By Oluwatosin Maliki
In a recent report, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) said there was no record of jailbreak or attack in all 253 custodial centres across the country in 2023.
This was disclosed by the spokesman, Assistant Controller of Corrections (ACC), Mr Abubakar Umar, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
The spokesman explained that the government had put in place, comprehensive measures to strengthen the security of the facilities as well as counter potential threats, either originating from internal or external sources.
Furthermore, he said that Nigeria had witnessed several vicious jailbreaks and attacks in previous years, while noting that a lot of strategies were setup to avert the reoccurring trend across the nation.
Speaking on, he recalled that the management had announced on January 20, that 2023 would be a tough year for perpetrators of jailbreaks across the country as massive personnel and technology for intelligence gathering were deployed to thwart jail attacks.
He said the move by the agency was both in terms of infrastructural development in the service for the year 2023 and security strategies to prevent what happened in the year 2022.
NAN also reports that an incident occurred in July 5, 2022, involving the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, in which they launched an attack on a Nigerian highly fortified custodial centre in Abuja.
Security personnel were overpowered as the group managed to infiltrate the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, resulting in a significant escape of 879 inmates, of whom more than half were later apprehended.
However, Umar said, the fact that there were no jail attacks recorded in Nigeria in 2023 is truly remarkable.
He stated, “This achievement should be celebrated as a significant milestone in upholding law and order in the country.”
“This accomplishment can be attributed to a combination of factors. It reflects the dedication and professionalism of the security personnel who diligently carry out their duties, implementing robust protocols and procedures to prevent any untoward incidents.”
“Our commitment to upholding the highest standards of security is commendable and should be recognised, “he noted.