Five Of 13 Prison Escapees Recaptured In Kogi State

Five of the 13 prisoners, who escaped from Koton Karfe prison, in the early hours of Saturday, have been re-arrested, prison official said on Sunday.

The spokesperson of the Service, Francis Enobore, made the assertion on behalf of the Controller-General of Prisons, Ja’afaru Ahmed, in a statement made available to pressmen on Sunday in Abuja.

In the statement, Mr. Ja’afaru confirmed the re-arrest of the inmates when he made an on-the-spot assessment of the prison.

The statement also said the five pre-trial detainees among escapees were re-captured with the assistance of other security agencies and local vigilante groups, adding that have been returned to the prison.

It said the Controller-General had constituted a three-man panel to carry out detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape and forward the report to his office for necessary action.

The C-G assured that appropriate measures were being put in place to address congestion in prisons particularly among prisoners awaiting trial in line with the reform agenda of the Federal Government.

The C-G stated that security arrangement is being strengthened in and around prison facilities across the country to forestall future occurrence.

The 180- capacity all male prison facility inaugurated in 2014 accommodated 263 inmates as at the time of the jailbreak.

NAN reports that the 13 escapees consist of two armed robbery convicts and 11 suspects awaiting trial.

(NAN)