, inmates created openings in the prison walls in a bid to escape before riot policemen arrived the scene, shot into the air and tear-gassed them into submission according to Vanguard.
The gunshots were heard intermittently as the police and soldiers battled to recover the rifle allegedly snatched from one of the prison guards.
A source disclosed that the inmates were actually killed in self defence and their bodies evacuated secretly. However, another source said two officials were killed during the incident while five casualties were recorded on the part of the inmates.
Culled from News24
