By Sandra Ogedengbe
The Federal Government has said it is considering relocating inmates from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger State, following the jailbreak that saw the escape of 119 inmates.
During a Thursday visit, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of interior, disclosed that the center accommodates 499 inmates, exceeding its original capacity of 250.
“This is a testimony of what we keep talking about – overcrowding of our correctional homes. You can look at the environment, it shows that we need to relocate them away from city centres to create better space, better security and better infrastructure,” he said.
He confirmed that 119 inmates had escaped, with 10 subsequently re-apprehended. His response came after reports indicated that the facility management planned to release the names and photos of the escaped inmates on Wednesday.
He assured Nigerians that his Ministry was already working behind the scene to fashion out a correctional system that will work for the benefit of Nigerians.
He expressed optimism that such an incident would not happen again in any other facility.
“This could have been avoided if the right information was disseminated at that appropriate time, on the structure.
“We will get them back and we will ensure this doesn’t happen again anywhere in the country,” he assured.
