The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau has
admitted knowing about security gaps at the Kuje medium prison, Abuja that led
to the escape of two inmates from the Prison at the weekend.
Dambazau
disclosed this while fielding questions from journalists at the Kuje Prisons
after visiting the prison on Monday.
Two
inmates awaiting trial for culpable homicide escaped from the prison on Friday
night and are still at large but Dambazau insisted that he had earlier called
the attention of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) to the gaps which eventually
led to the prisoners' escape.
"This
is a very serious issue," the minister lamented. "The security gaps
that I observed when I came here the last time, though I don't want to preempt
the outcome of the investigation, I think those lapses were what made it
possible for the prisoners to escape."
He
said an investigation had already been started by the Controller General of the
Prisons Service, Ja'afaru Ahmed, noting that efforts will be made to reinforce
security at the prison facility.
While
insisting that the names of all the inmates in cuatody must be known by
authorities, Dambazau warned Prison officers to take their job seriously.
"This
place is a warehouse where we ensure that anyone who passes through here does
not go out as a criminal. So, if we leave these gaps, we will never be able to
achieve our objectives," he said.
Dambazau
who said the report of a preliminary investigation conducted has been submitted
to him, declined disclosing how the inmates escaped from the prison facility.
He
however, assured that anyone found guilty will be punished even as he said
efforts were being doubled to recapture the fleeing prisoners.
Meanwhile,
reporters were prevented from gaining access to the prison to get an insight
into how the prisoners escaped as well as ascertaining if Charles Okah who was
rumoured to be one of the escapees was still in custody.
Tags
Society