Kirikiri Prison riot: 1 inmate dead, 6 injured

An inmate of Kirikiri Medium Prison in Lagos died yes­terday following the riot which broke out at the facility last Friday.

A statement issued by the Prisons Public Re­lations Officer (PRO), Ope Fatinikun said the deceased inmate was among the four rushed to various hospitals after the riot on Friday.

According to the state­ment, other inmates in­jured during the crisis were treated at the prisons clinic and discharged.

He insisted that what happened on Friday was a riot, and not jail-break, adding that the Acting Comptroller General of Prisons, Aminu Suley, had set up a probe panel to in­vestigate the incident.

Recalling the incident, a source told Sunday Sun that the riot was preceded by gunshots which forced people around to scamper for safety: “We only heard gunshots and people start­ed running, though I did not run when I couldn’t see anything pursuing me.

Later, I found my way inside to find out the situ­ation of things and I heard that inmates were pro­testing against the poor food being served them. The inmates claimed that some of their entitlements have been put on hold. I was told that about five people escaped and that they would ascertain the exact number when they conduct a head-count.

“They even released trained dogs to fight them. But now, I learnt they have re-arrested all the fleeing inmates.”

Another source who spoke to Sunday Sun on condition of anonym­ity blamed the unrest on the refusal of some new inmates who allegedly resisted to be put in the facility. “I heard that new inmates were brought and they started resisting en­try into the prison. The old inmates supported them and this made the wardens to start shooting into the air in order to bring calm to the situation. I learnt some were injured but I never learnt anybody was killed.”

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up around the facility and calm re­stored.