Kuje prison attack: I am disappointed — Aregbesola

THE Federal Government on Friday talked tough on the armed invasion of the Medium Security in Kuje, by terrorists Tuesday night, blaming security forces on ground for inability to repel the attack.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who spoke with newsmen after inspecting the facility, said he was disappointed that the attackers had their way in spite of the fact that enough security officers were on ground to repel the attack.

Aregbesola who described the incident as unfortunate and regrettable had earlier directed that a comprehensive investigation is carried out and that he should be briefed as soon as possible vowing that if any complicity is established, appropriate actions would be taken.

While fielding questions with newsmen, the minister said: “We have a world-class facility here by any standard. I am disappointed with the level of defence, we had enough men to protect this facility but unfortunately, they couldn’t hold their position effectively for defence and that was the reason for the breach.

“Now my position is so clear, I have declared since April last year that all our facilities are red zones and that whoever attempt an attack must not live to tell the story. I still maintain this.

“Kuje is the most fortified in the country, if fortification for security is the determinant of whether is medium or maximum, it is medium by size but maximum by the security being put there.

“We have a platoon of security officers deployed here. We have the high grade of military and police and other security forces deployed for protection but strangely something happened most of which I cannot say on camera,” he said.

Aregbesola maintained that those who escaped can only run but could hide as efforts are being put in place to ensure their recapture and brought back into custody.

He said: “It is very regrettable that this happened let me put it in context, the nation was experiencing asymmetric warfare. Yes, the insurgents have been degraded in the North East of Nigeria, 61, 000 of them are in our custody in the North East, the effect of the effectiveness itself in degrading them in the North East is what we are experiencing.

“As sad as it is, we must put behind whatever it is happening in the context of the asymmetric warfare unleashed on the nation by these criminal elements and we will rise up to it, that’s the assurance I want to give to Nigerians, as I said if deployments is the basis of security, Kuje was as at Tuesday heavily fortified,” he said.