Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has urged all escaped inmates from Owerri Custodial Centre on Monday to voluntarily return to custody and be given amnesty against the possible consequences of escaping from lawful custody.
The Minister, who disclosed this when he visited the Owerri Custodial Centre on Tuesday, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s stand to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice, adding that additional security would be provided for all custodial centres for the safety of personnel and inmates as well as the security of the facilities.
In a statement by the ministry’s director of press, A.B. Lere-Adams, Aregbesola bemoaned the pattern of syndicated attacks on custodial centres in Nigeria, noting that full investigation would commence immediately to unravel those behind the attacks and bring them to full weight of justice.
“We will react appropriately by going after these criminals and making them face the full wrath of the law. We will leave no stone unturned in fishing them out. Make no mistake; they will be hunted to the ends of the earth. They can only run, but they cannot hide. We shall bring them to justice, or in the alternative, take justice to them,” the Minister said.
He advised all correctional officers to be vigilant and take the security of the facilities and the inmates seriously more than ever before while assuring them of the Federal Government’s determination to ensure their safety at all times.
Aregbesola called on citizens with useful information on the perpetrators of these dastardly acts and escaped 1,844 inmates in lawful custody to inform the nearest law enforcement agency close to them as a sign of patriotism.
