Senate probes jailbreaks across Nigeria

The Senate on Tuesday mandated its Committee on Interior to carry out a full-scale investigation into the causes of jailbreaks across the country.

This is as it resolved to summon the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa to determine the status of correctional centres nationwide, with a view to finding out the challenges in order to prevent future recurrence.

This was after a motion titled, ‘Terror Attacks on two Communities in Plateau North and Jail Break at the Jos Medium Security Correctional Centre Jos,’ was brought to the floor by Senator Istifanus Gyang representing Plateau North Senatorial District.

Special Assistant to President of the Senate, Ezrel Tabiowo on Tuesday disclosed this in a statement titled ‘Senate probes jailbreaks across Nigeria.’

According to the statement, “Gyang, while coming under order 42 and 52 of the Senate Rules to present his motion, noted with grief the multiple terror attacks on two communities of Ta’egbe, Rigwe land and Durbi, Sheri District in a Bassa and Jos East Local Governments, leading to the death of over ten persons over the weekend.

“According to the lawmaker, the attacks caused by a security breach of the Jos Medium Security Correctional Centre, was a setback to the relative and much-desired peace in Plateau North.

“He disclosed that nine inmates, including an officer identified as Umar A. Mohammed, were also killed, while 252 inmates escaped during the jailbreak.

“He said among the inmates at large, six were fatally injured, 10 of the escapees re-arrested, 63 sentenced to death, 27 convicted, and 181 awaiting trials.

“Gyang said that the invaders responsible for the break “walked through a security zone and broke through to have over 200 inmates escape from the Centre.”

“He added that the wardens who put up a fight against the invaders were overwhelmed during a gun battle against the attackers.

“Contributing, Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita (Katsina North) blamed the spate of insecurity in Nigeria on the inadequate number of personnel across the various security agencies in the country.

“He, therefore, called on the National Assembly to rise to the occasion by appropriating more funds to security agencies to enable them to undertake recruitment of more personnel.

“The Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), attributed the recent jailbreak in the country to what he described as a “porous prisons system”.

“He lamented that jailbreaks have become a recurring decimal which, in recent times have exposed the lives of Nigerians to harm, as a result of prisoners on the rampage to avenge their conviction.

“On his part, the Deputy Whip, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North), described the string of jailbreaks across the country as “unfortunate”.

“He said the development which must be tackled headlong was a fallout of correctional services being the weakest link in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.”

The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who presided over plenary on Tuesday, described the security breaches at correctional facilities as a “serious issue” that must be looked into.

He called for more funding of the office of the National Security Adviser to facilitate intelligence gathering.

Omo-Agege said, “Having given all the requisite funding to the security agencies, why are we still having these challenges? I think it is something we need to sleep over.

“But in the interim, it is clear that we have a serious intelligence gathering gap, there’s no debate about that.

“I think the Department of State Services (DSS) and most especially the office of the NSA, have not been given the kind of funding that is required for this fight, because they are the ones that are in charge of intelligence gathering.

“I’ve always taken the position that the office of the NSA, most especially, has been underfunded.

“He is supposed to be the one coordinating intelligence gathering and providing such intelligence to the other agencies for them to give requisite protection.

“If the office of the NSA is not properly funded, then, of course, it means that we are all in trouble.

“I think this is something that we must appeal to Mr. President, and even here in the leadership of the National Assembly, to look into for additional funding for the office of the NSA and, possibly, that of the DSS before the budget is finally tabled for consideration.”

The Senate in its resolutions called for a reinforcement of physical protection system and mechanism at correctional centres across the nation by the Ministry of Interior to forestall further attempts at jailbreaks.