Twelve inmates have reportedly escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Koton Karfe, Kogi State, following a jailbreak early on Monday morning.
National spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service, Abubakar Umar, confirmed the incident, stating that all the escapees were Awaiting Trial Inmates (ATI). He further noted that two of the inmates had been apprehended, with efforts underway to capture the remaining ten.
Umar assured the public that all search efforts and security measures have been fully activated to track down and recapture the fugitives.
He said: “Twelve of the inmates in our custody at the Koton Karfe Medium Custodial Centre have escaped. They are all on awaiting trial but as I speak to you now, two have been captured.
“We are already working to capture the remaining inmates on the run.”
Umar lamented that one officer was killed in the attack.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered an immediate probe into the unfortunate prison break.
The minister described the incident as unfortunate and vowed to ensure all fleeing inmates are captured, leveraging the service’s robust biometrics and already deployed technology solutions.
The minister, according to a statement by his spokesman, Babatunde Alao, has also ordered the Acting Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Ndidi, to visit the facility in Kogi to evaluate the situation, and commence a comprehensive audit to unravel the events that led to the incident.
He said: “We are on top of the situation. Our men are on ground in Kogi, and I have ordered a comprehensive audit of the situation.”
