The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has revealed that
although a few of the escaped Kuje prisoners have been recaptured with the help
of the Police, many were still at large.
The minister said this at the fourth edition of the
‘President Muhammadu Buhari Administration Scorecard’ press conference, held at
the National Press Center, in Abuja on Tuesday, which was moderated by the
Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.
Aregbesola, who was fielding questions from members of the
press at the event, stated that while information regarding the investigation
into the July 5 Kuje Prison attack could not be made public knowledge, findings
had been submitted to the office of the President, Major General Muhammadu
Buhari (retd.), for further action. He added that it would be difficult for any
facility of the correctional service to be attacked.
“We have levels of investigation. We have concluded our own
investigation in the ministry and the (correctional) service, and we have sent
the outcome of that investigation to the President. It is a security matter; we
do not disclose every security information. I’m not saying it loudly, because
it is security.
But all I’m going to say is this; with the police and other
security agencies, we have captured some of the escapees, but a large number is
still at large. What we are very confident about is that it will no longer be
easy for anybody to violate our facilities.”
Meanwhile, in his presentation on the achievements of the
ministry, Aregbesola revealed that the 3000-capacity Janguza custodial facility
in Kano which had been under construction was at about 90% completion. He also
commended the Nigeria Correctional Service for being one of the few
correctional institutions in the world, to survive the Covid-19 pandemic
without a single case of infection.
“Our custodial facility in Janguza Village, Kano, is at 90%
completion now. But by January 2023, I will do a media tour, under the aegis of
the Federal Ministry of Information. It is nice to see, I don’t think anything
like it exists in any part of Africa, North, and South. It is an innovative
addition to our upgrade of the Nigerian Custodial Facilities.
“I say this proudly, that our correctional service is one of
the very few, we are one of the correctional services in the world, that did
not record Covid-19 infection throughout the period and it goes to tell you the
level of commitment, professionalism and
healthcare system that we have in our custodial facilities. You can
blame us for several other things, not healthcare. We are proud to say our
healthcare facility is one of the best, in the custodial centres.”
When asked what the greatest achievement of the ministry
Aregbesola stated that the greatest achievement of the ministry had been to
ensure the internal security of the country, noting that since this
administration came into power in 2015, there was no community previously
occupied by insurgents that had not been reclaimed.
“There is no insurgent stronghold anywhere in Nigeria,
that’s the biggest achievement in internal security. Most people conveniently
overlook that. At the advent of this administration in 2015, local governments
in numbers in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, were under insurgents, but today, there
is no square inch of the Nigerian soil under the control of insurgents. It’s
the biggest achievement of our administration in internal security. Yes, there
are still challenges here and there, but tell me of any nation where there are
no security challenges, none.”
Addressing the issues of passport production and prompt
distribution, Aregbesola said local production of passports will begin before
the end of the Buhari-led administration. On distribution, he said there is no
way the passports could be issued in 24 hours, noting the necessary background
checks would take weeks.
He however added that there were enough booklets to issue to
those who had already applied for passports both in Nigeria and abroad and that
the ministry had already issued 1.2 million passports.
On the activities of the Federal Fire Service, the minister
noted that his administration had received a total capital expenditure budget
of N23.3 billion naira, which was five times more than the service had received
between its year of inception in 1901 and 2014.
He also stated that the civil defence, immigration, prisons,
and fire service board, had promoted 18,000 officers and recruited a total of
33,425 officers since the administration took over in 2015.
The PMB administration scorecard series is expected to
continue with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mahmood
Abubakar, billed for November 28, while the Minister for Industry, Trade, and
Investments, Niyi Adebayo, is scheduled for the December 1, 2022.
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