Daily Trust

Five inmates electrocut­ed at Ikoyi Custodial Centre

- By Joshua Odeyemi & Eugene Agha, Lagos

Five inmates have been killed as a result of an electrical fault in one of the cells at the Ikoyi Medium Security Custodial Centre, Lagos.

Spokesman of the Nigeria Correction­al Service, Francis Enobore, disclosed this in a statement made available to Daily Trust yesterday.

But Daily Trust gathered that many others were still battling for their lives in an undisclose­d hospital, on Monday night.

“Early this morning, the Controller General of Correction­s, Ja’afaru Ahmed, received with the deepest grief the unfortunat­e death of five inmates of Ikoyi Medium Security Custodial Centre, Lagos as a result of electrical fault in one of the cells. This is indeed tragic and most ill-fated”, the statement read in part.

He said the CG, who visited the scene of the incident with the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, noted that it was the first time the NCoS was experienci­ng such a disaster in its history.

He added that the CG had ordered an immediate investigat­ion into the sad incident with a view to taking necessary actionto forestall reoccurren­ce.

He commiserat­ed with the families of the diseased inmates and prayed for quick recovery of the seven others receiving treatment in hospital.

As at the time of the incident, Ikoyi Medium Security Custodial Centre, built in 1955 for 800 inmates, had a population of 3,113 with 2,680 as awaiting trial persons.

Daily Trust reports that the particular cell where the disaster occurred had capacity for 35 but 140 inmates were said to be locked in it when the incident happened.

 ??  ?? Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle) addresses officials of the Ikoyi Correction­al Centre in Lagos yesterday. With him is the Service Controller­General, Ja'afaru Ahmed (2nd left)
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle) addresses officials of the Ikoyi Correction­al Centre in Lagos yesterday. With him is the Service Controller­General, Ja'afaru Ahmed (2nd left)

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