Inmates of the Garoua Central Prison attempted a mass escape during the early hours of March 28, as they protested the inhumane conditions in the prison.

The whole incident started with two of the inmates engaging in a fight that later saw one of them locked up in a disciplinary cell as a punitive measure.

The cell that was meant to contain four persons had 21 occupants. As a result, the prisoner is said to have suffocated and died at night giving that he sustained injuries during the fight and did not receive any medical attention.

His death provoked a riot with the prisoners demanding that the gates of the prison be flung open for them to go. In the course of the riots, doors and windows of cells and the main entrance into the prison were destroyed.

In addition to this, the prisoners say they have not had water for weeks and at times temperatures go above 45°C.

Governor Abate Eddy Jean of the North region accompanied by top military officials and defense forces went to the scene to manage the situation.

Penitentiary officers, police and gendarmes had to give several warning shots to prevent escape. The governor, who held a crisis meeting with the prison administration and other security officials, bought them mineral water following the acute water shortage in the prison.

The governor also ordered for repair works to be carried out on the cells that were tampered with.

It should be noted that the Garoua Central Prison was constructed to host 500 inmates currently accommodates more than 1,500 prisoners.