The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja has been on red alert following the attack on Kuje Prison by terrorists on Tuesday at about 10:30pm.
Abuja Residents now live in fear because of the confirmation by the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd) that no Boko Haram suspect was found in the custodial centre after the attack on the facility.
Magashi said, the prison was accommodating about 994 inmates and over 600 escaped, including the 64 Boko Haram members in detention.
The Minister said, “the prison is accommodating about 994 inmates and over 600 escaped. Many people have been recaptured and brought back to the prison. Maybe by the close of the day, more will have been captured and returned.
“I think everything is under control. The people who came to do this activity, from the records, we believe they belong to a particular group. Most likely, they are Boko Haram members because we have sizeable number of Boko Haram suspects in detention, and presently we cannot locate any of them”, Magashi stated.
“I think they are about 64 in the prison and none of them now is available, they have all escaped”.
Meanwhile, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello has tasked traditional rulers in the area, especially, to work with relevant security operatives to apprehend all the inmates that escaped from the prison.
Malam Bello who was at the facility on Wednesday, 6th July 2022, for an on-the spot assessment of damage after the attack called on the Gomo of Kuje HRH Haruna Tanko Jibrin to summon all traditional chiefs in Kuje Area Council to combine intelligence with security agencies to fish out the escaped inmates from the community.
While calling on members of the communities to provide appropriate intelligence to the security agencies to enable them do their work, the Minister expressed confidence that, with maximum cooperation from the communities, all those who escaped would be traced, found and brought back since no one could go into any community and blend without being spotted by members of the community.
The Minister who met with the Comptroller General, Nigeria Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa and the Gomo of Kuje during the visit, described the incident as ‘very sad and unfortunate’, adding that such incidents threaten everybody, hence the need for everyone to support the security agencies in carrying out their assignments.
The Minister also stated that efforts are being made to strengthen security, not only around the facility, but the Kuje Area Council and other parts of the territory.
Malam Bello expressed his condolences to the Gomo of Kuje, and sympathised with the family of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps officer who lost his life during the incident, describing him as “a very fine and gallant officer”.
