In the last eight years, Nigeria has witnessed the escape of over 7,000 inmates from various correctional facilities across the country.
The President of the senate, Godswill Akpabio has charged the newly confirmed Controller-General (CG) of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, to tackle the rising cases of jailbreaks across the country.
Akpabio issued the directive on Tuesday after the senate, during plenary, confirmed Nwakuche’s appointment following the presentation of the report by the senate committee on Interior, chaired by Sen. Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North).
Addressing the chamber, Akpabio reminded the new CG that he was assuming office at a critical time when the nation is grappling with frequent prison breaks.
He said, “To whom much is given, much is expected. I hope that his appointment will bring an end to jailbreaks in Nigeria,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu had forwarded Nwakuche’s nomination to the senate last week in line with the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, seeking his speedy confirmation. The Senate subsequently screened and approved the appointment within the stipulated time.
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Alarming rate of jailbreaks in Nigeria
Nwakuche’s appointment comes at a time when the country is grappling with a disturbing rate of jailbreaks. In the last eight years, Nigeria has witnessed the escape of over 7,000 inmates from various correctional facilities across the country.
Recent incidents include the April 2024 Suleja jailbreak, where 119 inmates escaped after heavy rains and storms collapsed the perimeter fence of the Suleja Medium Security Correctional Centre in Niger State.
In September 2024, another jailbreak occurred in Maiduguri, Borno State, when floods collapsed the prison walls, allowing 281 inmates to escape. Only seven of those inmates have been recaptured, exposing the fragility of the nation’s correctional infrastructure.
