44 jihadists found dead in Chad prison: prosecutor
A group of 44 suspected members of Boko Haram, arrested during a recent operation against the jihadist group, have been found dead within their prison cell, Chad’s chief prosecutor announced Saturday.
Speaking on national television, Youssouf Tom said the 44 prisoners have been found dead within their cell on Thursday. These were among a group of 58 suspects jailed throughout a recent army procedure in the Lake Chad zone, he added.
“Following a fighting around Lake Chad, 58 members of Boko Haram had been taken prisoner and sent to Ndjamena for the purposes of the investigation,” he said.
“On Thursday morning, their jailers told us that 44 prisoners have been found dead within their cell,” Tom said, adding that he had attended the scene.
A study was ongoing to regulate how the prisoners had died, he said. “We've buried 40 bodies and sent four bodies to the medical examiner for autopsy.”
