The Nigeria Correctional Service has stepped up efforts to track down and recapture escaped inmates of the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, Niger State, DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS has learnt.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday, said the government would relocate a lot of correctional centres to create better infrastructure and security.
Tunji-Ojo made the pledge when he visited the Niger custodial centre, where 119 inmates had escaped following a rainstorm that damaged the facility on Wednesday.
This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Ozoya Imohimi.
The minister said it was imperative to relocate a lot of the correctional centres to a conducive environment.
“This facility was built in 1914 to house 250 inmates. Before this incident, we had 499.
“This is what we keep talking about— the overcrowding of our correctional centres.
“You can look at the environment; it shows that we need to relocate them away from the city centre before creating better space, security and infrastructure,” he added.
According to him, the ministry was already working behind the scenes to fashion out a correctional system that would work for all.
Tunji-Ojo assured that such an incident would not happen again in any other facility across the country.
The spokesman for the Federal Capital Territory command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Samson Duza, said 119 inmates initially escaped, but 14 of them were later recaptured by the security forces.
The FCT command of the NCoS is in charge of the Kuje and Suleja medium security custodial centres in Abuja, and Niger State.
Speaking on the incident during a visit to the facility, the minister said, “The President has always talked about urbanisation eating into our correctional centres.
“You can look at the environment; it shows that we need to relocate a lot of our correctional centres, and we need to relocate them away from city centres to create better space, security, and infrastructure.
“But as we have said, we are not here to make excuses. We are here to take responsibility. I want to assure you that we are talking to our sister agencies to make sure that we can synergise, collaborate, and ensure that there is a timely return of these escapees.
“This was a facility that was built to house 250 inmates. Before the incident, we had 499 inmates, which leads us to what we have been talking about – overcrowding in our correctional centres,” Tunji-Ojo explained.
He further highlighted the urgent need for reforms in the over 240 custodial centres nationwide.
Speaking to journalists after surveying the damage caused by the rainstorm, the minister attributed the breach to a natural disaster.
He also assured swift action, emphasising the ongoing hunt for the escapees.
Tunji-Ojo pledged the Federal Government’s dedication to returning the 105 inmates to custody.
‘Storm broke prison walls’
The minister said, “Because of the force majeure, the storm that happened, there was a breach of the outer wall of this facility, and some of the inmates escaped. The manhunt is presently ongoing. We will do everything humanly possible to make sure everyone is brought back.
“We have also looked at the cause of the matter, because we must make sure that this does not happen again. We can see that the walls are old, and unfortunately, there are certain responsibilities that we must take.
“But, the most important thing is that we will do everything possible to restore sanity, to ensure that this does not happen in any other facility.”
Recognising the need for preventative measures, he acknowledged the role of the ageing infrastructure in the incident.
Taking responsibility, the minister vowed to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Tunji-Ojo said, “Obviously, we can see that the walls are old, and unfortunately, there are certain responsibilities that we must take.
“But, the most important thing is that we will do everything possible to restore sanity, to ensure that this does not happen in any other facility.”
Tunji-Ojo emphasised the role of custodial centres as symbols of hope, reaffirming the government’s commitment to safety and redemption for all.
Speaking on the incident, Duza explained that the prison break followed a rainstorm that destroyed the Suleja facility on Wednesday night.
The downpour caused severe damage to the custodial centre’s infrastructure, including a breach in the perimeter fence, allowing the inmates to flee.
The downpour caused severe damage to the custodial centre’s infrastructure, including a breach in the perimeter fence, allowing the inmates to flee.
According to him, the downpour also wreaked havoc on the surrounding buildings and part of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence.
He said the service had immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms in collaboration with other security agencies.
“This gave way 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 have taken them into custody, while we are in hot chase 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.
Frantic prison officials were said to have stormed the Zuba motor park in search of the escaping inmates.
They reportedly searched commercial buses and taxi cabs as they widened the dragnet for the fugitives.
Duza stated that the NCoS was aware that many of its facilities were built 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 evidenced in the ongoing construction of six 3,000-capacity ultra-modern custodial centres 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 noted, “Our intelligence officers, armed squadron officers, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, and other security agencies are combing the neighbouring communities to find the fleeing inmates. Very soon, we shall 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 authorised to speak on the matter, said a total of 50 inmates had been recaptured.
Senior NCS sources, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorised to comment on the matter, stated that the service will also intensify efforts to recapture inmates from the Niger jailbreak and previous jailbreaks in the country.
One of the sources noted that the service will also pay attention to the Internally Displaced Persons camps as some of the inmates may seek refuge there.
“The NCS will track the escaped prisoners from the correctional facility. The service shall also turn attention to the IDP camps to ensure the fleeing inmates do not seek refuge there,” he said.
According to DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS findings, there are over 4,000 escaped inmates from the nation’s correctional facilities in the last five years yet to be recaptured.
Incessant jailbreaks
On October 28, 2019, about 122 inmates escaped from the Koton Karfe Correctional Centre 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.
Three days later, on October 22, 58 inmates fled from the Okitipupa Custodial Centre in Ondo State during the #EndSARS protests.
On April 5, 2021, 1,844 inmates escaped from the Owerri Correctional Centre, Imo State, after some gunmen attacked the prison facility and the police command.
A year and eight months after the attack on the Kuje Medium Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory, over 500 fleeing inmates were yet to be recaptured.
The names, images, and prison identification numbers of the fleeing inmates who were declared wanted were sighted 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 operatives later launched a manhunt for the escapees and about 421 were recaptured.
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 that 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.
Speaking on 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 centre (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.’’
Poor prison infrastructure
Nigeria’s prisons have long been plagued by inadequate infrastructure, overcrowding, and deteriorating facilities.
