Saturday, 22 July 2017
Fire has engulfed several buildings inside the popular Kuje prison in the federal capital territory, Abuja.
According to reports, the fire reportedly started several hours ago and a group calling itself the Prisoners Against Injustice in Nigeria (PAIN) has claimed responsibility for the fire.
The group made the claim in a handwritten statement posted on the prison notice board before it was removed by the prison authorities as the group claimed the attack was meant to draw the attention of the world to the pathetic state of prisons and corruption within prison services.
The group said that in spite of the huge annual budgetary allocation to the Nigeria Prison Service, inmates must buy medicines through prison staff and seek funds to treat serious conditions in healthcare facilities outside the yard. Those who are unable to afford health services are left to their fate, with many dying.
No life was howver lost in the fire but the affected buildings are the moribund Clinic block, Custody 2, which is the congested home to 153 Awaiting Trial Inmates, Convicts block (custody 3) where 322 inmates are crammed into, and Custody 4, another Awaiting Trial block where additional 306 inmates are packed in like sardines
