119 inmates escape from Suleja prison as heavy rain destroys facility

About 119 inmates have escaped from Suleja Correctional Centre in Niger State as a result of heavy rain fall that destroyed parts of the facility on Wednesday.

The long hours of rain fall on Wednesday which lasted into the night destroyed part of the over crowded facility and the inmates who escaped disappeared into thin air, before the authority could notice them.

This development was contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service NCoS, Adamu Duza on Thursday morning.

Duza in a statement which was obtained by CAPITAL POST in Abuja revealed that the Service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies, disclosing that 10 of the fleeing inmates have been recaptured and taken back into custody.

The statement read: “A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, 24 April 2024 has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centres, Suleja, Niger state, as well as surrounding buildings, destroying part of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of a total of one hundred and nineteen (119) inmates of the facility.

“The Service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies have so far recaptured 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody, while we are in hot chase to recapture the rest.

“The Service is not unmindful of the fact that many of its facilities were built during the colonial era and that they are old and weak.

“The Service is making frantic efforts to see that all ageing facilities give way to modern ones. This is evidenced in the ongoing construction of six (6) 3000-capacity ultra-modern custodial centres in all the geo-political zones in Nigeria as well as the ongoing reconstruction and renovation of existing ones.

“The Service wishes to assure the public that it is on top of the situation and that they should go about their businesses without fear or hindrance. The public is further enjoined to look out for the fleeing inmates and report any suspicious movement to the nearest security agency,” it stated.