NEARLY 120 inmates of the Suleja Medium Correctional Centre, Niger state, have escaped after the fence of the facility collapsed during a heavy rainfall on Wednesday, April 24.
Parts of the prison fence were destroyed by the rain that pounded the ancient town and its neighbours, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Many prisoners took advantage of the incident to escape.
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The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), in a statement on Thursday, April 25, confirmed the inmates’ escape from the centre.
The spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) command of NCoS, Adamu Duza, confirmed that 119 inmates escaped.
Duza said the downpour that lasted for several hours wreaked havoc on the centre and surrounding buildings, destroying part of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of all inmates at the facility.
He added that the Service had begun efforts to recapture the fleeing inmates, working in conjunction with sister security agencies.
Ten fleeing inmates have so far been captured, and they have been taken into custody, he said.
“The service is not unmindful of the fact that many of its facilities were built during the colonial era and are old and weak. The Service is making frantic efforts to ensure that all ageing facilities give way to modern ones.
“The Controller of Corrections, FCT Command, Francis John, wishes to assure the public that the service is on top of the situation and that they should go about their normal businesses without fear or hindrance,” the statement read.
A top source within the Niger State Police Command who did not want his name mentioned also confirmed the incident to The ICIR in a chat on Thursday.
According to him, the incident was not a jailbreak but happened as a result of a heavy downpour.
“Yes, the incident happened; about 100 escaped, but we are working with the Prison authorities to re-arrest some of the inmates who escaped,” he stated.
He added that some had been re-arrested between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Over the years, Nigeria has experienced several jailbreaks. The immediate past government of President Muhammadu Buhari saw a flurry of jailbreaks.
Buhari’s Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, in 2022, said about 3,906 prisoners who escaped from various jailbreaks across the country were still at large.
This report captures 18 jailbreaks under Buhari, who led Nigeria as elected President between May 29, 2015, and May 29, 2023.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance