CDHR claims Abakaliki Prisons not Jailbreak but extrajudicial murder

Committee for the Defence of Human rights, (CDHR) Ebonyi State Branch has accused security officials of extra judicial killings at the Abakaliki Prisons.

The stated that the casualty figure was higher while the Comptroller General of Prisons, Ja’afaru Ahmed, said six people were killed and ten others injured in the attempted “jailbreak”.

According to CDHR, The Comptroller’s assertion is not a true reflection of the events that transpired during the incident.

The CDHR chairman, Emeka Anosike, said an independent preliminary investigation conducted by the group revealed that not less than 14 prison inmates were deliberately shot at and killed by a combined team of security agents, including the police mobile force drafted from the police headquarters Abakaliki and armed prison guards.

“Also about 16 others inmates were critically injured as a result of the gunshots they sustained from the attack by security agents”, the group said.

“Contrary to the prison official’s claims, what happened was a protest by the inmates against poor conditions they face in prison yard especially with poor food given to them and not any attempted jailbreak as alleged by the prison inmates”, the group said.

Mr. Anosike said contradictory statements from prison officials lent credence of a cover up of the true picture of what happened during the incident.

“The Ebonyi State Comptroller of prisons, Emily Oputa at a press conference at the prison yard denied that there was no casualty resulting from the incident and asked any person that has doubt to confirm from the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki.