Jos jailbreak: Four kidnappers on trial escape –Controller

From Gyang Bere, Jos

The Plateau State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has said that four inmates have escaped from the Jos Custodial Centre. The Controller-in-Charge of the Command, Mr. Samuel Aguda, confirmed the development to newsmen on Friday in Jos.

Aguda who said the incident occurred in the wee hours of Thursday, attributed the development to negligence on the part of personnel on duty. “You are all aware of the ugly incident that happened in our major facility here in Jos. Yesterday, at about 1a.m., four suspects, who are awaiting trial over kidnapping and armed robbery, escaped from our facility.

“When I came to the scene, I realised that it is either they duplicated the key to the cell or there was serious negligence on the part of personnel on duty. The inmates escaped through the fence,” he said.

The controller said that it had commenced investigation to unravel the remote and immediate cause of incident. “Currently, the Assistant Controller General in charge of Operations is personally on ground investigating the matter. We have also constituted a search party which visited motor parks, markets and other places in search of the escapees, but none has been arrested yet. But I want to assure members of the public that we will soon get them,” he assured.

He called on Plateau residents to avail the Service information that would lead to arrest of the escaped prisoners. He also assured that any officer and personnel of the Service that is found wanting in the incident would be punished. He said the personnel on duty on the day the incident occurred had been detained within the prison yard pending the conclusion of investigation. The controller said he cannot wish away the fact that there was a foul play somewhere aimed at tarnishing the image of the Command, and noted that those behind the act would be uncovered after the investigation. He said: “We have 340 staff in the Jos Custodian Centre, there may be Judas among them. I know, there could be inside collaboration aimed at discrediting the system.  But they will be surely fished out.”