By Samuel Ogenyi, Uyo
An attempted jailbreak by some inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS in Eket, Akwa Ibom state has been foiled by prison authorities in the area.
Sources say the attempted jail break occurred as the over 100 inmates protested the death of one of them with three of the inmates who tried to escape overpowered by prison guards with the assistance of other security agencies.
The escaping inmates included Bassey Akpan from Nsit Ubium, Ronald Sunday from Eket and Gideon Ikot from Ibeno local councils of Akwa Ibom.
The inmates were said to have accused the prison authorities of being responsible for the death of the late inmate.
One of them was said to have been shot on the leg while the other two sustained various degrees of injuries on the head and hands and currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
The hospital is said to have been surrounded by prison warders for security reasons.
The inmates were said to have been demanding the removal of the Deputy Controller during the protest with several properties at the facility destroyed.
“The clinic facilities, kitchen, storehouses, pantry and other facilities and condemned the inmates’ cells and nearly all the facilities were destroyed.” It said.
The source explained that the inmates had put holes on the walls to ease their escape but failed in their attempt.
He further observed that if not for the combined effort of the JTF, DSS and Police, the inmates would have escaped adding that there was sporadic shooting during the incident to ensure that the inmates could not escape from the prison.
State Police Public Relations Officer MacDon Odiko denied the prison break but said that the situation has been brought under control of by the police.
