Breaking news: Inmates at Jos prison protest over reduction of food ration amid economic hardship.
Angry inmates at the Jos Correctional Center in Plateau State have staged a protest against the economic hardship affecting the nation. The protest began on Friday, March 1, 2024, following news of a reduction in food portions. During the protest, the inmates refused to follow orders from custodial officials and declined breakfast.
They gathered in the center of the prison yard, shouting loudly, but custodial officials deployed tear gas to compel them to return to their rooms. Confirming the incident to journalists at the Nigerian Correctional Service in Jos, the Controller of Corrections Plateau State Command, Raphael Ibinuhi, explained that tear gas canisters and warning shots were used to disperse the unruly inmates who resisted returning to their cells.
They were not happy that the period for consumption of rice has been reduced from four times to two in a week.
“When the inmates were briefed this morning, they expressed dissatisfaction that the rice consumption frequency had been reduced from four times a week to two,” Ibinuhi explained. “I instructed the officer in charge to return them to their cells, but instead, they became violent and began throwing stones at the personnel. To prevent the situation from escalating, tear gas canisters and warning shots were deployed to return the inmates to their cells. Some personnel sustained minor injuries from the thrown stones, but no inmates were harmed as the situation was brought under control.”
The Jos Custodial Centre currently houses 1,064 inmates, including 1,035 males and 19 females. Among them, 647 males and 14 females are awaiting trial, while 205 males and four females are convicted inmates. Additionally, there are 131 inmates on death row.
In response to the country’s rising cost of living, many Nigerians have protested, urging the Federal Government to alleviate their hardships.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged for patience, stating that his economic policies will yield long-term benefits. However, he condemned the nationwide protests organized by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday, deeming them unacceptable.
“Allow me to express my viewpoint. The Labour Union must understand that calling for a strike within nine months of an administration, regardless of our attachment to freedom and rights, is unacceptable,” Tinubu stated in Lagos during the commissioning of the Lagos Red Line Train connecting Agbado to Oyingbo.
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