Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola on Monday confirmed an attack on the facility of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) in Kabba, Kogi State, leading to the death of a soldier and a policeman.
Two personnel of NCoS are also said to be missing after the attack, which took place on Sunday.
Aregbesola’s Media Adviser, Sola Fasure, in a statement on Monday said the minister had been briefed by the Controller General of the NCoS, Haliru
Nababa.
Fasure said security officers on duty, which comprised of 15 soldiers, 10 police officers and 10 armed guards of the NCoS, made spirited efforts to repel the attackers.
“Regrettably, two officers of the Correctional Service are yet to be accounted for while one soldier and a policeman lost their lives during the attack,” he said.
He said that 266 inmates out of the 294 at the time of the attack, escaped after the gunmen used explosives to destroy three sides of the perimeter fence.
Twenty eight inmates who didn’t escape, voluntarily returned to the facility as at Monday morning, Fasure said.
Fasure added: “A Crisis Response Centre has been activated and a Special Taskforce mobilized to recapture escaped inmates whilst an Inter-Agency Security Task Force is already on the trail of the gunmen who attacked the facility.
“The public is advised to stay calm as the situation is under control.
“The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, assures the citizenry that Nigeria’s security forces will find the attackers and bring them to justice. We shall leave no stone unturned to bring them back to custody.
“We are also putting INTERPOL on notice with their details, in case any of them attempts fleeing outside our shores.
“We urge the people, especially the communities around the custodial facility, to be vigilant and report any strange and suspicious persons or activities to the nearest law enforcement agency.
“To the fleeing inmates, escaping from lawful custody is a serious criminal offence. Law enforcement agencies and citizens are lawfully empowered to use all necessary means to arrest and bring you to justice. You should therefore know what you are up against. You will however be eligible for mitigation if you willfully surrender yourselves at the nearest law enforcement office.
“The Nigeria Correctional Service shall not be cowed by elements seeking to compromise the security of our nation; we shall deal with this situation with absolute resolve.
“Further updates will be provided after the end of the preliminary assessment.”
