Inmates at the Lusignan Prison turned over 33 improvised weapons yesterday morning to prison authorities, who say that they also apologised to the prison staff for the unrest at the facility on Friday night.
Eighteen inmates were injured on Friday after a reported attempt to kill a fellow prisoner over suspicions of him being an informant for prison authorities.
Acting Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels, in a statement, said that the apology was given when the prison staff reported for duty yesterday morning at the new holding area of the prison. He said they were greeted by prisoners from the three holding areas, who offered apologies for their actions on Friday evening.
The prisoners, he said, also thanked the officers for not directing shots at them even though they misbehaved.
They subsequently handed over the improvised weapons, which were made from various materials that were used to construct the new holding area.
“In our continuous efforts to maintain security at the prisons, we remain vigilant and remind prisoners not to damage property of the Government,” Samuels noted, before adding that despite the apology, the Joint Services remain on high alert.
Five prisoners who sustained serious injuries were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital on Friday night, while the others were treated at the Lusignan prison medical centre.
Imran Khan, Director of Public Information, had said that several prisoners housed in Holding Bay 2 scaled a fence and entered Holding Bay 1 with the “intention of killing a fellow prisoner who they apparently consider to be an informant to prison authorities.”
As the prison authorities became aware of the situation, shots were fired to restore order.
However, no prisoner was injured by the shots fired. The injuries they sustained resulted from the razor wire fences, which the prisoners were attempting to scale. Razor wire fences separate the holding areas. The targeted prisoner was unharmed and has been placed in the main Lusignan Prison.
The injured prisoners were identified as Linden Lewis, Abdul Akeem, Anthony Joseph, Travis Sobers, Adrian Edwards, Calvin George, Saddash Singh, Nick Skeete, Suresh Ganesh, Omar Williams, Lendroy Stephens, Kevin Cumberbatch, Ajit Jittall, Ryan Gopaul, Anthony Persaud Ryan Banister and Jayishwar Dhanai.
The prisoners involved are those relocated from the Camp Street jail after the July 9 fire that devastated it. Prison officials had erected more secure facilities for them after 13 had escaped from a pasture on July 24. On July 29, 16 prisoners were shot with pellets and rubber bullets during a confrontation with prison staff at the same facility.
