ANALYSIS: Will Nigeria ever recapture all escaped prison inmates?

Aside from incessant killings, abductions, and massive corruption that marred the administration of ex-president Muhammadu Buhari, one common and repeated breach witnessed during the administration was repeated prison break.

While this phenomenon is not immune to Nigeria, the country recorded jailbreaks in 11 states of the country including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja due to poor security features such as shortage of armed personnel and weapons required to guard the facilities.

With overcrowded prisons across the nation, Nigeria’s correctional centers are vulnerable to attacks. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) correctional centre statistics data, at least 65 correctional facilities are overcrowded in southwest Nigeria. This, according to the data, is the same situation in the southeast and south-south. While northern regions are not as bad as this, at least two inmates are staying in the space intended for one person.

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As constituted authorities failed to address overcrowded prison menace, unlawful decongestion of correctional facilities became apparent and condemned criminals escaped through violent attacks

On July 29, 2016, 13 inmates escaped during a jailbreak at the Koton/Karfe Correctional Centre in Kogi State after they forcefully brought down a section of the prison. Of all the people who escaped, only one person was reportedly rearrested. 

Weeks after the incident, another jailbreak occurred in Nsukka Correctional Centre in Enugu State, on August 9, 2016, with no fewer than 15 inmates fleeing their cells. Security operatives only announced the rearrest of two thereafter.  

On December 27, 2017, 36 inmates escaped Ikot Ekpene Correctional Facility in Akwa Ibom State, after they wrestled an axe from a kitchen staff and used it in fighting prison officials.  Similarly, the Tunga prison in Minna, Niger State, was attacked by armed men on June 3, 2018. While over 200 inmates escaped, only 28 prisoners were recaptured back by security operatives.

When #EndSARS protest was at its peak thugs launched coordinated attacks on the Benin and Oko prisons in Edo State on October 19, 2020, releasing 1,993 prisoners from both prisons in the process. In fact, one of the prisoners who escaped went to his village to kill a witness who testified against him in court. Only 207 of the escaped prisoners were rearrested weeks later. 

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Another attack was launched on the  National Correctional Service Facility in Okitipupa, Ondo State, on October 22, 2020, after armed men pulled down the walls of the prison and set 58 prisoners free. While efforts were ongoing to account for the ruins in Ondo, armed men attempted to break into the Ikoyi Correctional Centre in Lagos on the same day.

On April 5, 2021, Owerri Custodial Centre in Imo State was attacked with explosives and dynamites, and  1,884 inmates were freed. The operation reportedly lasted for two hours. According to the prison authorities, 600 inmates either returned or rearrested after the attack. 

In another event, 240 inmates were released and two prison officials were killed when assailants attacked the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kabba, Kogi State, on September 12, 2021. Security agencies later said they rearrested 114 prisoners. Gunmen also attacked the Abologo Custodial Centre in Oyo State, on October 22, 2021, freeing 837 prisoners in the process. Like previous cases, not everyone who escaped was recaptured as security officials only rearrested 252 prisoners.

Although four inmates escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Jos, Plateau State, in July 2021, the facility suffered another attack on November 28, 2021, when gunmen launched an attack that led to the release of 262 inmates. 10 inmates and one security official were killed during the attack.

In a bid to ensure national security and adequate profiling of prison inmates, the Nigerian government said they captured the biometric data of all inmates in Nigerian Correctional Centres and would help to rearrest them in the case of escape.

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Meanwhile, as of the time of filing this report, many escaped inmates are still at large.  The failure of authorities to recapture thousands of escaped inmates means the society is filled with massive criminals and may perpetuate more atrocities by contributing to unprecedented insecurity across the nation. 

Nigerian Correctional Service spokesperson Abubakar Umar, did not respond to enquiries about the actual number of those that have been recaptured and efforts in place to rearrest other inmates still at large.