The Controller-General of Prisons, Ahmed Jafa’aru, has ordered the removal and redeployment of the officer in-charge of Kuje Medium Prisons, Musa Tanko, over the escape of two inmates last Friday.
Though, Tanko’s latest posting could not be immediately ascertained, our correspondent gathered on Wednesday that he had been directed to report at the Federal Capital Territory Command of the service where he would face a team of investigators.
It was learnt that another officer had taken over at the Kuje prisons following Tanko’s redeployment.
The inmates standing trial for murder, Maxwell Ajukwu and Solomon Amodu, who escaped from the facility by scaling the fence, are still at large.
Sources stated that Tanko’s redeployment was to ensure a thorough probe of the inmates’ escape, adding that the officer would be sanctioned heavily, if indicted.
A source said, “For now, only the officer in charge had been transferred out of the prisons, but we don’t know if other senior officers like the yard master and the officer on duty would also be redeployed out of Kuje prisons. For now, everyone is waiting with bated breath to see the next line of action by the authorities.”
But the Service Public Relations Officer, Francis Enobore, said redeployment cannot be the sanction that would be meted on any indicted officer, noting that the prison management viewed the inmates’ escape as a serious offence that should attract serious sanctions.
He stated that the investigation into the incident had not been concluded, stressing that the report of the probe would be sent to the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdurahaman Dambazzau (retd.) and appropriate sanction meted out to errant personnel.
“The management of the prisons service is taking the matter seriously and any indicted officer will be severely punished, so transfer cannot be the punishment for escape of inmates,” he stated.
Dambazzau had on Monday attributed the incident at the facility to security lapses, which he said he brought to the notice of the authorities, but added that nothing was done about it.
