Attempted jailbreak stalls court cases in Rivers

Court cases involving inmates were, yesterday, stalled at the Rivers State magistrates’ court following attempted jailbreak in Port Harcourt correctional facility on Monday.

This came as authorities of the correctional centre suspended the release of inmates to attend court cases until further notice.

It was learned that the chief magistrate informed legal representatives of the inmates about the information from the Nigeria Correctional Service stating their resolve not to release any inmate from the facility following the incident that left some inmates hospitalised.

The lawyers, however, were asked to pick new date for their suit pending when the authorities at the correctional centre resolve all security issues arising from the unrest at the prison facility.

A prison official disclosed in confidence that it would be unsafe to release the inmate from the facility to the court, considering the tension that was witnessed in the facility on Monday.