The Federal Government has ordered a comprehensive manhunt for 109 fleeing inmates of Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre in Niger State.
The inmates escaped on Wednesday night when a torrential rainfall pulled down the walls of the facility.
The government said it had put all security agencies on alert to apprehend the escapees and ensure their immediate return to the facility.
It was gathered that 119 escapees fled the facility, but 10 of them were immediately apprehended.
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who visited the facility for an immediate assessment of the damage and get information on the fleeing inmates, said the government was considering the relocation of the custodial centre.
Tunji-Ojo said the escapees have ample time to return on their own to the facility as all their biometric information would be released to the public as soon as possible.
He faulted some gaps in the reporting line at the custodial centre, saying the situation could have been avoided if the right information had been passed to the appropriate channel on time.
“There was a breach on the outer wall of this facility and some of the inmates escaped.
“We were able to recapture 10 out of the 119 that escaped. So now, 109 are on the run. We have ordered a manhunt.
“The security agencies are presently going after them. We will do everything humanly possible to make sure that everyone is brought back here,” Dr. Tunji-Ojo said.
The minister said the Federal Government would investigate the remote and immediate causes of the collapsed perimeter fence of the facility, which caused the escape of the inmates.
He said: “We must make sure that this does not happen again. This could have been avoided if the right information at the appropriate time had been disseminated with regards to the structure and others.
“But we will get them back; we will secure our correctional facilities and make sure that this doesn’t happen again in Nigeria.
“Obviously, the walls are already old and weak, and there are certain responsibilities we must take. But we’ll do everything possible to prevent this happening in other facilities.”
