The government might move many prisons out of city centers due to increasing urbanization in the country.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, hinted at this during a visit to the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre in Niger State, where 105 inmates broke out after a rainstorm damaged parts of the facility.
Samson Duza, the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, stated that 119 inmates initially fled, but 14 were later captured by security forces.
The FCT command of the NCoS is responsible for the Kuje and Suleja medium security custodial centres in Abuja and Niger State.
Discussing the incident during the visit, the minister mentioned, “The President has always spoken about urbanization encroaching on our correctional centres.
“You can see the surroundings; it indicates that we need to move many of our correctional centres away from city centers to create better space, security, and infrastructure.
“But as we've said, we're not here to give excuses. We're here to take responsibility. I want to assure you that we're working with other agencies to ensure a prompt return of these escapees.
499 inmates
“This was a facility designed for 250 inmates. Prior to the incident, we had 499 inmates, which supports what we've been discussing – overcrowding in our correctional centres,” Tunji-Ojo clarified.
He also highlighted the urgent need for reforms in the over 240 custodial centres nationwide.
After inspecting the damage caused by the rainstorm, the minister told journalists that the breach was due to a natural disaster.
The minister promised swift action and stressed the ongoing search for the escapees.
Tunji-Ojo assured the government’s commitment to returning the 105 inmates to custody.
The minister explained, “Due to the force majeure, the storm that occurred, there was a breach of the outer wall of this facility, and some of the inmates escaped. The manhunt is currently underway. We will do everything possible to ensure everyone is brought back.
“We have also investigated the cause of the incident to prevent it from happening again. Clearly, we can see that the walls are old, and unfortunately, there are certain responsibilities we must take.
“But the most important thing is that we will do everything possible to restore order, to prevent this from happening in any other facility.’’
Acknowledging the need for preventive measures, he recognized the role of the aging infrastructure in the incident.
Committing to taking responsibility, the minister vowed to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Tunji-Ojo said, “Clearly, we can see that the walls are old, and unfortunately, there are certain responsibilities we must take.
Prevent prison break
“But the most important thing is that we will do everything possible to restore order, to prevent this from happening in any other facility.”
Tunji-Ojo stressed the importance of custodial centers as symbols of hope, affirming the government’s dedication to safety and redemption for everyone.
Describing the incident, Duza explained that the prison break occurred after a rainstorm damaged the Suleja facility on Wednesday night.
The heavy rain caused serious harm to the custodial center’s infrastructure, including a hole in the perimeter fence that allowed the inmates to escape.
He said the rain also caused significant damage to the surrounding buildings and part of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence.
He mentioned that the service immediately activated its recapturing methods in cooperation with other security agencies.
“This led to the escape of a total of 119 inmates of the facility. But with the help of sister agencies, we have recaptured 14 of them and taken them into custody, while we are in hot pursuit to recapture the others,’’ he explained.
Ten fleeing inmates were recaptured early Thursday morning and an additional four were re-arrested later in the day.
Prison officials were said to have urgently searched the Zuba motor park for the escaping inmates.
They reportedly inspected commercial buses and taxi cabs as they expanded the search for the fugitives.
Duza mentioned that the NCoS was aware that many of its facilities were constructed during the colonial era, and had become old and weak, adding that the service was constructing new facilities to replace the old ones.
He added, “This is shown in the ongoing construction of six 3,000-capacity modern custodial centers in all the geo-political zones in Nigeria. This also includes the ongoing reconstruction and renovation of existing ones.”
The FCT NCoS spokesperson said the service would soon display the names and pictures of the fleeing inmates on its website.
Duza noted that the command was collaborating with other security agencies to recapture the remaining fleeing inmates, adding that their pictures and names would soon be released to the public.
He stated, “Our intelligence officers, armed squadron officers, in cooperation with the Nigeria Police Force, DSS (Department of State Services), and other security agencies are searching the nearby communities to find the fleeing inmates. Very soon, we will publish the names and pictures of the fleeing inmates.”
Security officials on Thursday night, who spoke to one of our correspondents on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter, said a total of 50 inmates had been recaptured.
But when contacted, Duza, told The PUNCH that he could not confirm the re-arrest of a total of 50 inmates.
