By Anozie Egole

The Controller General of Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), Ja’afaru Ahmed has promised to improve welfare package and medical facilities in the service, according to a release signed by  its national Public Relations Officer yesterday.

The Prisons boss made the disclosure at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri while commiserating with the victims of the recent attack on the prisoners.

Mr. Ja’afaru, who had also visited other inmates being treated in Owerri Prisons Clinic for various degrees of bullet wounds, commended the timely response of other security agencies during the attack.

He assured members of the public that the fleeing fugitives would be rearrested in no distant time.

Commending Imo Governor for offering financial rewards for information that would aid the arrest of the fugitives, he appealed to the public to provide useful information that would lead to the arrest of the notorious criminal, Chibueze Henry Onyekachi, aka vampire.

The prisons boss also had audience with the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere at the Government House and the Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Pascal Obinna Nnaji in whose premises the unfortunate incident occurred.

The Chief Judge promised to continue to support the course of speedy trial of inmates with a view to decongesting the prison and mitigate security concerns usually associated with managing suspects in custody.

It would be recalled that on the 27th of January, 2017 , 58 pre-trial detainees who were taken to Owerri High Court in 2 Black Maria Court duty vehicles were attacked as the inmates disembarked from the vehicles within the premises of the court.   The gunmen who were said to have strategically positioned themselves in the premises opened fire and shot sporadically, hitting 5 inmates in the process.

The escort wardens in collaboration with other sister security agencies were able to secure 49 of the inmates and returned them to safe custody. Unfortunately, a notorious criminal, Chibueze Henry Onyekachi, aka vampire on whose behalf the hoodlums are suspected to have carried out the dastardly act, and 7 other prisoners escaped.

Owerri prisons was built in 1905 with an intake capacity of 540 inmates but as at the time of the incident, the prison had a population of 2,260 prisoners. Out of this number 2,044 are awaiting trial.

 Owerri Prison not raided by the Police — NPS

Also yesterday,  the Nigerian Prisons Service  described as untrue  the  publication  that Police raided Owerri Prisons and recovered 264 mobile phones.

According to a statement in that regard, “The story is not true as no incident of such ever took place. This falsehood is clandestinely designed to malign the image of the Prisons Service. For the avoidance of doubt, the Controller-General of Prisons, Ja’afaru Ahmed and 3 other senior officers were in Owerri prisons on Sunday 29th January, 2017  in the wake of the attack on Prisoners and staff at Owerri High Court.

“The CGP in company of other heads of security agencies in Imo State including the police Commissioner, Commandant NSCDC, Comptroller of Immigration, Director DSS, Controller of Prisons and the prisons Zonal Coordinator visited the scene of the incident and at no time was any raid carried out or mobile phones recovered.”