No fewer than 6,675 inmates, including high-profile Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and murderers, have escaped in 13 separate jailbreaks that hit Nigerian custodial centres in the last five years.
Sunday PUNCH reports that 2,032 (30.4 per cent) of the escapees have been recaptured by security operatives, while 4,643 (69.5 per cent) remain at large.
The latest jailbreak occurred on Tuesday in Borno State, where 280 inmates escaped from the Maiduguri Medium Security Custodial Centre following severe flooding in the capital city.
The inmates fled after a portion of the perimeter fence of the facility was pulled down by the flood.
An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed that some Boko Haram Commanders held in the facility escaped.
“The rain was torrential and caused a terrible flood which affected our facility. Part of the wall of the Maiduguri New Prison collapsed, and some Boko Haram commanders escaped with other prisoners,” the source stated.
Another source told Sunday PUNCH that the prison was undergoing an upgrade when the incident occurred.
He said, “The prison is one of those old facilities constructed in the 90s, which was why it collapsed easily. When such a thing happens, everybody wants to flee for their lives, and that was what happened.”
Addressing the press after assessing the damage to the facility in the Abbaganaram area of the city, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, confirmed that the flood affected the prison walls. He did not comment on the escapee inmates.
He said, “In terms of our facility at the correctional centre, actions are already ongoing. There are certain details I cannot disclose for security reasons, but rest assured, we are on top of the situation.”
However, a statement by the Nigerian Correctional Service spokesman, Umar Abubakar, assured the public that the service was working with sister security agencies to take necessary measures to ensure public safety.
In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (Pidgin service) on Thursday, the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, expressed worry that some Boko Haram leaders might have escaped from the prison.
“I’m worried, yes, I’m seriously worried. But you also have to bear in mind that the Borno State Government has established what we call the Borno Model of Rehabilitation which has allowed many insurgents to repent. Within the last two years, over 200,000 Boko Haram members and their families have repented and, I think, this has also yielded positive results in ensuring return of peace and stability to Borno State,” the governor stated.
Jailbreaks
On April 25, 2024, 119 inmates also escaped from the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre in Niger State. While security agencies recaptured 14, 105 others have remained at large for more than four months.
On January 2, 2022, three inmates escaped from the Mandala Custodial Centre in Ilorin, Kwara State. That same year, three inmates escaped from the Agbor prison in Delta State after heavy rainfall caused the northern perimeter wall to collapse on May 13.
Also, on July 5 of that year, over 900 inmates, including 64 high-profile Boko Haram terrorists, fled the Kuje prison during a jailbreak. About 420 were recaptured, while 480 are still at large.
On April 5, 2021, gunmen attacked the Owerri correctional facility in Imo State, leading to the escape of 1,844 inmates. While 980 of them were reportedly rearrested, 864 are still at large.
On July 8, 2021, four suspects awaiting trial for kidnapping and armed robbery escaped from the Jos Correctional Centre in Plateau State, while on September 13, gunmen attacked the Kabba Correctional Centre in Kogi State, freeing 240 inmates. Security operatives later rearrested 114, leaving 126 at large.
Similarly, on October 22, a total of 837 inmates escaped from the Abolongo Medium Security Custodial Centre in Oyo State. While 262 were recaptured, 575 are still on the run.
Also, on November 28, gunmen invaded the Jos Correctional Centre again, freeing 262 inmates. Only 10 were captured, while 252 remain at large.
On October 19, 2020, approximately 1,993 inmates escaped from Benin and Oko jails in Edo State. Only 207 were recaptured, while 1,786 are still unaccounted for.
During the #EndSARS protests on October 22, 58 inmates escaped from the prison facility in Okitipupa, Ondo State, during an attack on the facility by hoodlums.
On October 28, 122 inmates fled the Koton Karfe Correctional Centre in Kogi State due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall. Twenty-five of them were recaptured, while 97 are still at large.
In May, Senate President Godswill Akpabio lamented that jailbreaks had become frequent since the Federal Government changed the Nigeria Prisons Service to the Nigeria Correctional Service.
When our correspondent reached out to the NCoS spokesman on Thursday to react to the increasing number of escapee inmates, he was not available.
However, security experts said the increasing number of escaped inmates might not be responsible for the spike in terror attacks, kidnappings, and killings across the country.
The Deputy President of the Institute of Security Nigeria, Adebayo Akinade, said though last Tuesday’s jailbreak caused by flooding was unfortunate, it would worsen criminality in the country.
“This is because when criminals escape, are we sure whether they have been reformed or corrected? They may not have been. So, they may rejoin their former groups and resume their criminal activities. The Federal Government should try to recapture the escapees,” he added.
While the Director of Beacon Security Consulting, Kabir Adamu, urged the correctional service to use records of the escaped inmates to recapture them, the Director General of the International Institute of Professional Security, Tony Ofoyetan, said the inmates escape was contributing to the rising cases of terror attacks, kidnapping and killings in the country.
Ofoyetan asked the government to clamp down on sponsors of terrorism, block their channels of logistics, and concentrate on legislation that would tackle the gaps in the immigration law and encourage the free movement of people from other neighboring countries into the country
@The PUNCH excluding the headline