Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
As convicts protested the murder of one of them, security forces broke up an attempt at a jail break at the Kuje Correctional Centre on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
A few weeks ago, Boko Haram members broke into the jail, engaged security guards for hours, and liberated inmates—most of them were terrorists who had been imprisoned by Boko Haram.
According to authorities, the most recent unrest at the facility took place early yesterday when the prisoners protested the death of one of them who was apparently not provided prompt medical assistance.
Additionally, according to sources, several prisoners made an attempt to flee the jail facility during the tense times but were stopped by the warders.
According to prison officials who spoke to Track News on the condition of anonymity, the deceased had lately fallen ill, and the facility’s doctor had attended to him before referring him to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital last Thursday.
He was brought there the same day for treatment and brought back to the facility on Saturday.
He was supposed to return to the Specialist Hospital on Monday to continue his treatment, but he never did because he was found dead, according to the source, who said he was unsure of the condition the deceased had been diagnosed with.
According to a different source, the prisoner was hospitalized last week because of his illness but passed away this morning. The dead has been ill for some weeks, but last night, when the wardens refused to attend to him, his condition deteriorated and he passed away shortly after 6 a.m.
The source claimed that some of the other inmates attempted to use the circumstance to incite unrest, which led to protests that some planned to use as an excuse to flee the facility, but their scheme was thwarted by the security personnel on duty.
The Public Relations Officer of the FCT Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCos), Chukwuedo Humphrey, confirmed the occurrence in a press release and stated that an inmate passed away following a protracted illness.
“The inmate was admitted to the Kuje Custodial Center in 2019 and was given a diagnosis of some chronic illnesses during the required medical examination. A team of medical professionals from the facility immediately put him under special medical monitoring, occasionally referring him to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada, Abuja, as needed.
“Unfortunately, all attempts by the medical staff to revive the offender failed when his condition deteriorated over the weekend. The deceased’s coworkers and roommates are organizing a tranquil prayer service for the tranquility of his soul.
Chukwuedo claimed that while expressing his sympathies to the deceased inmate’s family and friends, Controller of the Command Ahmed Musa Ahmed reaffirmed his commitment to prioritizing the health and general wellbeing of both inmates and employees.
He claimed that the Controller counseled people requiring special medical attention to ensure rigorous adherence to professional recommendations in order to overcome health issues since pharmaceuticals were provided without charge to them.
