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AKURE —AT least 30 gunmen in the early hours of Sunday stormed the Olokuta Medium Security Prison in Akure, Ondo State capital, and set free about 175 inmates mainly those standing trial for robbery.
AKURE —AT least 30 gunmen in the early hours of Sunday stormed the Olokuta Medium Security Prison in Akure, Ondo State capital, and set free about 175 inmates mainly those standing trial for robbery.
A prison officer was shot in the
right leg by the gunmen and he is receiving treatment at the Military Hospital,
Akure.
The broken gate of Olokuta Medium
Prison, Akure, Ondo State
Officials of the prison reportedly
fled following the bombardment of the cell walls by the gunmen who also fired
sporadically into the air.
The gunmen reportedly barricaded the
Akure-Ore expressway where the prison is located for hours while the operation
lasted.
However, reports said some of the
escapees were later picked by the security agents at some of the brothels
within the capital city and neighbouring villages near the prison where they
were hiding but identified by villagers.
We learnt that the gunmen armed with machine guns and
dynamites arrived the prison premises around midnight and started shooting
sporadically in to the air to scare the prison officials on duty.
The operation
It was gathered that the assailants,
armed with knowledge of how the prisoners are kept, went straight to the cell
where robbery suspects were kept and blew up the walls with dynamite,
setting them free.
Dependable source in the Olokuta
prison said the gunmen invaded the place purposely to free some suspects
arrested during a bank robbery in Akure and have been kept in the prison for
over a year without trial.
Others headed for the main entrance
but their attempt to blow it up failed so they concentrated on the wall leading
to other cells where they set free other inmates.
The Olokuta prison is less than a
kilometre to the headquarters of the 32, Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian
Army, Owena Barracks.
Top security chiefs in the state
including the state Commissioner of Police, Patrick Dukumor and the state
Attorney General and Justice Commissioner, Eyitayo Jegede SAN have visited the
place for on the spot assessment.
It’s unusual — Comptroller
Contacted, the state Prisons
Comptroller, Tunde Olayiwola, described the attack as unusual, noting that the
culprits will soon be brought to book.
Olayiwola dispelled rumour that the
attack was masterminded by Boko Haram as being speculated.
According to him, “we cannot
specifically identify those behind the attack, but it was unusual. One of our
officers was injured during the attack and he is in the hospital receiving
treatment. I am assuring that those behind it will be brought to book soon.”
Speaking with newsmen, the state
Police spokesman, Wole Ogodo, confirmed the attack, saying the police command
had contacted the prison authority, adding: “All the security agents within the
state are working together to track down the criminals and bring them to book.
Meantime, the situation at the
Olokuta Medium prison has been brought under control just as security has been
beefed up within the prison.
It’s pathetic— State govt
Meantime, the Ondo State government
has described the jail break as pathetic.
The Attorney General and Justice
Commissioner, Eyitayo Jegede, said this in Akure after an on the spot
assessment of the incident.
Jegede said the state government
would invite the top officials of the prison.
He said that “With what we are
seeing here, the state government will look into the incident and if need be,
we will summon all the security chiefs and top prison officers”.
Also speaking after his visit, the
CP, Patrick Dukumor, described the incident as ‘unfortunate’ and promised that
the perpetrator will be brought to book
