Scores of inmates escape as heavy rains destroy prisons in Niger

Some inmates escaped from Suleja Correctional Facility in Niger State during heavy rainfall on Wednesday night which destroyed parts of the facility.

This is contained in a statement by the spokesman of the FCT Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service, NCoS, Adamu Duza, on Thursday morning.

“A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, 24 April 2024 has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centre, 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 118 inmates of the facility,” he said.

He stated that the Service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies has so far rearrested 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody, while still in a hot chase to recapture the rest.

According to him, 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, adding that the Service is making frantic efforts to see that all ageing facilities give way to modern ones.

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“This is evidenced in the ongoing construction of six number of 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,” he said.