Barely eight days after inmates attempted to escape from Abakaliki Federal Prisons, inmates yesterday almost pulled down a section of the facility wall in another escape bid, a situation that was brought under control by the quick intervention of security operatives.
The angry looking inmates who were chanting solidarity songs inside the prison were seen hitting every available object within their reach on the wall. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of yesterday, caused uproar within the prison and its environs.
Investigation by Nigerian Pilot revealed that the inmates attempted to forcefully decongest the prison in protest of the delay in their trials.
The delay in the trial of the inmates is believed to be as a result of the on-going strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, which has kept the state high court under lock.
The JUSUN strike, which has lasted for months, has stalled cases of inmates awaiting trials and is said to have increased the number of inmates to over 3,000.
It was also gathered that the alleged poor feeding condition and incarceration without cogent reason by prison officials were among the grievances of the inmates. An effort to speak with prisons officials failed as they declined comment.
