Reps ask Tinubu to investigate jailbreaks since 2015

The House of Representatives on Thursday urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately set up a judicial panel of inquiry on prison attacks in the country with a view to ensuring that such assaults on the entire security apparatus of Nigeria do not recur.

The resolution was passed as a sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Kabir Rurum, who expressed concern over the escape of over 7,000 inmates who escaped during the 17 jailbreaks reported between September 2015 and July 2023.

In its bid to address the challenge, the House underscored the need to establish Nigerian Correctional Centres, Armed Security Guards and Correctional Data Security across the country.

In his lead debate, Hon. Rurum, who called for the House intervention, lamented that the “incessant attacks on custodial facilities of the Nigerian Correctional Service and frequent escape of inmates convicted and awaiting trial have become a dangerous trend as they portend grave danger to society and has become an embarrassment to the country’s security
architecture.

“The House also notes that the recent rainstorm incident in Niger State, which resulted in the escape of 118 inmates, has again brought attention to the worrisome state of the nation’s correctional centres security architecture and the looming danger ahead.

“The House is aware that from September 2015 to July 2023, there have been reported cases of about 17 jailbreaks across Nigeria, resulting in over 7,000 escapees.

“The House is cognizant that prison officials are not properly trained to be infantry and confrontational, making it difficult to repel such attacks, hence the need to put in place upgraded prison facilities with better security armed guards, walls, perimeter fences, and solid gates, and the installation of modern equipment to easily detect security breaches and curb further attacks.

“The House is worried that the grave implication of the jailbreak is the fact that the criminals have returned to society, and their refusal to go back to prison indicates that they will continue to perpetrate more atrocities, leading to further breakdown of security across the country.

“The House believes that prison break constitutes a threat to national security, and stringent actions must be taken to avoid further incidents,” he said.

To this end, the House mandated the joint Committees on Interior and Reformatory Institutions to interface with the relevant Federal Government Agencies to constitute threat management in correctional centres across the country, collate data on inmates by enrolling them in the National Identity Number system, and report within four weeks for further legislative action.

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