Aregbesola vows re-arrest of escaped inmates in Oyo jail-break

• Makinde, Alaafin, CP visit correctional centre
• Gov orders installation of CCTV cameras in all correctional facilities

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, yesterday, promised that all the inmates who escaped from the Abolongo Custodial Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCos), Oyo Town, Oyo State, would be pursued and recaptured.

This also came as the state governor, Seyi Makinde; the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III and the Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, visited the facility.

Aregbesola gave the assurance while making an inspection visit to the facility yesterday.

The minister said he had directed the NCoS to immediately begin remediation work to rebuild the damaged part of the facility.

The Alaafin of Oyo, who was received by top officials of the Service and conducted round the premises of the Centre to see the level of damage, urged calm among the residents and asked them to wait for the government.

Also, CP Onadeko shortly arrived the scene as the monarch made the way to his car after being conducted round the facility.

SIMILARLY, about 20 minutes after the Alaafin had left, Makinde arrived in company of some government functionaries, including Chairman, State Advisory Committee, Senator Hosea Agboola, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, commissioners, among others.

The governor, after being conducted round the damaged facility, said he had ordered that the main road leading to the facility be immediately graded and the security of the area improved.

He called for more calm, urging the people to dispel the rumour of the escape of any high profile inmates of the facility.

He added that about 300 inmates were still at large as the operatives have re-arrested more inmates, while some others voluntarily returned.

Makinde said government would take immediate steps to protect the facility.

He also promised to install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in the facility and link same with the security situation room in the state.

MEANWHILE, 13 inmates that fled the facility had been apprehended in Ife Odan, a town in Ejigbo Local Council of Osun State.

A source, who preferred anonymity, said the inmates were wandering in the town when policemen on patrol arrested them.

The source said with the development, security along Oyo/Osun border communities, especially in Ejigbo axis, had been tightened.