By Olusegun Olanrewaju
Many of the more than 400 prisoners who escaped from a jailbreak at the Kuje prison in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following a raid on a prison in July are yet to be recaptured, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has disclosed.

Four inmates, a security guard, and several attackers were killed after the prison was targeted, officials said at the time of the incident.

Islamist militants said they carried out the attack, and dozens of jihadists were thought to be on the run.

Months after, and yesterday, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, revealed that although a few of the escaped Kuje prisoners had been recaptured with the help of the police, many were still at large.

The minister was speaking at the fourth edition of the ‘President Muhammadu Buhari Administration Scorecard’ press conference, held at the National Press Centre in Abuja yesterday.

The occasion was moderated by the Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

Fielding questions from members of the press at the event, Aregbesola stated that while information regarding the investigation into the July 5 Kuje prison attack could not be made public knowledge, findings had been submitted to the office of President Muhammadu Buhari for further action.

He added that it would be difficult for any facility of the correctional service to be attacked.

The minister stated, “We have levels of investigation. We have concluded our investigation in the ministry and the (correctional) service, and we have sent the outcome of that investigation to the president.

“It is a security matter; we do not disclose every security information. I’m not saying it loudly, because it is security.

“But all I’m going to say is this; with the police and other security agencies, we have captured some of the escapees, but a large number is still at large. What we are very confident about is that it will no longer be easy for anybody to violate our facilities.”

Speaking on the achievements of the interior ministry under the Buhari administration, Aregbesola revealed that the 3,000-capacity Janguza custodial facility in Kano, which had been under construction, was at about 90 per cent completion.

The minister commended the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) for being one of the few correctional institutions in the world to survive the Covid-19 pandemic “without a single case of infection”.

He added, “Our custodial facility in Janguza Village, Kano, is at 90 per cent completion now. But by January 2023, I will do a media tour, under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of Information.

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“It is nice to see, I don’t think anything like it exists in any part of Africa, North, and South. It is an innovative addition to our upgrade of the Nigerian Custodial Facilities.

“I say this proudly, that our correctional service is one of the very few. We are one of the correctional services in the world that did not record Covid-19 infection throughout the period, and it goes to tell you the level of commitment, professionalism, and healthcare system that we have in our custodial facilities.

“You can blame us for several other things, not healthcare. We are proud to say our healthcare facility is one of the best, in the custodial centres.”

Addressing the issues of passport production and prompt distribution, the minister stated that local production of passports will begin before the end of the Buhari-led administration.

On distribution, he said there is no way the passports could be issued in 24 hours, noting the necessary background checks would take weeks.

He, however, added that there were enough booklets to issue to those who had already applied for passports both in Nigeria and abroad and that the ministry had already issued 1.2 million passports.

Speaking on the activities of the Federal Fire Service, the minister noted that his administration had received a total capital expenditure budget of N23.3 billion, which was five times more than the service had received between its year of inception in 1901 and 2014.

He also stated that the Nigerian Civil Defence and Security Corps (NCDSC), Immigration Service, Prisons, and Fire Service board had promoted 18,000 officers and recruited a total of 33,425 officers since the administration took over in 2015.