Hundreds of inmates at the Jos Correctional Centre, Plateau State staged a violent protest over alleged plans by the facility’s authority to reduce the amount of rice and beans they consume as a result of the rise in the price of essential commodities.
Reports gathered that the officer in charge of feeding at the Jos correctional facility had gathered the inmates at about 11:45 am to inform them about the discussion he had with the contractor supplying them food on the rise in the price of food items and the plan to reduce the number of times they consume rice from four times a week to two times.
It was gathered that the arrangement did not go down well with the inmates, who resorted to violence, throwing stones and other objects at the staff of the center.
The inmates’ action prompted the officials to shoot into the air, apparently to scare them from wreaking havoc.
The Comptroller of Corrections, Plateau State Command, Mr. Raphael Ibihunwa, confirmed the incident, saying the protest by the inmates stemmed from the plan by the contractor that feeds them to reduce the number of times they consume rice in a week.
According to him, while the person in charge was trying to convey the message of the contractor to the inmates, there was a pandemonium as the plan to serve rice twice a week did not go down well with the inmates.
Ibihunwa said: “This morning, as usual, I went to the yard to see what was going on there. I saw an officer addressing the inmates, and when I asked what was going on, he told me he was briefing them on the outcome of his conversation with the contractor that is billed to supply them food this month.
“He said the contractor stated that he would not be able to feed them rice four times a week any longer because of the high cost of food items and could only cope by reducing it to twice a week.
“The proposal for last year was that inmate feeding should increase, which has not taken off. So when he called them this morning to explain things to them, they didn’t like it.
“When I was informed, I told him to tell them to get back to their rooms, but they refused to go back.
“So when they remained adamant, some canisters of tear gas were released and gunshots were fired into the air to force them into their rooms.
“That was how we were able to save the situation. Before that, they had started throwing stones and other objects at the staff.”
According to him, normalcy has since returned to the correctional center and workers were going about their normal duties.
He said that no inmate sustained any injury.
