A heavy confrontation between officers and prisoners is reported on Thursday in Mile II Prisons prompting the Authorities to order for an immediate transfer of several prisoners to Janjangbureh Prisons, The Fatu Network has confirmed.
According to our sources, over thirty prisoners are affected by the emergency transfer and are currently on their way to Janjangbureh Prisons in the Central River Region.
It’s is still not clear as to what caused the chaos and confrontation between the officers and prisoners but sources close to the Gambia Prison Authority have confirmed that the confrontation started when prisoners denied officers access to search their cells, possibly to seize properties sent to them by their families.
Searching of cells in Remand Wing, Main Yard, Female Wing and Security Wing at the Mile II Prison is a routine engagement by officers as it allows them to seize what they call ‘properties not allowed to be in the possession of detainees or prisoners’ eg; mobile phones, razor blades, beef cans etc.
Sources added that when the officer came to search, the prisoners denied them access and said their properties will not be taken away resulting to a heavy confrontation.
Meanwhile, it is reported that the chaos inside the prison also led to the closure of visitation and denial of provision of homemade food to prisoner. Earlier, it was reported by this medium that opposition UDP leader Ousainou Darboe and Co where denied homemade food and visitation but reports are coming that the denial has affected all prisoners due to the chaos. This sources say is unfair to innocent detainees who are not part of the incident.
Reports also have it that there might be no rest hours in the prison these coming days as officers might fear the problem to escalate.
