A Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Ahmed Tukur, has said gunmen carried out a successful attack on the Jos Custodial Centre due to few armed guards on duty at the time of the attack.
About 252 inmates at the custodial centre in Jos were set free by the gunmen during the attack which took place last Sunday evening.
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The DCG who visited the centre on Tuesday to take stock said the numbers of gunmen that came overwhelmed the armed guards on duty and gained entrance.
Speaking to newsmen after his visit, Tukur said, “When the gunmen came, they engaged our men at the main gate and opened fire on them.
“They killed one of my men and were able to force their way into the correctional centre to set the inmates free.
“You can imagine over 200 inmates trying to flee out of the correctional centre during the attack, and compare that number to the number of our armed guards on duty as at the time the attackers came.
“The numbers of inmates are colossal compared to a few of our armed guards on duty.
“So it was not easy for our men to combat the gunmen, it was only when the sister security agencies came that we got reinforced.
“That does not mean that our men just folded their arms. It is due to their efforts that they were able to engage the attackers and some of the fleeing inmates were shot, including one of the assailants.
“We have launched an investigation into the incident; I can’t talk on the insinuation of internal collaboration now, because the investigation is ongoing.
“On the deployment of technology for security, we have CCTV cameras in some of our correctional centres; we can only provide such gadgets based on funds at our disposal.
“In any case, all the correctional centres can get CCTV cameras at the same time; we are providing such gadgets as soon as the funds are available.”
From Dickson S. Adama & Aminu Yusuf Idegu, Jos
