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Jailbreaks: Aregbesola spits fire, says enough is enough

By Tina Abeku, Abuja
06 December 2022   |   6:44 am
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has again warned that any attempt to attack any of the nation’s correctional facilities will be met with deadly resistance as Nigeria has had enough of the embarrassment arising from external attacks on its custodial facilities setting free inmates meant to be behind bars.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has again warned that any attempt to attack any of the nation’s correctional facilities will be met with deadly resistance as Nigeria has had enough of the embarrassment arising from external attacks on its custodial facilities setting free inmates meant to be behind bars.

Aregbesola gave the warning yesterday at the unveiling of a new logo and uniform as well as the, commissioning of a situation and monitoring by the Nigeria Correctional Service, yesterday in Abuja.

He said it is impossible for an inmate to be set free or released from the custody of the Nigeria correctional service without a warrant or the express permission of those that brought the inmate behind bars lawfully and that any attempt to do so by any individual or group will be met with deadly force.

“I 1have said it before let me say it again, all our facilities are red zones. They should be inviolable and any intruder who comes near them should pay the full price.,” He said.

While rewarding 25 personnel of the service for their gallantry in defending some of the custodial facilities when they came under attack, the minister said “We regret to note that in some of the attacks, there were not enough gallantry and soldiery, a situation which embarrassed the Nigerian government and people”, some of the officers still stand out in defending the custodial centers. “To all those officers that had performed their duties as expected during these incidences; we salute your doggedness, sense of patriotism and gallantry.”

He said the NCoS is now working in line with global practices by digitizing its activities through the launch of a command and control room at its national headquarters in Abuja while an effective surveillance is mounted in the custodial centers to monitor activities in some selected centers.

According to him, “With eagle eyes on the custodial centers, inmates can be monitored without any violation of their rights while jail breaks and riots in our custodial centers can be prevented, checked and nipped in the bud before it escalates and external attackers can also be foiled. With this development, jailbreaks and rots in our custodial centers can be prevented”

Aregbesola pointed out that the newly unveiled uniforms and logo of the service symbolize a transition in line with the reforms brought by the NCoS Act of 2019 which introduces a shift from punitive to reformatory corrections and therefore calls for commensurate changes in the appearance of the services logo and uniform to match the current realities,

Controller General of the service, Haliru Nababa, said the occasion not only showcases the newly unveiled logo and uniforms but was also used to commission blocks of junior staff quarters and operational vehicles.

He said “NCoS is highly motivated and poised to conquer more grounds justifying all of the government’s huge investments in the service.

“On our part, we shall not rest on our oars in our resolve to deliver our mandate and compete with our contemporaries across the globe.”

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