Protest broke out at the Kuje Prisons near Abuja on Thursday over alleged preferential treatment of three Lebanese inmates by officials of the facility.
The protest took place just as the Defence Headquarters said that over 1,000 suspected members of the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, were in detention facilities in the country.
The Lebanese prisoners – Mustapha Fawaz, Abdallah Thahani and Talal Ahmed Rodo – believed to be members of an international terrorist group, Hezbollah, were said to have been allowed to use a particular area of the prison ground for the Eid-fitri prayers while other inmates, including Boko Haram suspects, were restricted to another place.
The Lebanese are standing trial at a Federal High Court, Abuja, for terrorism and illegal importation of firearms.
The protesting inmates destroyed some amenities, including water pipes, electric cables and cell windows.
A source told one of our correspondents that the angry inmates also splashed water on some of the prison officials who ran for their safety.
A Boko Haram inmate serving a life sentence was said to have fainted during the melee.
Our source said, “The tension was brought under control by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Operations, Mr. Segun Bewaji, who attended to the convict that fainted. But the inmates in the single cells were restive and refused to be pacified by the DCG.”
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