A severe security breach occurred at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger State, following a prolonged and intense downpour on Wednesday night, which resulted in the escape of 119 inmates.
The heavy rainfall caused substantial damage to the facility, facilitating the mass escape.
The spokesman for the Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Adamu Duza, confirmed the incident in a press statement released early Thursday morning.
According to Duza, the rainfall compromised the structural integrity of the custodial centre’s perimeter walls, creating an opportunity for the inmates to flee.
He said, “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”.
According to him, the Service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms and, in conjunction with sister security agencies, has so far recaptured 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody while still in a hot chase to recapture the rest.
Duza said 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, adding that 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 number 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”, said Duza.
