Inmates riot in Bauchi prison has been attributed to ongoing strike by judiciary workers which caused many of them to miss their court appearances, Dateline reports.
The riot occured at 12pm before Friday prayer when the prison wardens fired several gunshots which scared residents living around the area.
Five inmates and two prison wardens sustained injuries during the riot.
A source familiar with the incident said “the inmates were agitated. Many could not appear in court because of the strike by judiciary workers, and they have no idea how long it will end and therefore how long they will remain behind bars.”
However, the Bauchi State Command Public Relations Officer Abubakar Adam Jibrin told journalists that the riot was caused by the smuggling a mobile phone into the custodial centre by an officer attached to the Bauchi State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, adding that the officer is currently being interrogated.
According to him, those injured included inmates who were to benefit from the illegal deal and other staff members who busted the plan, adding that they have all been treated and discharged from the facility’s medical unit.
He said the restive inmates have also been put under control and the staff involved undergoing investigation as ordered by the State Controller, Isa Sabo Kashuri.
While addressing the body of staff, the controller reminded them of the far-reaching implications of smuggling prohibited items particularly mobile phones into custodial centres which, among other things, could lead to riot, jailbreak etc.
