Family members and relatives of some of the 1,181 Benin jailbreak escapees, over the weekend, voluntarily escorted them back to the Oko and Benin medium correctional centres in Edo State.
A correctional centre source confirmed that 24 inmates accompanied by their lawyers were received following the October 30, 2020 expiration date handed down the escapees by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to voluntarily return back to the centres or face dire consequences.
Thousands of hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons had under the guise of #EndSARS protests attacked the two correctional facilities in Benin and freed all the prison inmates.
The source disclosed that as at 30th October, 2020, Oko correctional centre had received 24 inmates who were escorted back by their parents, lawyers and relations.
“We are expecting that more will return back. Those we have received so far are inmates who have few months of their jail terms while the hardened and condemned inmates are yet to return. Most of those out there are awaiting trials,” he stated.
Shortly after the jailbreak, Obaseki, accompanied by the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Johnson Kokumo, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Celestine Okoye and the Controller of Correction, Edo State Command Babayo Maisanda, paid an assessment visit to the correctional centres.
It was learnt that some of the inmates responded and voluntarily returned back to the centre. The response prompted the governor to further extend the ultimatum
for one week.
A statement by the special adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, had stated that: “The extension of the ultimatum is as a result of the positive response from the prisoners, as a good number of them have since returned to the two correctional facilities”.
The new window is to allow more prisoners to return to the centres willingly. – Leadership.
