Reps to investigate alleged Open Letter from aggrieved prison official to President Tinubu
The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to investigate the “Open Letter” allegedly written by an aggrieved Prison Official to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Ugonna Ozurigbo.
In his lead debate, Hon. Ozurigbo observed: “In recent times, the security situation in Nigeria has become common place with no exception to the place of attack.”
“The House also notes that there have been attacks from terrorist groups and non-state actors on the military formations and barracks. Police Stations and Headquarters, and importantly correctional facilities with recorded fatalities and casualties.”
“The House further notes that the recorded successful attacks on these sensitive security locations have stirred public reactions that bothered the control, management, discipline and compromise within the system helping the operations of the criminals during the attacks.”
“The former President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan described the Kuje incident as an insider job.”
“The House is aware that in the past, especially jailbreaks in correctional facilities in Nigeria, the attacks on security locations were only seen on TV; now its occurrences in real life have become incessant jailbreaks in 2004 (1), 2007 (1), 2010 (1), 2012 (1), 2013 (2), 2014 (5), 2020 (6), 2021 (6) and 2022.”
“The House is worried that there were three jailbreaks between January and July 2022 in Mandala, Kwara State on 2 January 2022, Agbor correctional facility, Delta State in May, and Kuje Prison in July 2022.”
“In each of these jailbreaks, inmates escaped, and the facility was torched; during the Kuje prison break that occurred in July 2022, 879 inmates including 64 terrorists affiliated with Islamic State (IS) escaped.”
“The House is disturbed that the recent letter written by aggrieved Nigerian Correctional Service personnel to the President, as reported in Sahara Reporters of July 10, 2023, stating that officials now borrow money from inmates is a testimony to the numerous shady activities within the system, and validating public concern on the allegations of Corruption and poor management of the facilities fueling ‘inside job’ assertions to the attacks in the country.”
“The House is also worried that collecting money in the form of any guise has implications. It could be a case of ‘He who pays the piper calls the tune’; jailbreaks and other terrible illicit activities will become a more recurring decimal if nothing is done.”
“The House is convinced that an intervention from the House of Representatives will unravel the cankerworms which could have caused major laxities and eventually restore sanity to the country’s correctional services and operations.”
To this end, the House urged the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Institutions to undertake a staff audit of all employees of the agency and review the service codes of conduct between Prisoners and staff of Nigeria Correctional Service.
Hence, the House mandated the Committee on Reformation Institutions (when constituted) to investigate the state of the Nigerian Correctional Service and report back within three weeks for further legislative action.
