The Federal Government has stated that more prisoners who ran away from the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre two weeks ago have been captured.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced this on Thursday in Abuja while inspecting ongoing security projects at the Medium Security Custodial facility in Kuje, Abuja.
A total of 119 prisoners got away from the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, Niger State on April 24, 2024.
The incident, caused by a continuous heavy rainfall that led to significant damage to the facility, resulted in a breach of the perimeter fence, allowing prisoners to escape.
While 10 prisoners were recaptured on April 25, three more were arrested later that same day.
On April 29, three more escaping inmates were recaptured.
On May 5, the Nigerian Correctional Service reported that 19 escaping inmates have been recaptured so far.
However, Tunji-Ojo, who did not disclose the number of escaping inmates recaptured so far, said, “Yes, we have recaptured a lot of people and work is actually going on. We are working with other sister agencies but the details of that, I won’t be able to disclose in public so as to avoid jeopardising the hard work of the agencies.
“We want to re-emphasise that it is no longer business as usual but business unusual.”
The minister explained the phased approach to rebuilding the walls of the Suleja prison and plans for a new 125-bed facility to address overcrowding.
“Even in Suleja, where the walls came down, most people didn’t understand that we had already started rebuilding the walls. However, because it is a correctional centre, we can’t bring down all the walls at the same time for rehabilitation.
“We need to do that in segments. We are building a 125-bed custodial centre beside the current centre in Suleja to be able to solve the problem of overcrowding.
“We are putting in everything to make sure that our correctional centres are safe and foolproof to attacks, while we are also taking care of the welfare of the inmates,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He further highlighted ongoing efforts to improve security, including the installation of solar lights and enhancements in ICT and internal structures across nine custodial centres.
This was as he expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for the intervention fund that enabled the completion of perimeter fencing at the Kuje custodial centre, Federal Capital Territory.
He stressed the transformative vision for Kuje to serve as a model for all centres under the Renewed Hope Agenda, prioritising correction over condemnation.
“We thank President Bola Tinubu for the intervention fund that he provided for us to be able to achieve this. As you can see, the perimeter fencing is completed. What we are doing now is installing solar lights across the premises for all-round and better illumination.
“Basically, it is not just about Kuje. I am happy to tell you that about nine of our custodial centres are being worked on, not just the fencing but even the ICT components and other internal structures.
“In the next couple of weeks, we are very optimistic that there will be a complete turnaround for Kuje, which is going to be like a model for all other centres,” he said.
The minister emphasized the importance of initiatives like poultry farming to increase self-sufficiency and reduce dependence on external purchases.
“This is to demonstrate that the president's Renewed Hope Agenda cares about everyone, including our inmates, and aims to make custodial centres places for correction, not just condemnation.
“We are not just refurbishing and building infrastructure, but also focusing on developing skills. Our poultry and other projects show that the service is now producing most of the food that the inmates eat, reducing their reliance on purchases,” the minister pointed out.
On July 5, 2024, more than 900 inmates, including 64 high-profile Boko Haram terrorists, escaped from the Kuje prison during a jailbreak. Around 420 were recaptured, leaving over 480 still at large.
