Probe Kuje Prison attack, ex DSS Director charges FG

From Molly Kilete, Abuja

A former director with the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor has called on the Federal Government to set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate Tuesday’s night attack on Kuje Prison in the Federal Capital Territory.

Ejiofor, who is also a security expert, described the Kuje Prison attack as disheartening and a national embarrassment. He noted that sufficient intelligence was provided by the Department of State Services on several occasions of an impending attack on the facility.

The former DSS director in an interview with Saturday Sun, who said he suspected sabotage on the part of the security agencies, noted that the Nigerian Correctional Service does not have the capacity to curtail such attack. He said only an inquiry would determine whether or not sufficient intelligence was made available and why the relevant security agencies did not act swiftly to prevent the attack from happening.

“People are worried that security is the primary purpose of government as enshrined in our constitution, so if you don’t have security, nobody is safe. You cannot have development and that is why people are worried,” he noted.

He advised Nigerians to be more security conscious of their environments, especially at this time when the terrorists and other criminals who escaped from the prison were out there.

He also called on communities, residents of estates and neighbourhood to boost their internal security network by settling up local security apparatus and report strange faces to the security agencies.

Ejiofor, who said the attack could have been avoided, urged the security agencies to up their games as the 2023 general election approaches to prevent future attack. He said the terrorists do not believe in democracy and would do everything to jeopardize the country’s electioneering process.

The security expert who also spoke on the attack on the Presidential convoy in Katsina State, said the action of the perpetrators was aimed at bringing disrepute to the government and instil fears in the minds of the people.”