Boko Haram plots to invade more prisons.
The Federal Government has uncovered plots by Boko Haram, the fundamentalist Islamic sect, to invade more prisons where their members are being held, it was revealed on Friday.
The sect’s plan is coming against the backdrop of a successful attack on Koton Karfe prison in Kogi State on Wednesday, where 119 inmates were freed.
Reports however indicated that 25 of the runaway inmates had been re-arrested.
Also the Niger Police Command said it had arrested nine additional suspected escapees from the prison.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Richard Oguche, said in Minna that the suspects were arrested along Lapai-Gulu Road in Niger, adding that one of those arrested was Patrick Oronge, the suspected Kabba bomber.
The suspects were carrying two AK47 rifles, 29 rounds of live ammunition, one complete mobile police uniform, one Berretta pistol and were driving a 504 station wagon with registration number AA 524 SGB.
A top security officer said the sect might launch attacks on the Kaduna and Kano prisons.
To stem this tide, the police, air force, army and State Security Service have been instructed to tighten security around the inmates in the nation’s prisons.
Out of the 49,000 inmates in all the prisons, 29,000 are awaiting trial, while 856 are on death row.
Also, plans are underway to build high observation towers in the prisons where prison operatives will observe movements around the prisons.
The Controller of Prisons in Anambra State, Patrick Ondoma, confirmed said the prison headquarters in Abuja was working towards the building of the towers.
Kogi prison attack, which left a warder dead after the armed men numbering over 20 had blasted through the prison doors with explosives, took security agencies unawares.
The Kogi attack was not the first. In September 2010, Boko Haram had attacked a prison in Bauchi state and freed more than 700 inmates.
Also on August 7, 2011, gunmen attacked the Port Harcourt prisons and freed five inmates who then escaped. Similarly, there was an attempt to free inmates at the Kaduna prison on April 20, 2010.
Although the Nigeria Prison Service had always sought the assistance of other security agencies whenever it had problems at any of its prisons, Wednesday’s jail break had persuaded it to further fortify security at prison facilities in the states to prevent further attacks on the prisons.
Confirming this, the NPS Public Relations Officer, Kayode Odeyemi, said the ‘Air force and police personnel have been deployed and the situation is calm.’
Odeyemi however declined to give further details on the security arrangements in the states
The attack on the Kogi Prisons was unfortunate but security has been beefed up there.
The government had indeed introduced enhanced security measures in prison formations across the country.
Since the Boko Haram insurgency in the North escalated, heavily armed soldiers have been drafted to man checkpoints erected some few metres away from the Kaduna Prisons main gate located on the popular Indepedence Way.
The gates of the prison yards have also been cordoned off with a barbed wire fence and concrete barriers.
The Public Relations Officer, Kaduna Prisons, Yemisi Oshagbemi, said, In addition to our armed guards, the police and military are assisting.
The Jos prison, which is harbouring many suspects involved in the various ethno-religious crises in the state, was one of the first to beef up security around its environs after the Kogi jailbreak.
The Nigerian Prison Service in Ekiti State has begun the movement of inmates of the prison to a new prison complex located off Ado/Afao Road.
The over 300 inmates were relocated in batches amidst sporadic gunshots from the security personnel who moved them in a convoy of vehicles including police armoured personnel carriers.
Ado-Ekiti Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jimoh, said, Due to attacks on prisons and other places, the police, SSS, civil defence are all on red alert.
The Port Harcourt Prisons Public Relations Officer, Attius Otta, said it was doing its best to ensure that the prison was not attacked.
The Controller of Prisons in Anambra State, Patrick Ondoma, said he had been moving round the three prisons in the state at Aguata, Awka and Onitsha to give instructions to officials on how to be proactive.
Although he was reluctant to divulge the measures being put in place for security reasons, he said iron bars were being erected at the gates of the prison formations to prevent vehicles from forcing their way through.
The Public Relations Officer, Nigerian Prison Services, Kwara State Command, Adebayo Okunola, told our correspondent that the armed squad and ammunition unit were up to the task of preventing jailbreaks in the Ilorin Prison, Oke Kura, Medium Security Prison Mandala, Lafiaji Prison and Omu Aran Prison.
THE Lagos Prison Public Relations Officer, Chuks Njoku said what happened in Kogi cannot happen in Lagos. assuring that it cannot happen in Lagos as they have constant security checks and enough measures in place and it’s a continuous thing.
