VIDEO: Prison Inmates Cries Out For Help, Says No Meals, No Medical Care, No Meat, No Fish; ‘We’re Treated Like Animals’ Not Humans,
There is urgent tension that needed as Shocking details have emerged from within the Jos Custodial Centre in Plateau State, revealing a disturbing pattern of neglect, abuse, and systemic deprivation being endured by inmates at the facility.
According to information from sources in the centre, the prison is plagued by severe shortages of food and water, denial of medical care, and what appears to be a culture of brutality enforced by certain prison officials.
“People are dying in Jos Custodial Centre. There is no food, no water, no rights, and no privileges,” one of the sources said. “Since last year, no meat, no fish. Just watery beans and other terrible food.”
Photographs show visibly substandard meals served to inmates, including plates of thin, watery beans lacking any form of nutritional balance.
Sources also accused the prison administration of failing to provide adequate medical attention, saying, “There is no good medical care. Since November 28, 2021, we have been treated like slaves.”
A particularly troubling allegation is the claim that a single prison official—nicknamed “Abude”—has monopolised control over inmate affairs, allegedly dictating terms and treatment within the facility. “It’s like a family prison now,” one of the sources said. “Whatever Abude says, that is what the Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) does.”
Sources also suggested ethnic bias in the management of the prison, alleging that control of the facility is concentrated in the hands of individuals from a particular ethnic group native to Langtang, a locality in Plateau State.
This new information comes amid growing criticism of Nigeria’s prison system, where overcrowding, underfunding, and administrative impunity have been persistent challenges.
2024 Protest By Inmates Over Food Ration Cuts
The dire conditions at the Jos Custodial Centre are not new. On Friday, March 1, 2024, inmates at the facility staged a protest in response to plans by prison authorities to reduce their food rations.
According to reports, the protest was triggered by a decision to reduce the inmates’ rice consumption from four times a week to just twice a week, using cheaper alternatives such as grains or garri to fill the gap.
The move reportedly followed complaints from the food contractor about soaring prices of staples, especially rice, which made the existing meal plan unsustainable.
The protest, which broke out during a routine morning briefing, quickly escalated as inmates expressed frustration. When they refused orders to return to their cells and began hurling stones at correctional personnel, prison authorities responded with tear gas and gunfire into the air to quell the unrest.
Confirming the incident, the prison authorities explained that while some officers sustained minor injuries, no inmate was reported hurt during the disturbance.
“They became violent… and we had to resort to firing tear gas canisters and gunshots to restore order,” the authorities told journalists.
At the time of the incident, the facility was housing 1,064 inmates, including 647 males and 14 females awaiting trial, 205 convicted males and four females, and 131 inmates on death row.
The protest, alongside the new information, adds to growing concerns over human rights conditions within Nigeria’s custodial centres and underscores the urgent need for independent oversight and reform.
In January, the Nigerian Government increased the daily food allowance for prisoners from N750 to N1,125, a 50% increase.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Umar Abubakar, denied allegations that inmates are being served substandard meals.
“These claims are not true. Before you know that the feeding daily allowance of the inmates was N750 but the president recently increased by 50%. Not only that, we also have NGOs that supply us food through donations,” he said.
“The food is much and even stored in a place where only the leader of the inmates has the key. None of our staff has access to that. So the claims about the poor feeding are not true.
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