Kuje Jailbreak: Mr. President, who is in charge of Nigeria’s security?

Last week Nigerians were awoken by another sad news of jailbreak. Nigerians were already getting used to jailbreak, whether contrived, arranged or otherwise. However, the latest jailbreak was not just an ordinary jailbreak. It was a jailbreak right in the Federal Capital Territory at the Federal Custodial Centre, Kuje. The custodial centre holds more than 63 Boko Haram terrorists and other persons arrested for committing various heinous crimes including armed robbery, kidnapping and murder. Remember Wadume and the killing of armed policemen? He was said to have escaped too. At the last count it was alleged that more than 600 inmates escaped. To put it in more practical terms, more than 600 Boko harm, armed robbery, murder and kidnapping suspects are now roaming free in Nigeria.

The history of jailbreaks in Nigeria is an interesting read. It has been speculated that more than 7000 inmates have escaped from the various custodial centres in Nigeria over a period of 12 years. I am yet to see a country in the world that can beat that record, if not Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria. In the last 20 months alone, there have been more than 10 successful jailbreaks in Nigeria. Whenever these jailbreaks occur we all lament and condemn or we just express our disappointment, like our President and go back to sleep mode while awaiting the next jailbreak. Nigeria is a comedy of contradictions. Everyone knows the solutions to our problems and we mouth it but turn around to sabotage it, ourselves.

Jailbreaks are recurring incidents in custodial centres that are usually overburdened and stretched beyond their capacities. It is a disaster waiting to happen, to keep 2,000 inmates in a facility meant for 800 persons. More appalling is the un-solomonic system of constructing prisons within urban centres or close to urban centres. It is a fact that most of the nation’s prisons are located in the cities and towns. This is un-safe for the community of persons living there and makes easy getaway, by escapee inmates. Prisons ought to be constructed in places far away from human habitat like remote islands where escape will be very difficult. Our slow administration of criminal justice system has also not helped in decongesting our prisons. One of the objectives of the recently enacted Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 is to ensure speedy dispensation of justice and the resort to non-custodial sentencing. Sadly, the needed facilities for the effective commencement of the non-custodial sentencing regime are still not in place because of government bureaucracy. We still have awaiting inmates standing trial for more than 7 years.

While we highlight the structural challenges confronting the prison system in Nigeria, we should not play the ostrich regarding the human elements in the charade called prison management. The endemic nature of corruption has eaten very deep into the fabric of the prison system in Nigeria. With the right money, an inmate can live a luxury life in prison. There are no consequences for failures. Incompetence and insubordination are rewarded. Impunity reigns supreme. Inmates’ unrestricted access to communication gadgets, which are mostly left un-monitored, is not rare in the prisons. One then wonders, why would it not be easy for an inmate to just walk away from the prison?

Coming back to the Kuje jailbreak, how can it be explained that for the three hours, the terrorists reportedly operated at the custodial centre, there was no response from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air force, the Nigerian Police, NSCDC and DSS? Every Nigerian knows that all these security establishments are within 30 minutes to one hour’s drive to Kuje prison. What happened? What are Nigerians not being told? How did more than 300 inmates escape on foot and on bike without any trace? Were they ghosts? Not even one terrorist was killed or caught? Did the armed guards throw away their firearms upon sighting the terrorists and run away, or they acted see-nothing, do-nothing and hear-nothing, based on superior order? It does not make sense, hence Nigerians are still asking questions.

President Muhammadu Buhari visited Kuje Prison and joined Nigerians in asking questions that we ought to be asking him too. He expressed his disappointment at the jailbreak and the lacklustre performance of the security agencies. No, Mr. President, should not be disappointed. The tell-tale signs have been there all the while. It was just a matter of time, for hell to let loose. Our nation’s intelligence community is only good in harassing critics of government and predicting night and day but has failed to keep Abuja city safe. If Abuja cannot be said to be safe, where in Nigeria is therefore safe. I expect Mr. President to have sacked at the minimum, the Minister of Interior, The Comptroller-General of the Federal Correctional Service, The National Security Adviser, the Director of State Security and the Chief of Army Staff. But this is Nigeria. It is a taboo. The reward for incompetence is more promotion.

The incompetence of the Nigerian security chiefs has made Nigeria insecure. Kidnapping for ransom is now rife. Police demand for financial gratification before they will make any move to rescue a kidnap victim. No one knows if the next victim would be you, profiting from the misfortune of a fellow human being. Mr. President should sit up and act presidential for once. Nigeria is in trouble.