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48 inmates recovered from Owerri jailbreak
By Blessing Olaifa, Abuja
The Nigerian Correctional Service said 48 inmates out of the 1,844 who fled from the Owerri Custodial Centre have been recovered.
It added peace has gradually returned to the Owerri Custodial Centre in Imo State following the recent invasion of the facility by gunmen suspected to members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
A statement from the Service Headquarters in Abuja noted that as at 1550hrs on Wednesday 7th April 2021: “The Centre has recovered a total of 48 inmates who escaped in the wake of the invasion thus increasing the number of inmates presently in custody to 84, including those that resisted the temptation to escape during the attack.”
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The statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Francis Enobore, said: “Among the escapees, 11 were recaptured by men of the 211 Nigerian Airforce Base, Owerri while others either came back on their own volition or were returned by their relations, traditional rulers and religious leaders.”
Acting on directives of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Acting Comptroller General of Corrections, John Mrabure has charged all staff in the Command to go after the fleeing inmates and smoke them out of hiding at all cost.
He read the riot act during the interactive session with personnel attached to the Custodial Centre including those at the State Headquarters.
He further asked the entire body of staff to braze up to frontally resist the emerging security challenges confronting the nation and by extension, the Nigerian Correctional Service.
