Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has denied reports that monies belonging to inmates were stolen when the Kuje Medium Security Custodial center was attacked last Tuesday in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
NCoS’ Public Relations Officer, Umar Abubakar, in a statement on Saturday, said the report was untrue while saying that all inmates’ cash deposited in the custody of the authorities of the custodial centre is intact and safe.
Abubakar further stated that there is an existing instruction from the Controller General of Corrections that all officers superintending custodial centres must not keep huge sums in the facility.
He said, “We wish to inform the general public that the report in some quarters that the fleeing inmates from the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, stole money (local and foreign currencies) belonging to their fellow inmates, is not true.
“All Inmates’ cash deposited in the custody of the authorities of the custodial centre is intact and safe as there is an existing instruction from the Controller General of Corrections that all officers superintending custodial centres must not keep huge sums in the facility.
“This clarification becomes imperative against the misleading narrative the unfounded information has generated and the unpatriotic diversion of attention from addressing the challenges at stake.
“The Controller-General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa is sparing no effort or resources in hunting down all the escapees and it is heart-warming that the integrated strategies are yielding favourable results.
“He expresses his deep appreciation to security agencies and patriotic Nigerians whose collaboration is facilitating the recovery exercise.
“Nababa assures the public of his irrevocable commitment to bringing back all escapees to answer for their crimes.
“He, therefore, appeals that citizens should assist in achieving this task by visiting the Nigerian Correctional Service’s website https://corrections.gov.ng/escapees for the pictures of the escapees and alert the nearest security agency if they suspect or see any of them.”
(The Trumpet)
