There was a rampage at the Kirikiri Meduim Security , Lagos yesterday as some inmates who started a riot allegedly escaped before they could be contained.
As at the time Saturday Sun correspondents visited the area, heavily armed security officers comprising of Prison guards ,Army , Navy and Police personnel were seen guarding the area and restricting movement of people in and outside the barracks were Kirikiri Maximum Prison is located. The fierce looking military men cordoned off all the entry and exit routes leading to the prison.
Civilians and vehicles were not allowed access into the premises except those who have proof that they are resident in the barracks. Meanwhile every other vehicle that were exiting the barracks where thoroughly searched.
Shop owners and passerby who were forced to seek for alternative routes told Saturday Sun that they learnt that there was a jail break.
“ This is not the route that the inmates take when they are escaping because of the heavy security presence around the area leading to the prison.You also have a police station facing the prison directly,and this is why you hardly see them passing through the main gates. Escapee inmates go through the bush behind the prison, I guess that is where the search team should concentrate their efforts..
Another eyewitness who said that they were alarmed when they noticed the high influx of security personnel in the area said: “ Today is a bad day because I know that for few days coming, there will be heavy security presence in this area.Innocent passerby will be harassed by some overzealous security offficers.”
On what led to the jail break, Saturday Sun gathered that the inmates were fed up with what they described as highhandedness on the part of the new Deputy Controller at the Maximum Security Prison, DCP Kayode Odeyemi. They alleged that he stripped the inmates of all the privileges given to them by former controllers.
An inmate who spoke to Saturday Sun explained that before Odeyemi’s arrival, inmates were allowed to use their own generator sets, cook their food , make use of mobile phones and other privileges to make their stay in the prison comfortable but all these were withdrawn when Odeyemi resumed.
