Inmates at the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) Medium Security Custodial Centre in Keffi, Nasarawa State, have protested against poor feeding, multiple sources familiar with the incident revealed.
The inmates also accused officials of the facility of stealing of some bags of rice donated to them from the food store.
A truck of rice was said to have been donated by a philanthropist as palliative to the inmates.
SaharaReporters gathered that the July protest erupted after the inmates saw some personnel moving out bags of rice from the food store.
While the prison officials saw in the act were physically attacked, the inmates started chanting a protest song and it took the state controller and the zonal coordinate to stop them.
About three months ago, a truck with about 500 bags of rice was donated to Keffi new correctional centre. About 200 bags were shared among the staff, leaving 300 bags for feeding of prisoners whom the gift was actually meant for,” a prison official familiar with the incident told SaharaReporters.
“About a week later, one Mr Shagba, a senior officer of the rank of Assistant Controller, advised the then officer in charge of the station, DC Lamiya (retd), to corner the remaining bags of rice for himself. Mr Shaba urged the then officer in charge, Mr Lamiya, that why would he use all those bags of rice to feed common prisoners, that was the exact word he used.
The officer in charge then told him that, since the rice was already put in the food store which houses prisoners food stuffs inside the prison yard, removing it could lead to protest by the prisoners. Mr Shagba then assured the officer in charge not to worry about that, as he promised to arrange some junior officers to move the rice from the store in the night.
“Mr Shagba did arrange officers and moved the rice in the night to the officer in charge’s quarters. However, as feared by the then officer in charge, prisoners got to know and started a serious protest which the state controller and the zonal coordinator had to quickly came over to appeal to the inmates.
This action subsequently led to the transfer of many tough prisoners to other correctional centres in and outside the state. Few days later, Mr Lamiya, the then officer in charge retired, and one Dr Alhaji Thomas, now a Deputy Controller of Corrections, was transferred to replace the outgone one.
“Few days after Dr Thomas took over, another truck of rice was donated to the prison again. However, this time, Mr Shagba ran to the new officer in charge and advised him not to load the rice in the food store, narrating to him what led to the prisoners’ protest recently. Hence, the content in the truck was offloaded into his staff quarters. As we are talking now, the bags of rice meant for the prisoners are not in the food store but the officer-in-charge’s quarters.”
Also speaking to SaharaReporters, an inmate confirmed the incident while accusing top prison officials of always personalising materials and other food items donated by philanthropists who deemed it fit to contribute to their welfare.
He added that It took the intervention of the state controller of prison to prevent a possible jailbreak.
When contacted by SaharaReporters, Alhaji Thomas said nothing of such happened in the facility.
He said, “All the allegations are lies. That is the all I can tell you. That is all. If you are not far from here, you can come down to the prison so that we can do the investigation together.”
Few months back, inmates in the Correctional Centre in Jos, Plateau State protested the plan to reduce their food ration.
The protest followed a tip-off on the downward review of their food size.
Angered by the development, the inmates reportedly refused to take orders from the custodial officials while shunning their breakfast.
Sahara Reporters!