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Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, says he won’t resign despite recurring incidents of jail breaks across the country in the past one year.
He said this while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the weekly virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Aregbesola, whose ministry oversees the jails, the call for his resignation in some quarters is unnecessary.
He said: “As to whether it calls for my resignation, I still don’t see any need for that because it’s not for lack of preparedness that the attacks were successful. No”.
Aregbesola, however, assured that government will step up security around the Correctional Centres in view of the jail breaks in Owerri, Oyo, Kabba and Jos in the last few months.
He explained that: “Imo was in April this year. Kabba was in September. Abologo was in October and Jos was in November. Those captured the attacks.
“As painful as those attacks were, very painful, nobody will really want the end of justice to be so vulnerable.
“The custodial facilities are the final end of justice administration.”
“So, morally, the state owes itself the responsibility of safe custody that must not be violated
“On that account alone, we must appreciate the enormity of any successful attack on custodial facilities, and I so do.
“But I want us to put this thing in the context of our security situation. When your our best does not suffice, it’s no longer a question of your inability to make preparation or failure for preparation or preparedness.
“It’s just that at that instance, you just couldn’t hold the defence and several factors are responsible.
“What I can assure Nigerians is this. Yes, as contextual as these attacks and the successes such criminals are having, we are upping our game and we will not allow, we will prevent any such opportunistic attack and even make it impossible. And that is what the state must do.
“We are working with all arms of government particularly the security to make our custodial facilities impregnable.
“We will not rest until that is achieved. That’s the assurance I shan’t to give Nigerians.
“As to whether it calls for my resignation, I still don’t see any need for that because it’s not for lack of preparedness that the attacks were successful. No.”
He affirmed that the death of prison officials during the attacks is a testimony to the efforts put into prevent them.
Meanwhile, FEC has approved the sum of N965.9 million for the purchase of 49 operational vehicles by the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Aregbesola said the vehicles to be sourced locally would complement the ones already in use by the Correctional Service.
He said: “The Nigerian Correctional Service through the Ministry of Interior presented a memo to council and obtained approval to spend the sum of N965, 902, 524.58 to procure 49 operational and Green Maria vehicles.
“These 49 vehicles will complement the 513 operational and Green Maria vehicles already purchased between 2016 and 2020.
“This does not in any way mean that we have met the vehicle needs of the Nigerian Correctional Service but noting that since the advent of this administration, concerted effort and commitment are being made to ensure that the Correctional Service is provisioned with operational tools to meet its mandate of keeping the facilities safe as well as having the logistics to move inmates from the facilities to the over 5022 courts scattered all over Nigeria.”
Commenting on the recent calls for his resignation as a result of the frequent attack on correctional facilities across the country, the Interior Minister said there was no need for such calls.
“Our facility in Imo was attacked in April, Kaba was in September, Abulungu was in October and Jos was in November; just to capture the attacks. As painful as those attacks were, nobody will really want the end of justice to be so vulnerable. The custodial facilities are the final end of criminal justice system because such facilities are the ultimate end of the administration of justice.
“So, morally, the State owes itself the responsibility of safe custody that must not be violated so on that account alone, we must appreciate the enormity of any successful attack on our custodial facility and I so do. But I want us to put these things in the context of our security situation.
“In Jos, our men died, meaning that the best we could put there was there and when your best could not suffice, it means that it is no longer a question of inability to make preparation or failure for preparedness it is just that at that instance we could not just hold the defence as expected,” he said.
