The Nigeria Correctional Service has stepped up efforts to track down and recapture escaped inmates of the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, Niger State.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday, said the government would relocate a lot of correctional centres to create better infrastructure and security.
Tunji-Ojo made the pledge when he visited the Niger custodial centre, where 119 inmates had escaped following a rainstorm that damaged the facility on Wednesday.
This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Ozoya Imohimi.
The minister said it was imperative to relocate a lot of the correctional centres to a conducive environment.
“This facility was built in 1914 to house 250 inmates. Before this incident, we had 499.
“This is what we keep talking about— the overcrowding of our correctional centres.
“You can look at the environment; it shows that we need to relocate them away from the city centre before creating better space, security and infrastructure,” he added.
According to him, the ministry was already working behind the scenes to fashion out a correctional system that would work for all.
Tunji-Ojo assured that such an incident would not happen again in any other facility across the country.
The spokesman for the Federal Capital Territory command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Samson Duza, said 119 inmates initially escaped, but 14 of them were later recaptured by the security forces.
The FCT command of the NCoS is in charge of the Kuje and Suleja medium security custodial centres in Abuja, and Niger State.
Speaking on the incident during a visit to the facility, the minister said, “The President has always talked about urbanisation eating into our correctional centres.
“You can look at the environment; it shows that we need to relocate a lot of our correctional centres, and we need to relocate them away from city centres to create better space, security, and infrastructure.
“But as we have said, we are not here to make excuses. We are here to take responsibility. I want to assure you that we are talking to our sister agencies to make sure that we can synergise, collaborate, and ensure that there is a timely return of these escapees.
“This was a facility that was built to house 250 inmates. Before the incident, we had 499 inmates, which leads us to what we have been talking about – overcrowding in our correctional centres,” Tunji-Ojo explained.
He further highlighted the urgent need for reforms in the over 240 custodial centres nationwide.
Speaking to journalists after surveying the damage caused by the rainstorm, the minister attributed the breach to a natural disaster.
He also assured swift action, emphasising the ongoing hunt for the escapees.
Tunji-Ojo pledged the Federal Government’s dedication to returning the 105 inmates to custody.