FG Enlists INTERPOL’s Help Over Fleeing 3,471 ‘Hardened Criminals’

The Nigerian Government has asked the International Criminal
Police Organisation to be on the alert and look out for the inmates
who escaped in recent jailbreaks across the country, including the
most recent in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

It added that the Nigerian Immigration Service had also been
issued an alert, noting that the data of the inmates were being
compiled and would be sent to the relevant organisations in batches
so as not to delay the manhunt.

A senior official with the Nigerian Correctional Service told
Punch that the number of “dangerous” inmates on the loose
officially was 3,471, including those who escaped in Owerri.

The source noted that the inmates included hardened criminals,
kidnappers, armed robbers and condemned criminals awaiting
execution.

“Suffice it to say that the bulk of those who fled Owerri
correctional centre are hardened criminals,” the source added.

Recall that 1,844 inmates escaped from the Owerri Custodial
Centre on Monday when unidentified gunmen broke into the facility
with the aid of explosives.

The gunmen also attacked the state police headquarters, where
they freed about 600 suspects in custody. The attackers torched the
facilities and also vehicles on both premises.

The NCoS on its website said it only had a total of 84 inmates
back in custody.

It said the figure included those who did not flee during the
jailbreak, those recaptured, those who voluntarily returned and
those brought back by their relations, traditional rulers and
religious leaders.

On Friday, NCoS authorities published on its Twitter handle the
names and pictures of 36 of the fleeing inmates.

Meanwhile, following the escapees’ refusal to return to the
custodial centre, the NCoS said it was compiling the names and
pictures of the fleeing inmates for dispatch to the NIS to prevent
them from leaving the country and INTERPOL to track those who might
have fled.

The NCoS spokesperson, Francis Enobore, a Controller of
Corrections, said the service would seek the assistance of the two
agencies in arresting the escaped inmates.

Enobore said, “We are putting the list together, we would seek
INTERPOL and NIS’ assistance.

“Like the ones we are processing now, we want everything to be
comprehensive so that we send them at the same time. We also
realise that waiting for the list to be comprehensive before
sending may also slow down the manhunt, so these batches that are
coming up would be sent for local searches at motor parks and other
places but everything would be uploaded to the (INTERPOL)
platform.”

Investigations showed that the 3,471 inmates, who are now part
of society, escaped from three custodial centres. Some of them are
said to be serving jail terms for various crimes, including murder,
armed robbery and kidnapping while hundreds are facing trial for
different crimes.

Meanwhile, findings had shown that many inmates who escaped from
the Oko and Benin custodial centres in Edo State during the
violence that erupted after the #EndSARS protest was hijacked by
hoodlums in October last year had not been apprehended to date.

While 1,161 inmates escaped from Oko custodial centre, 530
absconded from the Benin custodial facility.

A senior NCoS officer who spoke with Punch described the
fugitives as “hardened criminals who are capable of compounding the
security situation in the country.”

The officer expressed worry over the number of condemned
criminals who cannot be accounted for till now.

The source said, “Those who released these dangerous inmates
didn’t know they are creating problems for themselves and the
nation by their action. It is a stupid thing to do. It is like
cutting off your hand because you are not happy with your finger.
Many of those who escaped from the Owerri correctional centre are
convicted kidnappers and murderers and the fear is that they would
likely go back to their violent ways and even commit worse
crimes.”

Meanwhile, security agencies including undercover intelligence
operatives have been combing communities in the South-East and
other parts of the country in search of the fleeing Owerri
inmates.

Men of the Department of State Services, police, NCoS and
soldiers have been deployed in villages and towns in pursuit of the
escaped inmates.

The NIS says it has beefed up security at the nation’s borders
in a bid to arrest the inmates and suspects who escaped from the
Imo jailbreak as they may be planning to flee the country.

The Spokesperson for the NIS, Sunday James, told Punch that
immigration had received the names and photos of some of the
escapees from the NCoS.

James said, “We have the details of those people (suspects).
They have been sent to us officially. So, we are monitoring those
pictures as a sister agency. We have sent the photos to our border
officers and they are monitoring with those pictures’’.

