A total of six hundred and twenty (620) angry prisoners in the Sekondi Central Prisons in the Western Region have staged a demonstration to express their dissatisfaction over the poor nature of the food served them.
According to the prisoners, their food lacks the required nutritional values and must improve. The protests lasted for some hours and it took the intervention of the officers on duty and a re-enforcement before calm was restored.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service in the Western Region, Mr. Nii Adjetey Cyriano indicated that the prisoners have for many years complained about the poor nature of their foods.
He says the angry prisoners woke up in the morning and decided to protest in the yard. He adds that the angry inmates would not give up the protest until they were assured that the quality of the food will be improved.
“It happened on Sunday morning between the hours of 8 and 9 am. The prisoners got angry and started demonstrating without notice. It was a peaceful demonstration where they expressed their anger over the poor food in the prison and wanted it to be better. We had to intervene and ensure calm”. He indicated.
Mr. Nii Adjetey Cyriano further revealed that each prisoner is fed GHC 1.80p a day and that has affected the quality of meals provided for them.
He says the supply of the food has also been sublet to a contractor who takes out a profit.
“We have spoken to them with a promise to solve the situation. We are working to improve the quality of their food, but it all boils down to the government. The money is very small and something must be done about it”. He indicated.
Mr. Nii Adjetey Cyriano called on organizations and other individuals to support the inmates through donations.
He says they have mostly depended on donations to support the current situation however, they don’t receive them more often.
“People must support the inmates by donating food and other items for us to help them as a supplement. We sometimes get these supports but we need more”. He added.
