Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola announced that 460 inmates who escaped from the medium‑custody facility in Kuje, Federal Capital Territory, remain at large. Their names, photographs and prison identification numbers were posted on the Nigerian Correctional Service’s website on Friday, where 26 of the escapees have already been recaptured.
The jailbreak on 5 July 2022 saw more than 900 prisoners flee, including 64 high‑profile Boko Haram terrorists. Hours after the breakout, the Islamic State in West Africa Province claimed responsibility and released a video to support its claim. Security forces launched a massive manhunt, eventually recapturing about 421 inmates. To aid the search for the remaining fugitives, the Federal Government uploaded their data to the International Criminal Police Organisation’s (INTERPOL) database and circulated the information to various security agencies.
Of the 26 inmates now back in custody, ten were linked to terrorism, ten were classified as “others,” two were sexual offenders, and the remaining two were jailed for stealing, robbery and drug offenses. Security expert Kabir Adamu told our correspondent that the escaped inmates pose a serious threat to national security. “When these inmates return to society, they increase the pool of non‑state armed groups challenging the country, whether as terrorists or criminals,” he said. “It is detrimental for Nigeria to have these criminals at large, and the majority have yet to be recaptured. We have no indication that any state government knows their whereabouts or activities, which is harmful to national security.”
Attempts by our correspondent to contact NCS spokesman Abubakar Umar were unsuccessful; he did not answer the call nor respond to a message.
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