Hardship: Jos inmates protest rationing, poor quality of food

By James Moses (9News Nigeria -Jos)

Pandemonium was averted on Friday when inmates in Jos Correctional Centre, Plateau State protested against prison officials over poor quality of food served them.

9News Nigeria learnt that the officer in-charge of feeding at the Jos Correctional facility had gathered inmates at about 11:45am 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 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 centre.

The inmates action promted the officials to shoot into the air, apparently to scare them from wreaking havoc or mayhem.

The Comptroller of Corrections, Plateau 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.

Açcording to him, while the person in charge was trying to convey the message of the contractor to the inmates, there was a pandemonium as plan to serve rice twice a week did not go down well with the inmates.

The Comptroller 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.

“The proposal for last year was that inmates feeding should increase, which has not taken off. So when I called them this morning to explain things to them, they didn’t like it. So when I was informed, I told him to tell them to get back to their rooms, and they refused to go back.

However, the Comptroller said normalcy has since returned to the Correctional Centre and workers were going about their normal duties, saying no inmate sustained any injury.

-9News Nigeria.