The sponsor of the motion feared that a year after the prison break, the escapees have blended back into society and continued their criminal activities unnoticed.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has called on the Nigerian Correctional Service to provide a detailed account of inmates who broke out from the Kuje custodial facility.
It also mandated its Committees on Reformatory Institutions, Interior, and Police Affairs to synergise with the heads of the relevant security agencies for a holistic report on the status of the escapees.
The call forms prayers of a motion sponsored by Rep. Emmanuel Ukpong–Udo (PDP, Akwa Ibom) during plenary on Wednesday.
Leading the debate, Ukpong-Udo noted that on July 5, 2022, a prison break in Abuja’s Kuje Medium Custodial Facility resulted in 879 inmates, including 64 Boko Haram terrorists, fleeing, with 422 remaining unrecovered or recaptured by security agencies.
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He also pointed out that the Nigeria Correctional Service requires a comprehensive report on inmate incidents and methods to trace inmates and perpetrators, utilizing its database.
“The presence of law-abiding citizens among 350 escapees with diverse offenses poses a security risk as daily crimes are recorded without any trace of perpetrators.
“It is disturbing that after a year, the escapees are thriving in different communities, blending in and potentially continuing their criminal activities unnoticed, necessitating the urgent need to have reasonable measures in place to track and apprehend these individuals,” he stated.
In adopting the motion, the House also its Committees on Reformatory Institutions, Interior, and Police Affairs to synergise with the heads of the relevant security agencies for a holistic report on the status of the escapees.
The report of the committees is expected back in four weeks.
