THE Comptroller General of Nigeria Prisons Service, Mr Zakari Ibrahim, said the service had commenced a 24-hour manhunt to ensure that all the fleeing prisoners that escaped from the Olokuta Medium Security Prison are re-arrested.
This came as the police in Akure said, yesterday, that five additional fleeing prisoners have been re-arrested and returned to custody.
With the additional five, this has brought the figure to 59 so far re-arrested since last Sunday’s jailbreak.
Ibrahim who visited Olokuta for an on-the-spot assessment of the prison condemned the level of damage by the gunmen which led to the escape of the inmates.
Reacting to congestion in the prisons across the country, Ibrahim attributed the problem to awaiting trial cases in courts which makes the prisons to overflow its capacity.
Meantime, the Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, said in Akure that there was no increase in crime rate despite the escape of the prisoners.
According to Ogodo, “the attack on the prisons was carried out by some robbers mainly aimed at liberating some members of their gang who were in prisons custody. They had since escaped outside the state.”
He assured the public that his officers would do everything possible to re arrest the remaining fleeing inmates as those already nabbed and had been returned to custody.
As at Tuesday this week, 54 were apprehended from villages and towns across the state by the detectives deployed to all the council areas by the police authorities in the state.
No fewer than 30 armed bandits invaded the prison to set free 175 inmates of the prison especially hardened criminals that reportedly arrested in connection with the robbery of a new generation bank last year in the state.
Of the prisoners so far re arrested, Ogodo said that none of the robbery suspects that took part in the bank robbery that escaped last Sunday have been re arrested.
Those arrested so far, according to police sources, are not those connected to the bank robbery but other suspects who are standing trial for other offences.
Ogodo said the additional five prisoners were arrested in Okitipupa and its environs.
Speaking with newsmen, the Comptroller of the Prisons, Mr Tunde Olayiwola, assured that more of the fleeing prisoners would be re arrested.
Olayiwola said that the re-arrested inmates were caught from bushes, through information and their data which are in the custody of the prison. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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