The House of Representatives took a decisive stance on Wednesday, tasking the Nigerian Correctional Service with the responsibility of providing a detailed account regarding the inmates who managed to escape from the Medium Security Custodian Centre in 2022.
This call to action transpired during a plenary session, where the House mandated its Committees on Reformatory Institutions, Interior, and Police Affairs to collaborate with the heads of pertinent security agencies.
Their objective is to compile a comprehensive report outlining the current status of the escaped inmates.
This proactive move by the House demonstrates a commitment to addressing the security challenges posed by the escapees.
The committees have been given a timeline of six weeks to liaise with the relevant authorities and present their findings, paving the way for subsequent legislative actions.
The impetus for this legislative motion emanated from a proposal sponsored by Emmanuel Ukpong–Udo, a dedicated member representing the Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State.
During the debate, Ukpong-Udo highlighted the alarming incident of a jailbreak on July 5, 2022, at Abuja’s Kuje Medium Custodial Facility. This incident resulted in a staggering 879 inmates, including 64 individuals affiliated with Boko Haram, fleeing the facility.
Astonishingly, 422 of these escapees remain at large, eluding recapture by security agencies.
It’s noteworthy that the Islamic State in West African Province claimed responsibility for the July 2022 attack on the Kuje Custodian Centre, further underscoring the gravity of the situation.
The House, in recognizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of the inmate incidents and strategies to trace both inmates and perpetrators, stressed the importance of leveraging the Nigeria Correctional Service’s database.
The House expressed its concern over the presence of law-abiding citizens among the 350 escapees, each with diverse criminal offenses. This amalgamation of individuals with varying criminal backgrounds poses a significant security risk, as daily crimes are being recorded without a trace of the perpetrators. Disturbingly, a year after the escape, these individuals are assimilating into different communities, potentially resuming their criminal activities undetected.
This has prompted a sense of urgency, with the House advocating for the implementation of effective measures to track down and apprehend these escapees, ensuring the safety and security of the populace.
“This is disturbing that after a year, the escapees are thriving in different communities, blending in and potentially continuing their criminal activities unnoticed, necessitating the urgent need to have reasonable measures in place to track and apprehend these individuals.”
