Kuje Jail Attack: ‘Inmates money not stolen’, NCoS insists

Hassan, Fleeing Boko Haram Member Recaptured In Nasarawa

The Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service, (NCoS), Haliru Nababa, has debunked rumours in some sections of the media that monies worth N82m and $36,000 belonging to inmates were stolen by the attackers and fleeing inmates on Tuesday night.

Nababa said the reports were false and malicious as no such incident took place. In a communiqué, the service’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Umar, said: “All inmates’ cash deposited in the custody of the authorities of the custodial center is intact and safe as there was an existing instruction from the Controller General of Corrections that all officers superintending custodial centers must not keep huge sums in the facility.”

He said the clarification and setting straight the record became imperative against the misleading narrative the unfounded information has generated and the unpatriotic diversion of attention from addressing the challenges at stake.”

“No effort or resources are being spared in hunting down all the escapees and it is heart-warming that the integrated strategies are yielding favorable results.”

THE Nasarawa State Police command has recaptured Hassan Hassan, a suspected member of the Boko Haram terrorist who recently escaped from the Kuje correctional centre.

Terrorists on Tuesday attacked the Kuje medium custodial centre and freed over 800 inmates including members of the Boko Haram and Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP).

Subsequently, the Federal Government on Friday declared 64 of the inmates who had terror-related charges wanted with their names and other details published.

A statement by the Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, said the Boko Haram escapee was nabbed in the early hours of yesterday.

The statement read: “Sequel to the attack on Kuje Maximum Custodial Centre and subsequent escape of inmates, on July 9, 2022 at around 1.30pm, one Hassan Hassan, whose name and picture was amongst the escaped inmates with Boko Haram/Terrorism case was recaptured by the Eagle-eyed police operatives of the Nasarawa State Police Command at Keffi.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Adesina Soyemi has ordered for the transfer of the suspect to a safer location while an intensive search for other escapees and handing over process of the arrested inmate progresses.

“The Commissioner of Police, however, appreciated the efforts of the Police operatives for a job well done and assured members of the public of the Command’s unrelenting efforts at making the public space safer for all.”