The Federal Government is set to consider a proposal to grant voting rights to inmates before the 2023 general elections.
This was made known by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Shuaib Belgore while speaking during a meeting with a Non-Governmental Organisation, Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organisation (CAPIO), at his office in Abuja.
The NGO was in the Permanent Secretary’s office to solicit the support of the ministry in actualising the project.
Belgore who lamented that custodial centres across the country were being targeted by criminals, cited the attack on the Kabba custodial centre in the early hours of Monday as an example.
“Our facilities are targets. We are very worried and this may affect the way we grant access to people.
“If there are no impediments, we will work with you to ensure that their [inmates] rights to vote are protected.”
The New Diplomat had earlier reported that at least 108 out of 240 inmates who escaped from a correctional facility in Kogi have been recaptured.
“We have a total of 108 inmates rearrested,” Nigeria’s correctional service spokesman Francis Enobore told AFP by phone.
Recall on Monday, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola had confirmed the attack on the Kabba Correctional facility in Kogi State.
The Minister also disclosed that security operatives have been deployed to Kogi to recover all the inmates who escaped during the attack.
Aregbesola made this known in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Sola Fasure.
He confirmed that he was briefed on the attack by the Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Haliru Nababa.
According to the Minister, the gunmen used explosives to destroy three sides of the perimeter fence, before gaining entrance into the facility.
The Minister also disclosed that INTERPOL has been contacted on the incident, in case any of the inmates attempts to escape the country.
The statement reads, “A Crisis Response Centre has been activated and a Special Taskforce mobilized to recapture escaped inmates whilst an Inter-Agency Security Task Force is already on the trail of the gunmen who attacked the facility.
“The public is advised to stay calm as the situation is under control. We shall leave no stone unturned to bring them back to custody,” the statement quoted Arebgesola as saying.
“We are also putting INTERPOL on notice with their details, in case any of them attempts fleeing outside our shores.
“We urge the people, especially the communities around the custodial facility, to be vigilant and report any strange and suspicious persons or activities to the nearest law enforcement agency.”
