Ninjaman has been moved to another prison and placed in solitary confinement following a leaked video.
Last week, Urban Islandz published a video showing Ninjaman in prison stunting in a fresh pair of Clarks Desert kicks with a clean white outfit while smoking a blunt. The video drew criticism from some dancehall fans who say that the dancehall legend is getting privilege treatment in prison because he is an entertainer. Additionally, it’s also illegal to smoke marijuana in prison as evident in the video.
Prison officials have now confirmed that Ninjaman was relocated from the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre where he was housed to the much more secure facility Horizon Adult Remand Centre in Kingston.
A close source to the dancehall icon also confirmed with Urban Islandz that he was relocated on Monday and he was not happy about the move. “He was relocated and I can say he was not happy about the move because he was happy where he was,” sources said. “Ninjaman is just a jovial person and that’s all he was doing in the video, just being vibrant and uplifting. He didn’t know that the would be made public so there are a lot of concerns about that.”
We’re told that Ninjaman, born Desmond Ballentine, was mentoring some of the youths in prison and at the moment that initiative has suddenly halted. It’s unclear if certain privileges will be reduced as a result of his move.
Ninjaman is currently serving a life sentence for a 2017 murder conviction. He is planning to appeal the conviction and is now concerned that the video could negatively impact his appeal. The dancehall star, his son Janiel Ballentine, and close friend Dennis Clayton were found guilty of the murder of Ricardo Johnson, also known as Ricky Trooper.
The men had a domestic dispute over kitchen space on March 16, 2009, which lead to the shooting death of Johnson. The prosecution main witness in the trial identified Ninjaman as the man who pulled the trigger.
Ninja was first housed at GP where Vybz Kartel is currently being housed, but a feud between the two dancehall entertainers cause a relocation of Ninjaman to the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town.
