One of Sierra Leone’s major prison’s the Pademba Road Prison was rocked by deadly riots yesterday as inmates protest the presence of a Covid-19 infected inmate in the prison. The inmates complained that the identified inmate be removed from the prison to an isolation centre but authorities failed to respond on time leading to a very bloody riot. Inmates at Pademba Road Prison set some buildings on fire which attracted security forces and fire fighters who quelled the earlier riots.

Sierra Leone so far has only 104 confirmed cases of the virus and five deaths. Earlier in the week, the Chief Justice said an inmate at Pademba prison had tested positive for the disease and been transferred out of the facility for treatment.The correctional centre, designed to hold 324 inmates, held over 2,000 in 2019, according to a U.S. State Department human rights report that described conditions in Sierra Leone’s prison system as harsh and life-threatening.

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The prison which has a tradition of violent riots was rocked by a series of riots in the 2000s due to overcrowding and poor conditions. Its numbers have risen in recent days with the transfer of inmates from a reintegration centre back to the prison due to the coronavirus pandemic. As at the time of filing this story,the number of casualties was still unknown.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry