20 prisoners missing after jailbreak in Nigeria
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E-mail Xinhua, January 5, 2013
A total of 20 inmates serving at the Sagamu Prison in southwest Nigeria's Ogun State escaped from detention in a recent jailbreak, a high-ranking official of the Nigeria prisons said on Friday.
Comptroller General of Nigeria Prisons Service Zakari Ibrahim made the disclosure at a news conference when he visited the Sagamu prisons and said the prisoners were discovered to be missing since Wednesday night. He described the development as unfortunate and embarrassing to the prison authorities.
"I am here because of the issue of escape and I came personally to see what has happened and to ensure that things are done right. My visit is also to ensure that any prison staff found culpable is made to face the full wrath of the law. We have set up a committee that will give us full report of what happened," he said.
According to Ibrahim, four out of the 20 prisoners who escaped were later rearrested while full investigation had also commenced on the incident. He said arrangement is in top gear to rearrest other fleeing prisoners, noting that law enforcement agents were working hard to effect the quick arrest of the remaining escapees.
Preliminary investigation had earlier revealed that the incident was as a result of negligence of some of the prisons staff, he said further. "The erring prisons staff will be dismissed and punished accordingly, prosecuted and may even change uniforms," he added.
The fleeing inmates broke the prison's fence and injured some prison officials in the process of escaping, Ibrahim explained further.
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