Two inmates were killed inside the Kaduna Correctional Centre after a foiled jailbreak attempt, Dateline Nigeria learnt from impeccable sources within the facility.
One of the sources said a female inmate was used by the prisoners for the plan.
“The female inmate started coughing in mourning and before you know it the other inmates went wild claiming coronavirus. When the warders went to find out, the inmates attacked them with stones and other objects. They wounded many warders.
“After a failed attempt to calm them by the controller, and seeing the violent nature of the inmates, members of the armed squad were called in to restore normalcy.
“But before they could get in, an inmate, who is serving life for murder, was almost at the gate. He was demobilised immediately, but he eventually died. The police were also called in.
“Another inmate was beaten and he also died. Most of the active members of the attempted jailbreak were armed robbery convicts. The inmate was already a condemned case,” the source added.
“It was clear they planned it. Or how else do you explain the fact systematic way they went about the dastardly act. Apart from the stones they kept, they also went from cell to cell breaking the locks for the inmates to flee,” another source said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Kaduna Correctional Centre, Mr Nathaniel Gagas, who confirmed the incident, told Channels TV that the violent behaviour of the inmates prompted the command to beef up security around the correctional centre, in order to avert any possible jailbreak.
He, however, stressed that no inmate escaped from the facility while normalcy was later restored there, adding that the Service has launched an investigation into the circumstances that led to the action of the inmates.
In a related development, members of the Shiite group Islamic Movement of Nigeria, have asked the authorities to listen to health experts and release inmates to forestall the spread of coronavirus.
They said the authorities should also ensure ò8*nothing happens to the Shiite leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat, who are reportedly being held inside the facility.
Dateline Nigeria reports that security forces at a point cordoned the Independence Way where the Kaduna Correctional Centre, formerly Kaduna Convict Prison, is located.
