By Toheeb Omotayo
On the night of Wednesday 24 April, 2024, a total of 118 inmates broke free from a prison in Suleja, a town in Niger State, situated in the northwestern Nigeria after heavy downpour, marking the first jailbreak since Tinubu’s Administration.
Adamu Duza, a spokesperson of the Nigeria Correctional Service, said the inmates escaped when parts of the Suleija Prison in Niger State collapsed late Wednesday following torrential rains.
“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 parts of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of a total of 118 inmates of the facility,” Duza said in a statement in the capital city, Abuja.
A manhunt was launched by the prison service and other agencies which as a result, led to the recapturing of 10 of the escaped inmates. According to the Duza, “We are in hot chase to recapture the rest.”
There are fears that the remnants of the escaped inmates could find their way into the vast forests that link Suleja town and neighboring states, some of which are known hideouts for criminals.
Investigation revealed that, the prison facilities, having been built during the colonial era before the West African nation’s independence from Britain in 1960, are rarely rehabilitated, which has made it easier for prisoners to escape during jailbreaks. Furthermore, thousands of inmates have thus escaped prisons, including in Abuja, where about 900 inmates broke free after a prison invasion by gunmen.
It would be recalled that a gripping wave of tension and panic skyrocketed the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja on July 5th, 2022 when unknown gunmen paid onslaught visit to kuje correctional facility and they reportedly operated for more than two hours without any obstruction.
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory, at large, Nigerians woke up the next day and found the kuje prison broken which set route for estimated 900 prisoners to abscond.
The incident was, indeed, a shocking news that reported 64 escaped Boko Haram members and other convicted prisoners making it 900 altogether.
The intensity of the anxiety was fueled when the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) claimed responsibility for the attack
However, the news of escaped prisoners — the Boko Haram members in particular – instigated fear in many Nigerians as they find it difficult to continue on their daily routines.
Presumably, residents of the attacked community, in fact, Nigerians at large are preoccupied with pressure mounted on them by the terrorists.
Nigerian elites have come to agreement that Nigeria can only be controlled under strictly established laws and unquestionable enforcement that will cover everybody.
What traversed in FCT was a serious and balant threat to the National security which needs to be corrected as soonest as possible.
In 2021, Journalists reported not less than 14-jailbreaks under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch which give a weak description of his four years administration.
The broken prisons include the following;
Oct 7, 2017 – Enugu Maximum Prison (2 inmates escaped).
Dec 27, 2017 – Ikot Ekpene Prison in Akwa Ibom State (36 inmates escaped).
Jun 3, 2018 – Minna medium security prison, Niger State (210 inmates escaped).
Oct 28, 2019 – Koton Karfe correctional center, Kogi state (122 inmates escaped).
Oct 19, 2020 – Benin and Oko prisons, Edo State (1,993 inmates escaped).
Oct 22, 2020 – Okitipupa correctional center, Ondo State (58 inmates escaped).
Apr 5, 2021 – Owerri correctional center, Imo State (1,844 inmates escaped).
Jul 8, 2021 – Jos custodial center, Plateau State (4 inmates escaped).
Sep 13, 2021 – Kabba Correctional Center, Kogi State (144 inmates escaped).
Oct 22, 2021 – Abolongo medium security custodial center, Oyo State (837 inmates escaped).
Nov 28, 2021 – Jo’s correctional center, Plateau State (262 inmates escaped).
Jan 2, 2022 – Mandala prison, Ilorin, Kwara State (3 inmates escaped).
May 13, 2022 – Agbor prison, Delta state (3 inmates escaped).
Jul 5, 2022 – Kuje prison, Abuja (900 inmates escaped).
Federal government had thereby, on July 8th 2022, released the names and photos of the fleeing inmates and very fortunately, one escaped inmate was re-arrested at keffi in Nasarawa.
Although, Nigerian forces are doing their utmost best in ensuring public safety is guaranteed but nevertheless, those that recognize their pot-folio among the forces need to follow order, which might be helpful or misleading, just as not to fall mutiny.
It was learnt that, Order from Aso-Rock instructed to make substitution to the army officers guiding the prison and, in not less than for hours after the removal of the armies, the unknown gunmen slammed the prison and made heel for the inmates to to fled.
Subsequently, the following jailbreak added to the list, making it the fifteenth one of its kind between the Buhari-led Administration and the incumbent dynasty of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu;
Apr 24, 2024 – Suleja prison, Niger State (118 inmates escaped)
Prison breaks are said to have become a major security concern in Nigeria, where thousands of inmates have escaped in recent years due to weak infrastructure and militant attacks.
The questin is, while Prison invasions pose significant challenges to the country’s security system, and quite a number of it has so far been reported in Nigeria, what is the government doing to discontinue this and why have the prisons built during the colonial era still there without any form of rehabilitation?
Should this continue to happen, we’ll keep having recurring issues of jailbreak, leading to the escape of dangerous criminals, endangering the public. Additionally, such incidents will continue to undermine public trust in the criminal justice system of the country.
Furthermore, successful prison invasions can embolden criminal networks and inspire copycat attempts, further straining law enforcement resources and public safety efforts.
It is hight time the government highlighted weaknesses that need addressing, such as insufficient staffing, inadequate infrastructure, or compromised security protocols. Only when these problems are solved can the federal government be able to stop praising invasion in the country, if not completely, but to a significant degree.
