Following the jailbreak that saw the escape of 119 inmates, the Federal Government says it is considering relocating the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger State.
During a visit to the centre, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, revealed that the facility houses 499 inmates, as opposed to the expected 250 that it was initially built for.
He confirmed that a total of 119 inmates had escaped, however, adding that 13 were re-arrested.
His reaction follows reports that the facility management would publish the names and pictures of the escaped inmates from the centre on Wednesday.
The torrential downpour had wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger State, resulting in extensive damage to the facility.
The downpour caused severe damage to the custodial centre’s infrastructure, including a breach in the perimeter fence, allowing some of the inmates to flee.
While responding to the development, the spokesperson for the NCoS, Federal Capital Territory Command, Adamu Duza, was said to have disclosed the command was collaborating with other security agencies to recapture the remaining fleeing inmates, adding that their database would soon be made known to the public.
Duza revealed that the Service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies, disclosing that 10 of the fleeing inmates have been recaptured and taken back into custody.
The statement read: “A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, 24 April 2024 has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centres, Suleja, Niger state, as well as surrounding buildings, destroying part of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of a total of one hundred and nineteen (119) inmates of the facility.
“The Service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies have so far recaptured 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody, while we are in hot chase to recapture the rest.
“The Service is not unmindful of the fact that many of its facilities were built during the colonial era and that they are old and weak.
“The Service is making frantic efforts to see that all ageing facilities give way to modern ones. This is evidenced in the ongoing construction of six (6) 3000-capacity ultra-modern custodial centres in all the geo-political zones in Nigeria as well as the ongoing reconstruction and renovation of existing ones.
“The Service wishes to assure the public that it is on top of the situation and that they should go about their businesses without fear or hindrance. The public is further enjoined to look out for the fleeing inmates and report any suspicious movement to the nearest security agency,” it stated.