The Federal Government has announced plans for a new 125-bed facility at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, Niger State to address overcrowding.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the announcement on Thursday in Abuja when he inspected ongoing security projects at the Medium Security Custodial facility in Kuje.
On April 25, 2024, 119 inmates escaped from the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre in Niger State after a downpour pulled down the wall of the custodial centre.
Out of the 119 fleeing inmates, only 19 have been recaptured, leaving 100 still at large.
Speaking on Thursday, the interior minister said, “Even in Suleja, where the walls came down, most people didn’t understand that we had already started rebuilding the walls. However, because it is a correctional centre, we can’t bring down all the walls at the same time for rehabilitation.
“We need to do that in segments. We are building a 125-bed custodial centre beside the current centre in Suleja to be able to solve the problem of overcrowding.
“We are putting in everything to make sure that our correctional centres are safe and foolproof to attacks, while we are also taking care of the welfare of the inmates.”
Tunji-Ojo also stated that more inmates who escaped from the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre two weeks ago had been apprehended.
