No fewer than two prisoners were killed yesterday as inmates of Kaduna Prisons went on a rampage over the sudden disappearance of the General Overseer of Christian Praying Assembly (CPA), Reverend Emeka Ezeugo King. Witnesses told Daily Sun that trouble started when at about 6am the inmates were released from their cells into the prison yard to do the normal daily routine of cleaning the prison premises.

Shortly after they were released into the yard they discovered that Reverend King, who was also an inmate in the prison, was missing and immediately, the over 700 inmates went on rampage.

The inmates, who seized the prisons by the throat, succeeded in setting ablaze two buildings within the yard, the administrative block as well as the workshop just as five inmates were said to have been killed while some prison staff suffered intense suffocation from the tear-gas thrown around the prison premises. But prison official statement put the death figure at two.

However, sources from officials of Red Cross Society of Nigeria and National Emergency Agency (NEMA) said about 80 inmates, including some prison officials were injured in the early morning rampage.
Prior to the crisis, another source said the inmates were enjoying a good rapport with one of the condemned prisoners, popularly known as Rev. King, whom the inmate claimed was always in the forefront of fighting for improved welfare for them, but they (inmates) became apprehensive when after sometime Rev. King was no where to be seen in the prison yard.
At this point, according to the source, the inmates suspected that Rev King must have been killed as a condemned prisoner, and, therefore, they felt that the last “respect” they could give him was to cause crisis in the prison and allow a free-for-all escape from the prison by the inmates.

In the meantime, the Comptroller-General of Nigerian Prison Service, Ogunsola Ogundipe, who moved in from Abuja yesterday morning, following the crisis, told newsmen that, “at about 2am, awaiting trial inmates attempted to break from the Kaduna Prison. Out of the 797 inmates, 539 are awaiting trial, and 139 are condemned. Two buildings were burnt down, the administrative block and the workshop were set ablaze, two inmates were killed, 29 injured, two prison staff injured, no prisoner escaped.

“The immediate cause of the crisis started from the awaiting trial cell, and Reverend King is one of the condemned prisoners but I will not officially confirm Rev. King’s transfer, but I can tell you that he is in a safe place. He has appealed his case.
“The two that were killed were armed robbery suspects, and during the crisis, the condemned prisoners’ cell was broken into but they refused to partake in the crisis.
“The situation has been brought under control and everywhere is calm now, all inmates have been taken back to cell, and investigation continues.”

Earlier, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Tambari Yabo, confirmed the incident, saying that Rev. King was the cause of the problem just as he confirmed that only two inmates were killed.
According to the Commissioner of Police, “from what I was told, the prison officials said one Rev. King was the cause of this problem. He has served in Kaduna Prison, he has served in Lagos Prison and wherever he goes he has become a problem, so they said about three days ago, they had cause to transfer him to Katsina Prison, because he was causing a lot of havoc in Kaduna Prison like he did in all prisons he had stayed, and three days after he left Kaduna Prison trouble started.

“I am told that two inmates were killed, but I don’t know their names, so don’t ask me about their names.”
Reverend King was in January 2007 found guilty of killing a member of his church and was sentenced to die by hanging.
The court had in a one hour judgment of guilty for murder passed on him said: “The foundation of the entire trial was based on the six-count charge which was amended on December 4, 2006. An issue was raised by the defence as to the irregularity in not dating the original charge. Failure to date is of no effect.

The issue for determination is whether the prosecution has proved each of the counts beyond every reasonable doubt. In a criminal trial evidence must include all reasonable doubt other than imaginary or speculation. Prove beyond reasonable doubt is not prove beyond any shadow of doubt once the ingredient of the offence for which the accused was charged with are proved. Although many of them dwelt on issues that are not concerned with the offence, I shall dwell only on the evidence that relates to the matter.”

I thought they should have killed trouble b4 it begins to kill pple again.

Everywhere he goes he forments trouble, why can't they just do away with him, as he did away with his sex slaves! After all judgement has been pronounced.

haba, this man is evil and should not be allowed to continue perpetrating his evil every where he goes.

I suspect he has backers in govt dat is y he is misbehaving evry where.