Abeokuta Prison Inmate collapses after drinking competition

An inmate of the Abeokuta Prison, Ogun State, has passed out after a drinking competition involving other prisoners.

Punch Metro gathered from a highly credible source that the inmate was, however, resuscitated after much effort by other inmates and prison officials.

The source said the inmates had engaged themselves in a bet, adding that things turned awry when one of them suddenly collapsed.

He said, “It is a norm for prisoners to smuggle in alcohol, hard drugs and phones. This of course happens with the support of prison officers who receive bribes from the inmates.

“There was, however, a drama when some of the inmates decided to have a drinking competition last Monday. They placed a bet and in the course of the competition, one of them passed out.

“There was a lot of confusion in the prison as officers and other inmates struggled to revive the man. The effort paid off when he eventually came round. The prison authorities in the state have yet to decide on what to do about the case.”

Another source explained that in the same prison, an inmate also duped a resident of the state from inside the prison.

“In that prison, they have prisoners with ipad. One of them, through the Internet, defrauded a resident of Abeokuta of millions of naira. Investigations led detectives to the prison where they found the fraudster,” he added.

Prisons in the country have been enmeshed in controversies in recent weeks.

On June 24, 2016, there was a riot in the female wing of the Kirikiri prisons, Lagos, after alcoholic drinks allegedly circulated by a female prison officer did not go round.

The officer, later identified as Mary Ikenye, was sacked by the prison authorities for the act, which they said bordered on trafficking.

On the same day, two inmates awaiting trial at the Kuje Prison escaped, while on Saturday, 13 inmates escaped from the Koton-Karfi Medium Prison in Kogi State.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Francis Enobore, promised to contact the authorities at the Ogun State prison and get back to our correspondent.

But he had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.