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| Comptroller General of Prisons, Dr. Peter Ekpendu |
An undisclosed number of inmates on Friday gained entrance
into the armoury of the Calabar Prison in Cross River State and attempted to
escape after a gun duel with warders but were overpowered by combined team of
security agents.
The incident, which occurred at about 11:00am, was said to
have caused pandemonium as residents of neighbouring Afokang, Iman and Jebbs
areas of the metropolis scampered for safety.
The Afokang end of the prison fence was broken during the
incident while two inmates were said to have escaped but the Comptroller of
Prisons in the state, Mr. Clement Udosen, denied the claim.
It was, however, not clear how the inmates gained access to
the armoury, but it was learnt that a total of 53 rifles were recovered after
the incident while one could not be accounted for.
An eyewitness, Solomon Okoro, said two of the inmates
escaped through the broken fence but one of them was apprehended by vigilant
youths in Afokang Street while the other escaped.
Reacting to the development, Udosen said, “By 11 o’clock in
the morning, the DC in charge of this prison called me that there was a serious
problem. When I came, the whole place was filled with people with rifles,
people who had come here to help us, the soldiers, police, civil defence, state
security service and others.
“Two cells of about 70 prisoners each organised themselves
and overpowered the prison staff and rushed to the armoury, seized some rifles
and went back to fire at the staff. In that confusion they broke other cells
and the whole yard was filled with inmates.
“Luckily for now they have all been rounded up and nobody
has escaped.
Punch
“A lot of people have been injured and one staff had been
rushed to the hospita
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