News: Prison Warders Beat Vendors For Refusing To Give Them Free Newspapers

A newspaper vendor who was being chased by some prison officials in Ibadan, yesterday, for allegedly attacking a controller was beaten to pulp after he was caught.

The newspaper vendors have been identified as Adewale Moronkeji and Kola Ola.

The prison officials armed with guns allegedly stormed the Forestry Research Institute premises where they caught up with the newspaper vendor, Mr. Adewale Moronkeji, who ran there to hide from them.

The prison officials, after beating them up, took them to the police headquarters at Eleyele, Ibadan.

Some prison officials who were said to be angry at the vendors for refusing to give them free newspapers was beaten up by an angry driver of the controller who allegedly saw the vendors at Idi-Ishin junction, which is a distance to the entrance of the controller's residence and ordered them to leave the place.

Moronkeji apparently angered the driver after asking him if they were causing any trouble to him, which led to him jumping down from the vehicle and beating him.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor has however said she was not aware of any newspaper vendor being detained in their station even though the Chairman of the Newspaper Distribution Association of Nigeria, Mr. Babatunde Abimbola and his men saw Moronkeji in one of the dark rooms in the station with swollen eyes and legs.

Angry newspaper agent stormed the Correspondents' Chapel at Mokola, yesterday, to protest the inhuman treatment meted to their colleagues.

The Prison officials are yet to comment on the incident.