The Federal Government has uncovered plots by Boko Haram, the fundamentalist Islamic sect, to invade more prisons where their members are being held, it was revealed on Friday.
The sect’s plan is coming against the backdrop of a successful attack on Koton Karfe prison in Kogi State on Wednesday, where 119 inmates were freed.
Reports however indicated that 25 of the runaway inmates had been re-arrested.
Also the Niger Police Command said it had arrested nine additional suspected escapees from the prison.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Richard Oguche, said in Minna that the suspects were arrested along Lapai-Gulu Road in Niger, adding that one of those arrested was Patrick Oronge, the suspected Kabba bomber.
The suspects were carrying two AK47 rifles, 29 rounds of live ammunition, one complete mobile police uniform, one Berretta pistol and were driving a 504 station wagon with registration number AA 524 SGB.
A top security officer said the sect might launch attacks on the Kaduna and Kano prisons.
To stem this tide, the police, air force, army and State Security Service have been instructed to tighten security around the inmates in the nation’s prisons.
Out of the 49,000 inmates in all the prisons, 29,000 are awaiting trial, while 856 are on death row.
Also, plans are underway to build high observation towers in the prisons where prison operatives will observe movements around the prisons.
The Controller of Prisons in Anambra State, Patrick Ondoma, confirmed said the prison headquarters in Abuja was working towards the building of the towers.
Kogi prison attack, which left a warder dead after the armed men numbering over 20 had blasted through the prison doors with explosives, took security agencies unawares.
The Kogi attack was not the first. In September 2010, Boko Haram had attacked a prison in Bauchi state and freed more than 700 inmates.
Also on August 7, 2011, gunmen attacked the Port Harcourt prisons and freed five inmates who then escaped. Similarly, there was an attempt to free inmates at the Kaduna prison on April 20, 2010.
Although the Nigeria Prison Service had always sought the assistance of other security agencies whenever it had problems at any of its prisons, Wednesday’s jail break had persuaded it to further fortify security at prison facilities in the states to prevent further attacks on the prisons.
Confirming this, the NPS Public Relations Officer, Kayode Odeyemi, said the ‘Air force and police personnel have been deployed and the situation is calm.’
Odeyemi however declined to give further details on the security arrangements in the states
The attack on the Kogi Prisons was unfortunate but security has been beefed up there.
The government had indeed introduced enhanced security measures in prison formations across the country.
Since the Boko Haram insurgency in the North escalated, heavily armed soldiers have been drafted to man checkpoints erected some few metres away from the Kaduna Prisons main gate located on the popular Indepedence Way.
The gates of the prison yards have also been cordoned off with a barbed wire fence and concrete barriers.
The Public Relations Officer, Kaduna Prisons, Yemisi Oshagbemi, said, In addition to our armed guards, the police and military are assisting.
The Jos prison, which is harbouring many suspects involved in the various ethno-religious crises in the state, was one of the first to beef up security around its environs after the Kogi jailbreak.
The Nigerian Prison Service in Ekiti State has begun the movement of inmates of the prison to a new prison complex located off Ado/Afao Road.
The over 300 inmates were relocated in batches amidst sporadic gunshots from the security personnel who moved them in a convoy of vehicles including police armoured personnel carriers.
Ado-Ekiti Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jimoh, said, Due to attacks on prisons and other places, the police, SSS, civil defence are all on red alert.
The Port Harcourt Prisons Public Relations Officer, Attius Otta, said it was doing its best to ensure that the prison was not attacked.
The Controller of Prisons in Anambra State, Patrick Ondoma, said he had been moving round the three prisons in the state at Aguata, Awka and Onitsha to give instructions to officials on how to be proactive.
Although he was reluctant to divulge the measures being put in place for security reasons, he said iron bars were being erected at the gates of the prison formations to prevent vehicles from forcing their way through.
The Public Relations Officer, Nigerian Prison Services, Kwara State Command, Adebayo Okunola, told our correspondent that the armed squad and ammunition unit were up to the task of preventing jailbreaks in the Ilorin Prison, Oke Kura, Medium Security Prison Mandala, Lafiaji Prison and Omu Aran Prison.
THE Lagos Prison Public Relations Officer, Chuks Njoku said what happened in Kogi cannot happen in Lagos. assuring that it cannot happen in Lagos as they have constant security checks and enough measures in place and it’s a continuous thing.
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