JOHANNESBURG – A Nigerian national has died after he was attacked by a group of men at Leeuwkop Maximum Security Prison in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The 28 year old deceased who was reportedly serving a 20-year prison term was attacked by a group of four men during a soccer match at the facility. He was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to the injuries.
Four suspects and fellow prisoners aged 25 to 34 appeared in Randburg magistrate court for the murder. The case was postponed for further investigations.
The motive behind the attack is yet to be established and an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that xenophobia does not exist in the South Africa prison. “Maybe out there but not in our prison” he said.
Leeuwkop Maximum Security Prison, a hellhole where inmates are reportedly raped by gang members in brutal turf wars, is a home to South Africa’s most notorious criminals. Some of the most infamous ones among them include the likes of mob boss and Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir, Nigerian Drug lord Frank Nabolisa and convicted Nigerian terrorist Henry Okah.
It’s unclear whether the deceased who was convicted in 2014 will be buried in the South African prison cemetery or repatriated back to Nigeria. This comes at a time when multiple Nigerian nationals serving time in various South African prisons have accused the Nigerian consulate of selfishness and not doing enough for the sake of their citizens.
The prison directed all inquiries to the Department of Justice and Correctional Service, which did not respond to an e-mail query at the time of going to press.
