Prison service boss, Ja’afaru AhmedThirty six prisoners are still at large in a prison jailbreak that occurred today, Wednesday, at Ikot Ekpene Prison in Akwa-Ibom State.
Reports reaching us said that four of the escaping prisoners were shot dead during the scuffle that followed the jailbreak attempt while seven others were recaptured at the point of escape.
Confirming the incident in a statement today, Wednesday, the State Prison Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Ogbajie J. Ogbajie, said that already search parties have been activated to effect recapture of the escaped inmates even as the Controller of Prisons in the State, Alex Oditah has ordered an investigation into the circumstance surrounding the unfortunate incident.
ASP Ogbajie narrated how it all happened, saying: “at about 1147hrs on Wednesday, 27 December 2017, there was an attack on kitchen staff that were on duty by some prisoners.
“They seized an axe from fellow inmate attached to the kitchen, inflicting a deep cut to inmates’ head in the process and immediately made for the rear entrance to the prison. They broke the door with the axe and engaged the staff that chased after them in battle.
“At the end of the scuffle, 4 of them that sustained gun shots lost their lives while 7 were recaptured.”
The prison authorities appealed to members of the public to assist them with useful intelligence information that would aid arrest of feeling prisoners, assuring that security has been strengthen in all prison formations in the State to forestall breach of security. [myad]
