A devastating prison break has occurred at the medium security, Niger state after a torrential downpour wreaked havoc on the facility leading to the escape of a staggering 118 inmates.
The rainfall which persisted for hours on Wednesday night severely damaged parts of the prison, thereby creating a pathway for the inmates to escape
The dire news of the prison break was confirmed on Thursday by Adamu Duza the official spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service NCoS.
In his statement“A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, 24 April 2024 has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centre, 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 118 inmates of the facility”.
He stated that the Service is already mobilizing all available resources to recapture the escaped inmates adding that the concerted efforts of the service alongside its sister security agency have borne initial fruit with 10 inmates already recaptured and taken into custody.
Duza stressed that the hunt for the remaining prisoners is far from over as the NCoS continues its hot chase to locate the rest of the escapees.
The spokesperson of the service noted that the Service was aware that many of its facilities were built during the colonial era and that they are old and feeble, he stressed that effort is being made to see that all ageing facilities give way to modern ones.
He stated “This is evidenced in the ongoing construction of six Numbers of 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.”