The Nigeria Police Force has also launched a manhunt for the
fleeing prisoners.

The Nigerian Government has asked the International Criminal
Police Organisation to be on the alert and look out for the inmates
who escaped in recent jailbreaks across the country, including the
most recent in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

It added that the Nigerian Immigration Service had also been
issued an alert, noting that the data of the inmates were being
compiled and would be sent to the relevant organisations in batches
so as not to delay the manhunt.

A senior official with the Nigerian Correctional Service told
Punch that the number of “dangerous” inmates on the loose
officially was 3,471, including those who escaped in Owerri.

The source noted that the inmates included hardened criminals,
kidnappers, armed robbers and condemned criminals awaiting
execution.

“Suffice it to say that the bulk of those who fled Owerri
correctional centre are hardened criminals,” the source added.

Recall that 1,844 inmates escaped from the Owerri Custodial
Centre on Monday when unidentified gunmen broke into the facility
with the aid of explosives.

The gunmen also attacked the state police headquarters, where
they freed about 600 suspects in custody. The attackers torched the
facilities and also vehicles on both premises.

The NCoS on its website said it only had a total of 84 inmates
back in custody.

It said the figure included those who did not flee during the
jailbreak, those recaptured, those who voluntarily returned and
those brought back by their relations, traditional rulers and
religious leaders.

On Friday, NCoS authorities published on its Twitter handle the
names and pictures of 36 of the fleeing inmates.

Meanwhile, following the escapees’ refusal to return to the
custodial centre, the NCoS said it was compiling the names and
pictures of the fleeing inmates for dispatch to the NIS to prevent
them from leaving the country and INTERPOL to track those who might
have fled.

The NCoS spokesperson, Francis Enobore, a Controller of
Corrections, said the service would seek the assistance of the two
agencies in arresting the escaped inmates.

Enobore said, “We are putting the list together, we would seek
INTERPOL and NIS’ assistance.

“Like the ones we are processing now, we want everything to be
comprehensive so that we send them at the same time. We also
realise that waiting for the list to be comprehensive before
sending may also slow down the manhunt, so these batches that are
coming up would be sent for local searches at motor parks and other
places but everything would be uploaded to the (INTERPOL)
platform.”

Investigations showed that the 3,471 inmates, who are now part
of society, escaped from three custodial centres. Some of them are
said to be serving jail terms for various crimes, including murder,
armed robbery and kidnapping while hundreds are facing trial for
different crimes.

Meanwhile, findings had shown that many inmates who escaped from
the Oko and Benin custodial centres in Edo State during the
violence that erupted after the #EndSARS protest was hijacked by
hoodlums in October last year had not been apprehended to date.

While 1,161 inmates escaped from Oko custodial centre, 530
absconded from the Benin custodial facility.

A senior NCoS officer who spoke with Punch described the
fugitives as “hardened criminals who are capable of compounding the
security situation in the country.”

The officer expressed worry over the number of condemned
criminals who cannot be accounted for till now.

The source said, “Those who released these dangerous inmates
didn’t know they are creating problems for themselves and the
nation by their action. It is a stupid thing to do. It is like
cutting off your hand because you are not happy with your finger.
Many of those who escaped from the Owerri correctional centre are
convicted kidnappers and murderers and the fear is that they would
likely go back to their violent ways and even commit worse
crimes.”

Meanwhile, security agencies including undercover intelligence
operatives have been combing communities in the South-East and
other parts of the country in search of the fleeing Owerri
inmates.

Men of the Department of State Services, police, NCoS and
soldiers have been deployed in villages and towns in pursuit of the
escaped inmates.

The NIS says it has beefed up security at the nation’s borders
in a bid to arrest the inmates and suspects who escaped from the
Imo jailbreak as they may be planning to flee the country.

The Spokesperson for the NIS, Sunday James, told Punch that
immigration had received the names and photos of some of the
escapees from the NCoS.

James said, “We have the details of those people (suspects).
They have been sent to us officially. So, we are monitoring those
pictures as a sister agency. We have sent the photos to our border
officers and they are monitoring with those pictures’’.

The Nigeria Police Force has also launched a manhunt for the
fleeing prisoners.