A massive clamp down on inmates suspected to be members of
the Prisoners Against Injustice in Nigeria (PAIN), yesterday went into effect
at the Kuje Prison in Abuja following last Friday’s fire at the facility.
As part of it, the authorities are conducting searches,
solitary confinement and interrogation of several inmates, including Charles
Okah, who is suspected to be the PAIN leader because of his constant
confrontation with the Prisons Service over human rights violations and
corruption issues.
Before the fire attack on Friday, July 21, Okah had
challenged safety lapses at the prison, including overcrowding and the absence of
fire extinguishers and vehicular access to most buildings inside the yard for
use during an emergency.
During the Friday fire, a hole had to be made in the
perimeter fence to enable the hose from the Federal Fire Service truck to reach
the inferno.
Stanley Osuji, a co-defendant of Samuel Mba, who died as a
result of negligence and lack of money to buy medicine, was in the early hours
of Saturday, July 22, raided by a combined team of regular warders and the
armed squad unit. He was accused of filming the video clip of the fire and
posting it on the Internet.
Stanley was taken below an old mango tree where his ankles
were cuffed in leg irons, the chain passed underneath a protruding root to
immobilize him to one spot and position. He was denied water and food for the
entire period. At about 6pm, his hands were cuffed behind his back
before he was bludgeoned with batons to admit taking the video and being a
member of PAIN.
Fire Outbreak Inside Kuje Prison In Abuja. Some
Inmates Claim Responsibility
The prison authorities were displeased that the video
released by SaharaReporters contradicted the version of the incident put out to
the media by the spokesman of the Nigeria Prison Service.
Meanwhile, PAIN released another statement which was posted
surreptitiously on a wall near the kitchen of the facility in the same unique
handwriting of the July 21 statement.
To prove that the fire did not result from an electrical
short circuit as claimed by the NPS, the group gave details of what had
happened.
In its account, PAIN said, "A small improvised incendiary
explosive device was placed inside the store room adjacent to the scene of the
last fire outbreak which we carried out on March 16 but didn't take
responsibility for, because it was quickly put out with the efforts of some
inmates."
It noted that the store room has no equipment or electrical
wiring or sockets. Besides, electrical power to the entire building was
disconnected and was still disconnected as of the time the attack.
Ify Ojukwu, the female nurse on duty, confirmed hearing a
loud explosion before noticing smoke and fire from the store area.
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