Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS has confirmed that 118 prisoners serving various jail terms at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre in Niger State have escaped on Wednesday after rain destroyed some of the buildings at the correctional centre.

The Prison authority in a statement on Thursday, said, ten of the escaped inmates have been rearrested while recovering efforts with other sister security agencies is currently ongoing to recapture other fleeing escapees.

Photographs made available online on Thursday, showed one of the buildings in the correctional centre completely destroyed with other buildings partly affected.

It was gathered that the rain fell for hours and the inmates ran out for safety and subsequently took advantage of the situation to set themselves free.

Spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service NCoS, Adamu Duza in a statement on Thursday morning 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”, Duza also stated in quote.

It would be recalled that in the month of March, Galaxy Television reported that the Nigerian Correctional Service stated its plans to ensure optimized operations of its services to guarantee the wellbeing of prison inmates.  The report is presented verbatim bellow:

“The Nigerian Correctional Service has promised to optimized its operations for effective service delivery and wellbeing of inmates.

The Public Relations Officer of the Service and Assistant Controller of Correction, Umar Abubakar, disclosed this at the maiden National Spokespersons Summit and Awards held at the International Conference Centre, ICC, in Abuja.

According to him, the Service under the leadership of the Controller of Correction, Haliru Nababa, has embarked on reinvigoration and massive review of activities of the Correctional centers in Nigeria for qualitative service delivery.

He revealed that the service would in a matter of days launched it’s YouTube channel, which according to him, would ensure openness and transparency of all activities of the Nigeria Correctional Service.

He solicited the support and cooperation of all stakeholders for the service towards ensuring the safety of all Correctional Centers in Nigeria, inmates and officers of the service.

On the essence of the summit, the Assistant Controller of Correction said it provides avenue for practitioners to rob minds and chat way forward for strict adherence to professional conduct”.

Also, on July 28, 2023, Stephen Abene, the spokesperson of the Nasarawa State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service reported that “the Controller of Corrections, Nasarawa State Command, Yunusa Ibraheem Ada, sued for effective implementation of Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) Act 2019 and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 (ACJA), as well as Nasarawa State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2018 (ACJL) to decongest Correctional Facilities in the State.

Yunusa Ibraheem made the call in his goodwill message at a two-day capacity training organized by the Law Hub Development and Advocacy Centre with the support from MacArthur Foundation in Lafia.

Yunusa Ada lamented the outburst of awaiting trial persons (ATPs) that constitutes 75 percent of inmates population; saying that the development hampers robust reformation and rehabilitation of inmates across the Correctional Facilities in the State and by extension the nation at large.

The Controller therefore, urged Judges in the State to use available legal framework to sentence offenders with minor offences to Non-custodial Service, which will help decongest already overstretched Custodial Centres.

The two-day capacity training with the theme:”Popularizing and Disseminating the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws of States and Continuously Upgrading the Laws to Reflect Amendment”, had in attendance to bare their minds the Chief Judge of Nasarawa State, Honourable Justice Aisha Bashir Aliyu, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice, Isaac Edoh, Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Mohammed Baba, amongst others”.