Aftermath #EndSARS protest: Crime booms in Benin as escaped prisoners join city bandits

Over 1,600 inmates out of a total of 1,993 persons who were said to have escaped from the Oko Medium Correctional Centre and Sapele Road Correctional Centre, popularly called White House, Benin, on October 19 are still on the loose.
The inmates had escaped when hoodlums who masqueraded as #EndSARS protesters broke into the facilities.

While 25 inmates voluntarily returned to the correctional centres one week after the break-in, 38 others were re-arrested by the police in different parts of the state after committing various offences following their escape, while another 241 were said to have subsequently returned on their own.

The new Comptroller of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Mr Babayo Maisanda, could however not be reached for more information on the returnee inmates and the re-arrested ones. However, a source from one of the centres in Benin who did not want his name in print noted that the Department of State Security (DSS), the police and officials of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) would soon begin a manhunt for the runaway inmates.

He said the action became necessary following the expiration of the one-week ultimatum for the fleeing inmates to return, which was later extended by another one week. The officer added that those who escaped from custody risked being sentenced for extra seven years if caught, while those who willingly surrender themselves would be shown mercy as promised by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

“We have a way of arresting runaway prisoners. We have swung into action following the expiration of the two-week ultimatum by the governor. The earlier they return on their own, the better. Those who are re-arrested will be retried and sentenced to extra seven years if convicted. It is in their own interest to return even with the expiration of the ultimatum,” the source said.

Alex Ose, aged 40, a taxi driver, awaiting trial since 2014 when he was arrested for armed robbery, was one of the inmates who surrendered to the authorities when he returned to Sapele Road Correctional Centre on October 25.
Ose, from Esan, Edo State and father of four, said he decided to heed the call of the governor and surrender himself, claimed to be innocent of the charges against him and said he was sure that he would be vindicated by the court. The awaiting trial inmate, however, confessed that the escape provided him an opportunity to be home with his wife and children.

The inmate pleaded: “I am innocent of the allegations against me. I was framed. I am appealing to Governor Obaseki to look into my case. I had every opportunity to run but chose to surrender myself. The governor should please look seriously into my case. I am innocent.”
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, said 18 inmates who escaped were recently nabbed by the police.

Kokomo said: “Our main concern now is geared towards re-arresting the escapees and recovering the looted items and other illicit arms and ammunition in circulation. To this end, the police and other security agencies in conjunction with the state government have put machinery in place to checkmate the activities of these rampaging hoodlums, which have yielded some positive results.”

Kokumo agreed that the recent sharp increase in cult-related killings in some neighbourhoods in Benin was related to the escaped prisoners who are still on the loose.

From the Assistant Police Commissioner who was shot on the leg and is at present receiving treatment, to the near three-week inter-cult war which claimed the lives of over 38 persons, there is tension among residents in Benin. The top policeman ran into the warring gunmen, who shot at the police van which was on a rescue mission with his colleagues.

As a result of cult attacks, scores of people have been killed in the state, particularly in areas like Siluko Road, Upper Sakponba, Uselu, Iguosa, Isihor, Ibiwe, Okhoro and other areas of the Benin metropolis.

The series of killings seem to have abated with the deployment of armed soldiers to the hotspots, but it is yet to be seen if peace has come to stay in the affected communities.

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