Secret Reporters
There is currently palpable tension at Warri prisons in Delta State over the high handedness of Jude Okoro, who is in charge of Warri prison, over what sources in the prison described as his stealing style since assuming office in March 2015.
The immediate cause of the protest was lack of water due to absence of power to pump the Water pumping machines for over a week.
Secret Reporters sources said the authorities of the Warri Prisons requested the inmates to provide money to buy fuel to power the Generators and this infuriated the inmates whose health condition has been threatened by poor hygiene of the facilities due to absence of water.
Confirmed reports has it that Mr Okoro has stripped all inmates of the privileges they enjoy in the prison yard, which makes the prison experience more cumbersome and threatening the peace that exist.
One of the many corrupt ways of the officer in charge was his order to increase the money being paid to visit inmates from One hundred Naira(N100) per pay point to Two hundred Naira(N200) per pay point.
We have been reliably informed that, he has also been diverting food items ranging from rice, slippers, toothpaste, tooth brush, bathing soap and washing soap that are brought to the prison for inmates to his house,
Also, since his assumption of office, inmates pay everyday for fuel to go to court; they also pay for fuel for generator to pump water, and take the church offerings that are collected in the church, as his personal money, which is against the prison’s handbook rule.
He has also taken all the goats being reared in the prison by inmates and taken them to his village, stated our sources in the prison.
The many sins of Jude Okoro includes, the batoning of prisoners and seizing all their wares which they sell, like can drinks, biscuits, sweet and other personal belongings including monies and clothes.
Both Muslim and Christian preachers are being charged N10,000 before coming into the prison to preach and has also asked all the inmates that are self-feeders to pay him N40,000 each from the initial amount of N10,000,
The ACP also collects N15,000 from traders in the prison.
The prison inmates have over times complained of the quality of food being served in the prison, which the cell leaders requested for a meeting, which he refused.
Secret Reporters sources from the Warri prison disclosed that Okoro came into the yard and told the inmates not to be wasting water, and also said ten persons should use the toilet first before flushing, and that he has been given an order from Abuja to shoot at sight if anyone tries to protest, as he refused to see the inmates.
The prison inmates on Saturday staged a peaceful protest that ACP Jude Okoro must go. Our investigations show that, ACP Jude brought in soldiers into the prison yard, and has since his assumption of office, brought in soldiers four times into the prison.
The new Controller of Prison had before now visited, and promised to look into complains of inmates and up till date nothing has been done.
Information squealed to our medium is that, when the soldiers came with the prison armed guard, during the peaceful protest against the OIC, they tried calming the situation but the prison armed squad started shooting into the prison yard directly at inmates and in the process, shot three inmates. Two inmates were shot in the leg and are lying very critical in the prison clinic, with no one taking care of them we can authoritatively report, it is likely that the legs will be amputated because of the severity of the automatic weapons that were used, a source stated.
As at the time of this report, inmates are currently on hunger strike, demanding also that the CP of Prisons should come from Asaba to the yard.
So that means prisoners are now starving but the are not to be starved why