Jail Break in Nsukka, 15 Prison Inmates Escape

Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

No fewer than 15 inmates at the Federal Prisons in Nsukka, Enugu State, have escaped during a jailbreak that reportedly took place last Tuesday evening.

However, two people of the total number of those who escaped have been rearrested according to informed sources.

The Controller of the Nsukka Prison, Lawrence Okonkwo, confirmed the unfortunate development but could not provide the exact number of the inmates that escaped.

“There has been a jailbreak but we are on top of the situation.
“We are expecting the state Prisons Controller, Isaiah Amariri, in Nsukka prison so that we would brief him on what happened last night.

“He will be the one to tell the public the number of inmates that escaped, the re-arrested ones and efforts put in place to arrest those still on the run. It is not up to us to give those details,” he said.

It was gathered that the inmates broke their cells and climbed the perimeter fence of the prison.
According to a source who spoke on grounds of anonymity, “The inmates carefully opened their cells and scaled the perimeter fence of the prisons to escape.
“Before the prison officials on night duty knew what was happening, about 15 inmates had escaped.”

Officials of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) were seen in some parts of Nsukka and its environs yesterday searching for fleeing inmates.
At present, fear has gripped residents of the university town over the whereabouts of the fleeing inmates.

A resident, Uche Arua, said “Since last Tuesday night, we’ve been living in fear because we don’t know what these escapees could do at the moment.”

He however appealed to the prison authorities to engage the services of other security agencies, including the police, SSS and men of the Civil Defence Corps to assist in going after the inmates.

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