Jailbreak Averted at Sapele Prison as Inmates Set Offices Ablaze

Inmates of the Sapele Correctional Centre, Delta State, on Monday allegedly set a building and offices on fire while protesting alleged ill-treatment and neglect by the authorities of the prison and the state judiciary.

Among the several vexed issues that reportedly boiled over yesterday were an allegation that only three out of the about 150 inmates recently granted an official pardon by the state Chief Judge, Justice, Marshal Umukoro, were picked from the Sapele centre, thereby still leaving the centre congested.

The inmates, it was gathered, also complained of poor feeding and alleged that some inmates awaiting trial had not been taken to court in nearly two years by the respective prosecuting units.

Although, there were initial fears of a possible jailbreak following the protest, it was learnt that none of the inmates escaped during the ensuing pandemonium because of the timely deployment of the police and military personnel to the scene until the situation was brought under control.

The armed security personnel took position outside the prison gates and walls till the arrival of the Delta State Comptroller of Correctional Centres, the Police Area Commander in Sapele, the Sapele Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and the chairman of Sapele Local Government Area.

Men of the state Fire Service were joined by those of the Seplat Fire Service in Sapele to extinguish the fire, though at least three offices in one of the buildings in the centre suffered significant damage.

However, the state police command has debunked social media reports of a jailbreak in Sapele, noting that normalcy had been restored after the incident.