9th July, 2022
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola on Friday lamented that terrorists successfully attacked Kuje prison in Abuja despite the fact that was well protected by soldiers armed with sophisticated weapons, elite men of the Nigeria Police Force, officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence, and armed officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The Minister said this in a post on his Facebook page after his visit to the facility which was attacked by terrorists late Tuesday evening.
Terror group, Islamic State of West Africa, ISWAP, had on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the attack which led to escape of hundreds of prisoners, including members of Boko Haram terrorist group from the facility.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on a visit to Kuje prison on Wednesday queried how the terrorists evaded security checks to attack the facility.
The Federal Government had on Wednesday declared Boko Haram terrorists who escaped from the facility wanted.
But speaking after he led management of the Ministry of Interior and her agencies on an inspection visit to the Kuje Custodial Centre on Friday, Aregbesola said he was disappointed with the level of defence put against the terrorists by security operative on ground during the time of the attack.
“We have a world class facility by any standard. I am disappointed with the level of defence. We had enough men to protect the facility, but unfortunately they couldn’t hold their position effectively for defence and that was the reason for the breach,” said the Minister of Interior.
He added that Kuje prison is the most fortified in the country, despite its status as a medium correctional facility.
“It is medium by size but maximum by the security in place there. We have a platoon of security officers deployed here,” said Aregbesola who added that the attack it was regrettable that the attack happened.
“As sad as it is, we must put whatever is happening now in the context of the asymmetric warfare unleashed on the nation by this criminal elements and we will rise to it, that’s the assurance I want to give to Nigerians,” the Minister said.
Read Aregbesola’s full post of Facebook below
Today, I led the management of the Ministry of Interior and her agencies on an inspection visit to the Kuje Custodial Centre that was recently attacked by gunmen suspected to be terrorists.
There was a platoon of the Nigerian Army with sophisticated weapons, elite men of the Nigeria Police Force, officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence, and armed officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service, on ground during the time of the attack.
We have a world class facility by any standard. I am disappointed with the level of defence. We had enough men to protect the facility but unfortunately they couldn’t hold their position effectively for defence and that was the reason for the breach.
Now my position is so clear, I have declared since April last year that all our facilities are red zones and that whoever attempts an attack may not live to tell the story. I still maintain this.
Kuje is the most fortified in the country, if fortification for security is the determinant of whether it is medium or maximum. It is medium by size but maximum by the security in place there. We have a platoon of security officers deployed here.
It is very regrettable that this happened. As sad as it is, we must put whatever is happening now in the context of the asymmetric warfare unleashed on the nation by this criminal elements and we will rise to it, that’s the assurance I want to give to Nigerians.