The Federal Government on Thursday began uploading the data of 60 escaped terrorists and other criminals to the International Criminal Police Organisation, (INTERPOL) database.
As of press time, Raye24reporters learnt that the details of most of the escapees had already been uploaded.
The Spokesman, Nigeria Correctional Service, Umar Abubakar, who confirmed this on Thursday, disclosed that the names, pictures and other data of the inmates have been circulated to other security agencies.
When asked if the NCoS has dispatched the data of the terrorists to Interpol, Abubakar said, “They are working on it; the ones they uploaded are not too clear to my liking and the management’s liking. Hopefully, they should be through tonight.
“Yes, we have access to the (Interpol) database. Every inmate or suspect that is brought to our facility, we photograph him and have the details about him before it goes to our database.
“They are trying to upload it and work on it so we can have the details of the offences committed and have the next-of-kin and take appropriate actions.”
Asked if the service had alerted other security agencies to look out for the fleeing inmates, Abubakar stated, “Yes, we have sent the list to other security agencies but the issue is that we want to upload the information with their pictures captured for easy identification by this night (Thursday) or earliest tomorrow morning (Friday); by 8am, we should be through.”
Checks by our correspondent showed that the reconstruction of the bombed facility began on Thursday.
A senior officer disclosed that the walls are being fortified as directed by the government.
Responding to claims that there were no close circuit cameras at the facility, a senior officer who spoke on condition of anonymity dismissed it as untrue.
He stated, “The prison has CCTVs, it is just that the cameras do not cover as far as the gate where the soldiers are. But within the walls, there is CCTV. The pictures of the fleeing inmates have been sent to Interpol.”
It was learnt that Mustapha Umar, a man who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison by a Federal High Court in 2013 for bombing the Kaduna office of ThisDay newspapers is among the 60 Boko Haram members that escaped when terrorists attacked the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola had ordered that Mustapha spend the rest of his life in jail for bombing the office of ThisDay using 12 camp gas cylinders in 2012.
A list of the fleeing inmates obtained by reporter on Thursday showed that some suspected Boko Haram members currently standing trial are among the fleeing inmates.
Yasir Salihu aka Dan Birni, an avowed Boko Haram member who confessed to killing influential Kaduna cleric, Sheikh Auwal Albani, on the order of the late Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, is also among those who escaped. Also on the list is Kyari Goni, a former commander from Shekau’s faction who willingly surrendered to the military.
Others on the list are: Shehu Abdullahi, Suleiman Idi, Suleiman Zacharia, Yakubu Abdullahi, Yasir Salihu, Yunusa Mukaiya, Bello Haruna, Biliyaminu Usman, Sunday Michael, Bello Haruna, Bilyaminu Usman, Bukar Ali, Ibrahim Mohammed, Ikya Abur, Ismail Abdullahi, Modu Aji, Mohammed Sani, Musa Abubakar, Fannami Bukar, Faruku Waziri, Hassan Hassan, Ibrahim Musa, Idris Ojo and Ishaq Farouq.
Others are; Mohammed Guja, Mohammed Buba, Abdulmannan Obadiki, Abubakar Musa, Abubakar Umar, Adamu Mohammed, Ahmadu Hagola, Asama Kanti, Baluye Modu, Bassey Kingsley, Diko Iko, Abdulkareem Musa, Andulsalami Adamu, Abubakar Habibu, Abubhakar Sadiq, and Abubakar Mohammed were also listed.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says an alert has been sent to all checkpoints across the country even as our reporter learnt that officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service had been put on notice.
In a statement on Thursday, Aregbesola admitted that correctional centres across the country could only contain internal attacks but cannot withstand external force.
In a statement by his Spokesman, Sola Fasure, titled, ‘Armed Invasion of Kuje Correctional Centre’, Aregbesola said from all indication, Boko Haram terrorists were behind the attack.
“As we speak, security personnel are combing the whole area, up to a distance of 100km radius, looking for them. All checkpoints nationwide have been put on alert. More than 400 of them have been brought in and more are still coming,” he stated.
He added, “After the Abolongo, Oyo State, attack on a correctional facility, in October last year, it became apparent that a new form of attack for which our system was not prepared had emerged. Our system was primed to prevent and foil internal disturbance and riots, not external attacks/invasions since the facilities were usually built around police and military formations.”
In a statement, the Spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command Mohammed Shehu, said the command had intensified efforts to ensure adequate security at all the major roads in the state.
Also, the Ogun State Police Command on Thursday said the command had deployed heavy presence of police around the correctional centres to avert any attack.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, therefore stated that there was no cause for alarm.
In Katsina State, the police and immigration said the appropriate security arrangements were already in place to prevent escapees from Kuje to use borders in the state to escape from Nigeria.
The Spokesman for the Katsina NIS, Kabir Lawal, said that although Jibia and Kongolam border posts were under separate commands and not under Katsina, the NIS had appropriate security arrangements to prevent miscreants from using Katsina borders as their escape routes to neighbouring countries.
“The NIS has put in place appropriate strategies to prevent such miscreants from using our posts as escape route to cross to neighbouring countries,” he stated.
The Spokesman for the Katsina State Police Command, Gambo Isah, in his reaction said the command had the responsibility of ensuring safety of lives and property in the state.
Meanwhile, a tally by Raye24reporter showed that no fewer than 4,443 inmates are on the run after nine successful jailbreaks in the last seven years. Aregbesola had stated in December last year that 3,906 inmates were still on the run. With 443 having escaped on Tuesday night, the figure is now about 4,443.
Also, 18 jailbreak incidents have been reported since the commencement of the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari with nine successful attempts.
Between October 2020 and July 5, 2022, correctional centres in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory have witnessed several jailbreaks.
According to the Ministry of Interior, a total of 1,993 inmates were freed from two Nigerian Correctional Service Custodial Centres in Benin City and Oko in Edo State in October 2020.
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