Federal Govt sacks 23, suspends 11 officials over persistent jailbreaks

Owing to continuous jailbreaks across the country, the Federal Government has dismissed 23 prisons officials and suspended 11 others for their alleged complicity in the events.

The affected 23 persons are from Kuje Medium Security Prisons, Abuja and Koton-Karfe Prisons, Kogi State, while the 11 suspended ones are from Nsukka Prisons, Enugu State.

At its emergency meeting held on August 11, the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board, accepted that three senior prisons officers who are serving at the Kuje prison and three other senior ones serving at the Koton Karfe prison be sacked for their complicity in the escape of prisoners from the said prisons.

Their sack letters dated August 12 were signed by the secretary to the board, Alhaji A A Ibrahim, and made public in statement by the Nigerian Prisons Service Public Relations Officer, Francis Enobore on Monday in Abuja.

Part of the statement reads, “The board approved the immediate dismissal of the prison officers over allegation of misconduct and negligence of duty in line with the provision of the Public Service Rule 030402 (O) being an action prejudicial to the security of the State.”

Also, the Controller-General of Prisons, Ahmed Ja’afaru, also sanctioned the sack of seven junior prison officers serving in Kuje prisons and 10 other junior staff serving in Koton Karfe prisons, who were also implicated in the escape saga.

Similarly, the officer in charge of the Nsukka Prison, Okonkwo Lawrence, and 10 others have been suspended following the escape of 15 inmates from the prison last week.

They were suspended so that investigation for the cause of the ugly events will be carried out unhindered before appropriate action will be taken by the prison authorities.

The CG is said to have as a result of rampant jailbreaks across the country, convened an emergency meeting of Command Officers and 241 officers in charge of prisons to reassess security measures for safe keeping of prisoners.

“The Controller General wishes to assure all officers and men of the Nigerian Prisons Service of his readiness to support and encourage hard work and dedication to duty but frowns at acts of negligence capable of embarrassing the service and the nation at large,” Nigeria Prison Service noted in a statement.