Prisons Command denies beating 6 inmates to death

The Kwara Prisons Command said on Wednesday that its officials did not beat six inmates of Oke Kura Prison, Ilorin, to death as alleged in some quarters.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Philip Adegbulugbe, made the clarification in Ilorin while speaking with journalists.

Adegbulugbe said that 54 condemned inmates of the prison had protested on November 15, requesting an audience with the Comptroller, Mr. Adetoyi Oluwole.

He said that the inmates had complained that the quality of food served them was very poor.

The PRO said that when the comptroller met with them, they requested to be served a full plate of food with four pieces of meat or fish at every meal.

He said the inmates also demanded to be allowed to walk around the prison yard from 8 am to 8 pm.

According to him, the inmates also demanded that they be provided with CD players and allowed to use telephones.

The prisons spokesman said that after listening to them, the comptroller appealed to the inmates to be patient and that their request would be channeled to prisons headquarters.

“The rule guiding the command says that the inmates in condemned cells should be allowed to walk around for one hour daily.

“On November 18, the inmates took over the prison, broke the door, threw faeces at the officials and attempted to run outside the prison yard.

“The armed force of the command used tear-gas on them to prevent them from running away

“The following day we noticed that some of them were injured and they were rushed to the hospital where six were confirmed dead and 11 injured”, he said.

Adegbulugbe said that the Comptroller-General of Prisons, Alhaji Jaafaru Ahmed, had set up a three-man committee to investigate the matter.