The Federal Government on Tuesday warned controllers of prisons in the states to shape up or get fired.
The government also warned that the officers in charge of any prison that’s attacked and the inmates escaped would be punished.
The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, who read the Riot Act at a meeting with the prison controllers in Abuja, said they should be ready to die to secure the prisons.
He regretted the attack on the Koton-Karfe Prison in Kogi State on February 15, leading to the escape of the inmates with at least 73 yet to be re-arrested.
He urged the officials to collaborate with other security agencies to arrest the escaped inmates.
He explained that the nature of the attack on the Koton-Karfe Prison by suspected Boko Haram members had showed that the NPS alone could not secure the prisons and would need the support of other security agencies.
The minister blamed the officials for the decay in prisons across the country, adding that the slow judicial process and the ineptitude of the officers were responsible for the large numbers of awaiting trial inmates.
He said, “All of you know why you joined the service and the reality on ground is that you are not fulfilling that responsibility. If gunmen attack and release all the inmates in a prison, it means you are not justifying that mandate.
“I don’t want you to die, but you should be ready to die to fulfil that responsibility. I want to enjoin you to rise up to the situation. From now on, all command officers will be held accountable and sanctioned if there is any further breach or escape from prisons. If you can’t do the work, I will be happy to receive your resignation.”
Moro added, “If I was a soldier, I would have dismissed the officers at the Koton-Karfe prisons. The environment was so dirty and unkempt. I saw a plate of beans that must have been left in the kitchen for over a year. The curtains in the office of the officer in charge of the prison were so dirty. It must be as old as the prison yard itself.
“You don’t need a presidential order to keep the prison environment clean. Working in a dirty environment shows the kind of person you are. I don’t want to speak further, but the consequence for failure is too grave for us and for the nation. We can’t continue to make promises to Nigerians because the situation is becoming aggravated.”
The minister set up a committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the Koton-Karfe jailbreak, adding that its recommendations would be used to forestall a recurrence.
The members include Mr. John Odah (Chairman), Mr. Joseph Kiagba, Mr. Sali Ali-Bala, Dr. Ifediora Orakwe and Dr. Umar Hussein as Secretary. The committee has three weeks to submit its report.
