News

13 inmates escape in Kogi jail break

Ikoyi Custodial Centre

Prisons

By BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO, Lokoja

The Koton/Karfe Minimum Security Prisons in Kogi State, yesterday, experienced  a  jail break that led to 13 inmates escaping. The prison break, it was learnt, did not follow the usual method of outsiders bombing their way to release their targets; it was reportedly done by the inmates.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the inmates made their escape around 7:15 am by scaling   the prisons fence after first breaking through the inner wall of the facility.

How that was possible remained a question yet to be answered by the prisons authorities  as the  Koton/Karfe prisons was  rebuilt and ‘fortified’ after the old one, built in 1914, was broken into four times  in two years.

However, a security source hinted: “It’s as if someone in the prisons did not do his/her job well and the prisoners took advantage of that to make good their escape”.

The source said the negligence of the person may be ‘intentional’ and hoped that the prisons authorities will probe the break to forestall future occurrence.

The source said the remanding of some kidnapping kingpins, paraded by the DSS, last week, may not be unconnected  with the jail break.