By Innocent Duru
Many of the over 2,000 convicted criminals and suspects who were illegally set free from prisons in Edo and Ondo states last week by hoodlums are yet to be apprehended and this is causing apprehension in the country.
The Ministry of Interior confirmed that 1,993 inmates in legal custody escaped from the prisons in Edo State.
Fifty-eight were set free in Ondo State, not counting the numerous suspects who were in police custody at the time some police stations were attacked by hoodlums.
A university lecturer and security expert, Dr Bala Abudullahi Husaini, said the illegal release of inmates from correctional homes was not in the best security interest of the country.
He said: “Naturally, these criminals that were released will go and hide themselves where they will not be identified for a certain period of time. They will later regroup with full force and come back and attack whosoever they were never in good terms with.
“This set of people will also regroup with the knowledge and the idea of those that are not enjoying the goodies of the government of the day. They will use them and don’t be surprised it is happening everywhere.
“If election is approaching, you will certainly find some are being released while others are allowed to do whatever they feel like doing just to satisfy the interest and ego of our useless and selfish politicians.”
He added: “This also sends signals to the international community that there are groups of people that are ever ready to be sponsored to cause mayhem in their own country when there is need for such.”
Proffering solution to the problem, he said: “If you look at the prisons, most of them are outdated and without modern gadgets. Though they have the data of the prisons that ran away, I tell you that it will take a whole lot of time before they arrest them. If the prisons can be upgraded to meet international standard, it will also address another issue. On the part of the warders, there should be serious capacity building for them.”