These challenges have not only compromised the safety and security of inmates and prison staff but have also contributed to the frequent occurrence of jailbreaks across the country.
Several security experts have lamented the poor state of infrastructure in Nigerian prisons and its role in facilitating incessant jailbreaks over the years.
One of the primary issues facing Nigerian prisons is the lack of adequate infrastructure. Many prisons were constructed decades ago with limited capacity and have since become severely overcrowded.
These ageing facilities often lack proper ventilation, sanitation, and basic amenities, creating harsh living conditions for inmates.
Meanwhile, a security expert and Professor of Criminology, Kaduna State University, Evelyn Yusuf, said, “It becomes myopic to say it is just the issue around poor construction and lack of maintenance. Yes, that is a possibility but then it is a condition in the jail.
“How well treated are these prisoners and also who is in charge of the surveillance? Do we have surveillance cameras around the jail? Is it not just right that we have such and there should be somebody detailed to sit and monitor it? If we say our jail is correctional service, what type of correctional measures are been taken.”
Also, another security expert, Mr Jackson Lekan-Ojo, speaking with our correspondent, said, “Overcrowding exacerbates the already dire situation in Nigerian prisons. The facilities, originally designed to accommodate a certain number of inmates, are now bursting at the seams with double or triple their intended capacity. This overcrowding leads to increased tension, violence, and unsanitary conditions within the prisons, further compromising the safety and well-being of inmates and staff.
“Decades of neglect and underfunding have taken a toll on the infrastructure of Nigerian prisons. Many facilities suffer from dilapidated buildings, crumbling walls, and faulty security systems. The lack of maintenance and repairs has rendered these prisons vulnerable to breaches and escapes, as inmates exploit weak points in the infrastructure to stage jailbreaks.”
He also said the poor state of infrastructure in Nigerian prisons serves as a breeding ground for jailbreaks.
He said, “Inadequate security measures, coupled with overcrowding and deteriorating facilities, create an environment ripe for unrest and escape attempts. Inmates, frustrated by their living conditions and emboldened by the lax security, seize opportunities to break free from confinement.
“Jailbreaks not only pose a threat to public safety but also undermine the criminal justice system’s credibility. Escaped inmates, many of whom are awaiting trial or serving sentences for serious offenses, pose a risk to communities as they evade capture. Moreover, the recurring nature of jailbreaks reflects poorly on the government’s ability to ensure the security of its citizens and uphold the rule of law.”
Another security expert, Mr Yemi Olayemi, proferring solutions said, “To address the crisis in Nigerian prisons and prevent further jailbreaks, urgent action is needed. The government must prioritise the rehabilitation and modernization of prison infrastructure, including the construction of new facilities and the renovation of existing ones.
“Adequate funding and resources should be allocated to improve security measures, enhance staff training, and promote inmate rehabilitation programs.
“Furthermore, efforts should be made to reduce overcrowding through alternative sentencing measures, expedited trials, and improved bail systems. Collaboration between government agencies, civil society organizations, and international partners is essential to implement comprehensive reforms that address the root causes of prison unrest and enhance public safety.”
Speaking with DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS, the Deputy President, Institute of Security Studies, University of Lagos, Adebayo Akinade, said the recurring jailbreaks in the country was highly connected to the porous and dilapidated nature of most of the correctional centres.
He said to curtail the ugly trend, the Federal Government must completely reform the prison system and strongly rebuild the fallen walls of the correctional centres.
“First, the government is not putting adequate funds into reconstructing the Nigerian prisons in a modern way. If the prison facilities and structures are furnished with modern technologies, including surveillance components, there won’t be many loopholes that are constantly exploited for jailbreaks.
“Moreover, it is expected that the prisons will be a place where the convicts will be effectively reformed. But what we often see is the exact opposite as the prisoners become more hardened and deadly in the so-called correctional centres as they learn more sharp criminal practices at the prisons. So, the government needs to completely reform the prison system in the country,” he explained.
Commenting on the issue of the poorly maintained infrastructure of Nigeria’s Correctional Centres, a security expert, Chigozie Ubani, said that the sorry state of the correctional facilities mirrored the broader decay evident across Nigeria.
Ubani emphasised that the resources should be allocated to vital sectors of the economy and infrastructure development, but they were instead siphoned away, leaving essential institutions, such as the correctional system, to suffer.
He stated that despite numerous proposals for rehabilitation, bureaucratic red tape and budgetary mismanagement had hindered progress.
Ubani noted, “The correctional centre as we have it in Nigeria, and the nomenclature was changed not long ago. Obviously, it has suffered from infrastructural details over the years from the time of the military to the democratic era of Obasanjo. We had expected that Obasanjo would have invested massively in reforming the Nigerian prisons. He did not do much. Subsequent governments have received proposals on how to rehabilitate the decay, but little was done.
”The truth is that the correctional facilities cannot be better than the country. When you look at Nigeria, you will see that we are decaying. Resources that are supposed to be channelled into critical sectors of the Nigerian economic system and infrastructure are being filtered away. So, the backend of security which is the correctional system is being neglected. Several proposals have been written about rebuilding the penitentiaries, but people will be sitting on the budgets as approved.
“I just hope a quick fix is not being done to it now and let it remain like that. This will be an eye-opener that the correctional facilities need urgent rehabilitation across the country, not where it happened recently. With this, it will be seen that we have not done what we are supposed to do. If the government cannot run them, it can be outsourced like they do in other parts of the world.”
Ubani added that there was a need for urgent action to overhaul those institutions nationwide, not merely where recent incidents occurred, stressing that failure to address this issue promptly would underscore our failure as a nation to fulfil our responsibilities.
