…As Suspected Terrorists Strike Kuje Prisons.
879 Prison inmates Escaped,
443 Recaptured,
VIPs In prison Safe:
Abba Kyari others Safe in Custody – NCoS
By Charles Edet
The shock of the attack unleashed on the Kuje prison , has left the residents of KUJE in perpetual fear. Their fears is coming on the heel of the terrible explosions and gun shots that raged as the terrorists , suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents making their way to release their members held at the Kuje was prison.
In a statement by Umar Abubakar, .the Public Relations officer, a Chief Superintendent of the Nigerian Corrections Service (NCoS), on behalf of the Comptroller General stated:
“The attack by terrorists, I wish to state that the attackers broke into the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje using explosive devices through the main entrance and the fence of the facility respectively, killing a personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to the Custodial Centre and leaving three (3) personnel of the Nigerian Correctional Service seriously injured.
A total of 879 inmates escaped from the facility during the unfortunate attack. As at the time of this report, 443 have been recaptured, 551 inmates are currently in custody, 443 inmates are still at large, 4 inmates dead and 16 inmates sustained various degree of injuries and are being treated at the moment. However, efforts are ongoing to recapture all fleeing inmates.
The Service will deploy its Corrections Information Management System (CIMS) in synergy with National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to track all fleeing inmates and return them to custody.This is also to confirm to the general public that DCP Abba Kyari and other VIPs held in the facility did not escape. They are presently in custody, hale and hearty, according to the statement.
Recently, several prison facilities in the country have been subjected to such attacks , where inmates were forcefully released. The attacks included the attack at the Medium Custodial Centre in Agbolongo, Oyo state, the Owerri Prisons, amongst others.
The Honourable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, following the development, met with the heads of the security agencies under his supervision where the idea of Joint SecurityTaskforce comprising the Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps was formed to forstall further breaches on custodial facilities. “As at the time of the attack on the Kuje facility, we have military personnels on ground in addition to personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Civil Defence, DSS and our Armed Squad.This is the Minister’s efforts to rejig the security architecture of our facilities.
The Comptroller General of Correction , Haliru Nababa FICMC, mini, informed that some of the attackers were killed while some escaped with gunshot wounds. He appealed to the residents of kuje and hospitals and other medical institutions and practitioners to report anyone that comes to them for gunshot injuries treatments to the nearest law enforcement agency.
The Comptroller General also appreciated the efforts of sister security agencies for their rescue synergy with the Correction Service , saying that their timely response led to the apprehension of someb of the escaping inmates. He also urged members of the public to volunteer useful information that may lead to the arrest of other fleeing inmates.
Haliru, reassured the residents of Kuje and members of the public that the unexpected attack is being taken care of and handled with every sense of dedication and professionalism.
On the casualties of the attack, he extended his condolence to the families of those who lost their lives during the attack and wishes the injured ones a quick recovery.