Some prisoners of the Jalingo Prison in Jos have been shot dead and several others injured after a jailbreak was attempted.
According to reports, two inmates were shot dead and several others injured on Wednesday morning in an attempted jailbreak in Jalingo Prison, Taraba State.
It was gathered that the unsuccessful prison break was prompted by the poor medical service in the prison.
Close sources disclosed that the prisoners attempted to forcefully open the prison gate while protesting the poor condition of the prison.
Security operatives were said to have opened fire, which led to the death of two prisoners and left several others injured.
Investigations revealed that the inmates decried the poor healthcare service in the prison, and that the poor service had led to the death some of the inmates.
According to residents of the prison area, they heard sounds of gunshots and screaming in the prison during the protest.
"Early in the morning, around 7am, we started hearing gunshots and screaming of inmates in the prisons. We cannot ascertain the real cause of the riot," said Muhammad Abubakar, whose house is close to the prison.
Other witnesses said the victims were immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Center, Jalingo for treatment.
The Deputy Head of Clinicals of the Federal Medical Center, Jalingo, Ahmed Jatau, who confirmed the incident, said four victims were brought to the hospital’s emergency unit.
According to him, two of the victims died, while two others sustained critical injuries.
When contacted, the Taraba State controller of Prison Service, Ibrahim Bambur, declined to make any comment.