Police, Prisons not in sync on Nigeria’s Jail Break

JETHRO IBILEKE/Benin

More than 36 hours after the jail break at Oko Minimum Prisons in Benin City, the Police and Prison authorities have been giving conflicting accounts.

While authorities of the prisons confirmed the escape of some of the inmates, the police have continued to deny the escape.

Mr. Olayinka Balogun, the Edo State police Commissioner while addressing journalists in his office on Monday, said it was untrue, misleading and unfounded that there was a bomb blast at Oko prisons or that gunmen came from outside to invade the prisons as reported in some dailies.

“The Command wish to reaffirm that there was no invasion of any kind, and there was no bomb blast. The escape bid was purely the handiwork of prison inmates,” Mr. Balogun said in a statement.

“On 20th of August, 2012 0105 hours, there was a distress call from Oko Prisons, following which police patrol teams from Airport Division and operatives from B Ops were immediately dispatched to the scene by the Commissioner of Police,” Balogun said.

He said he also followed up by being physically present at the scene and the situation was immediately brought under control as the two prisoners who had earlier escaped through holes bored from within were re-arrested.

“The Commissioner of Police was shown the two holes bored into the cell walls and one through the fence. All made by the inmates probably over the time without the knowledge of the prison warders and the security operatives within the premises.”

Mr. Balogun explained that the situation has been put under control, while security has been intensified in and around the prison environment, adding that the police were still awaiting prisons authorities for more details on the incident.

But the State Comptroller of Prisons, Mr. Jimoh Ewulo insisted that a big opening was created on the wall, saying that 12 inmates came out of the prison out of which eight escaped while four were re-arrested.

Mr. Ewulo who spoke P.M. NEWS on phone said he believed that a device must have been used to create the hole, adding that investigation was on to determine the type of device used.

“A device might have been used. We are just investigating to know if, and what. That is what we are doing now,” Mr. Ewulo said.