Owerri jailbreak and sustained attacks on Nigerian police

 

It’s Nigeria’s season of anomie. The country’s free-fall into anarchy was reinforced last Monday with the attack by supposedly unknown gunmen on Imo State Command of Nigeria Police Force in Owerri and the concomitant jailbreak leading to the release of 1,844 in mates at the Owerri Correctional Facility. The jailbreak was the fourth in Nigeria in about six months. Recall that similar incidences had happened in Edo State and Ondo State last October during the #EndSARS protests.

On Monday, October 19, 2020, hoodlums under the pretext of #EndSARS protests attacked two correctional facilities in Benin City and Oko in Edo State and freed 1,993 inmates according to the Ministry of Interior. Hoodlums, on Thursday, October 22, 2020 broke into the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Okitipupa, Ondo state. The hoodlums were said to have pulled down the fence of the facility and set many of the prisoners free. The hoodlums also set the police area command in the local government headquarters on fire. The thugs, who brandished weapons, carted away police rifles after setting the station ablaze. The state high court was also reported to have been torched by the hoodlums. The local government secretariat, Independent National Electoral Commission and Vehicle Inspection Office were vandalised. 58 inmates were forcefully released in the Okitipupa jailbreak.

Jailbreak attempts at Ikoyi Correctional Service in Lagos   and Okere Correctional Service Centre   Warri, Delta State on Thursday, October 22, 2021 were foiled with the help of the Nigerian soldiers. Unfortunately, the Owerri jailbreak of last Monday could not be thwarted. The police alleged that the invasion was carried out by the Eastern Security Network, an outfit of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra. According to a statement issued Francis Enobore, public relations officer of the NCS, said six inmates have voluntarily returned to the facility, while 35 refused to escape from custody during the attack. Out of the almost 4,000 prison inmates who have escaped during the successful jailbreaks in Edo, Ondo and Imo, there is no available data as to how many have been re-captured by the prison authorities.

However, what is sure is that with these successful jailbreaks there are bound to be exponential increase in the crimes and criminalities in the country. Granted that some of the escapees may be Awaiting Trial inmates, however, a significant number of them may be convicted hardened criminals who are on death row or serving long term sentences for their crimes against humanity. Thus, the country is up for a rough time in the hands of criminals with these ugly phenomena.

While I condemn all human rights abuses, including extortions, extra-judicial killings, harassment and brutality by Nigerian Police and other security agencies, I do not also support the unconscionable and systematic killings of officers and men of Nigeria’s security agencies and the destruction of their stations and assets. During the #EndSARS protests that rock the country last October, Nigerian Police alone claimed to have suffered gargantuan loses. At a news conference addressed by Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Thursday, November 19, 2020, he reeled out the following statistics: “No fewer than 100 people – including six soldiers and 37 policemen – were killed in the orgy of violence. Destroyed, vandalised or looted were 269 private and companies’ assets. Not less than 243 government facilities were burnt or vandalized and 81 government warehouses looted. 1,957 inmates were set free from eight Medium Security Custodial Centres in six states and 31 employees of the Prisons Service were injured. The states are: Edo, Lagos, Abia, Delta, Ondo and Ebonyi. There were about 196 injured policemen, 164 police vehicles destroyed and 134 police stations burnt.”

In the recent past, more officers and men of Nigerian Police have been hunted and hacked to death in some of the South East states. The attack on the Imo State Police Command Headquarters in Owerri last Monday is reminiscent of a similar one carried out by Boko Haram insurgents in June 2011 at the Force Headquarters, Abuja where a policeman died, seven others wounded and about 30 cars destroyed.

News report has it that on Monday, March 22, 2021, three policemen of Abiriba Police Division in Abia State, Austin Ugwu and Longinus Ugochukwu, both of them inspectors, and Ama Ifeanyi, who was a constable were hacked to death by unknown gunmen.  Two officers were killed on February 23 and some rifles stolen when gunmen attacked a police station in Aba. Also, some gunmen on February 1 attacked Umuoba Police Station in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of the state and killed a police inspector. On Wednesday, March 31, 2021, unknown gunmen reportedly killed three police officers attached to former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof.  Charles Soludo The incident, it was gathered occurred around 5.30 p.m., at the Civic Centre in his hometown of Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, during a political gathering.

These orchestrated attacks on policemen and police stations has brought about an atmosphere of fear and trepidation as it shows that no-one and no place is safe from attack in Nigeria. Once that is established, the country will be at the mercy of militias and warlords and that will be what someone has described as the “Somaliasation of Nigeria”.

The situation is not yet beyond redemption but concerted and genuine efforts have to be made to restore the confidence of Nigerians in the country’s Police Force. While the Indigenous People of Biafra military wing known as the Eastern Nigeria Security Network has been fingered by the police as being responsible for many of the attacks on police and its stations in South Eastern Nigeria, the group has repeatedly denied being responsible. It is now incumbent on Nigeria’s security agencies to fish out the masterminds and arrowheads of these strings of attacks. Not only that, the security agencies must also find out the rationale behind these sustained attacks with a view to addressing the grouses and grievances of the groups that may have been responsible for these dastardly attacks on its officers and men.

It is high time security around Nigeria’s correctional service centres and police stations are made watertight in order to avert another jailbreak and attacks. The negative impact of insecurity on the nation’s politics, economy and development cannot be overemphasised. As I have said previously, there is need to recruit more officers and men into Nigeria’s security agencies, there is need to infuse the use technology in the fight against insecurity as well. I doubt if there is any Police Station or Correctional facilities with Close Circuit Television Camera and drones that can help with intelligent gathering in Nigeria. Above all, there is need to improve on good governance at both the national and sub-national levels if we’re going to halt this slide into anarchy.