Investigations show that hundreds of inmates, who escaped during 12 jailbreaks in the last five years, have yet to be re-arrested by the security forces.
On October 28, 2019, about 122 inmates escaped from the Koton Karfe Correctional Center in Kogi State due to the flooding that overwhelmed a section of the facility following heavy rainfall in the area.
A year later on October 19, 2020, about 1,993 inmates escaped from custody in the jailbreaks that happened in Benin and Oko, Edo state.
Additionally, on October 22, 58 prisoners escaped from the Okitipupa custodial center in Ondo State during the #EndSARS protests.
Owerri jailbreak
On April 5, 2021, 1,844 inmates broke free from the Owerri correctional center after some gunmen attacked the prison facility and the police command.
Moreover, a year and eight months after the attack on the Kuje medium custodial center in the Federal Capital Territory, over 500 fleeing inmates have yet to be recaptured.
The names, pictures, and prison ID numbers of the fleeing inmates who were declared wanted were seen by our correspondent on the NCoS’ website.
It was reported that over 900 inmates, including 64 high-profile Boko Haram terrorists fled the facility during a jailbreak on July 5, 2022.
Security officers later initiated a search for the escapees and about 421 were apprehended.
To recapture the others, the Federal Government uploaded their data to the International Criminal Police Organisation’s database.
However, over 500 fleeing inmates were believed to be at large.
On September 13, 2021, unidentified gunmen attacked the Kabba Correctional Centre in Kogi State, killing two security operatives. Before the attack, they also targeted a military checkpoint nearby. During the assault, 240 inmates were freed from the facility.
On October 22, there was an attack on the Abolongo Medium Security Custodial Centre in Oyo State which led to the escape of 837 inmates.
On November 28, about 262 inmates escaped the Jos correctional centre after gunmen invaded the facility.
In 2022, on January 2, three inmates escaped from the Mandala Custodial Centre, Ilorin, Kwara State
On May 13, after a downpour which resulted in the fall of the northern perimeter wall of the prison, three inmates took to their heels and escaped the Agbor prison, Delta state.
Discussing the Suleja prison break, a former NCoS spokesperson, Mr Francis Enobore, said, “I can tell for free that if the service got enough allocation to execute that project, the jailbreak would not have occurred.
“As you are aware, the 3,000-capacity custodial center (under construction in FCT) would have enabled us to cope with the challenges we are having here and there. We pray that things get improved.’’
In its ‘2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria, released on Tuesday, the United States underscored the significant challenge of overcrowding in Nigerian prisons.
It observed that numerous correctional facilities were grappling with a staggering 50 per cent increase in the number of inmates beyond their intended capacity, revealing a systemic issue.
The report also pointed out that a notable proportion of these prisons, some with histories dating back 70 to 80 years, faced difficulties in meeting even the most fundamental standards of living.
The report stated, “Overcrowding was a significant problem. As of September, prison facilities had 50 per cent more inmates than designed capacity.
“Many prisons were constructed 70 to 80 years ago and lacked basic facilities. Some prisons had no facilities to care for pregnant women or nursing inmates.”
The United States also stressed that basic needs such as clean water and proper sewage systems were often missing, creating dangerous and unsanitary conditions in Nigerian prisons.
A security expert and consultant, Kabir Adamu, expressed concerns about the vulnerability of correctional centres during an interview with The PUNCH, commenting on jailbreaks.
He mentioned, “The incident shows once again how some of our custodial centers are vulnerable.
“The security of some of our custodial centers is not strong enough. This includes the walls, surveillance systems, doors, windows, lighting, and inmate management systems.
“Although unforeseen events like flooding cannot be prevented, security design should also consider factors like fire and earthquake. The Suleja Medium Custodial Centre, for example, is old and has weak physical security.
“The Nigeria Custodial Services should finish building new custodial centers and transfer inmates from the weak facilities to the new ones.”
In addition, another security expert, Jackson Ojo, expressed shame about the incident that occurred today.
“Our custodial centres should not be constructed like poultry farms that can be destroyed by wind or erosion. The foundation of the rooftop should be strengthened to resist natural disasters or internal and external attacks.
“The structures where criminals are held are not well-constructed. However, we cannot be certain that it was wind or erosion that caused the inmates to escape.
