…FG declares fleeing terrorists wanted
…Lawmaker urges strict border control
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday directed the Armed Forces and other security agencies to take necessary action to ensure that the attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre Kuje “does not happen again anywhere in the country.”
The Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Maigari Dingyadi, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the President gave the marching order at the National Security Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa.
“The President was deeply concerned about these developments and he initiated today’s meeting, to enable security agencies, service chiefs, the Inspector General police, to brief the Council on what actually happened and the way forward.
“The Service Chiefs have been given very clear directives to ensure that adequate measures are taken not only to investigate what happened, but also to take steps to forestall the occurrence of such incidents.
“We had a very successful meeting and the meeting has agreed to take proactive measures that will ensure that a repeat of what happened these few days will not be witnessed anymore,” he said.
The minister assured Nigerians of a full-scale investigation into the attack, as he solicited for their support in fighting all forms of criminality.
“The President is surprised that what happened in Kuje actually took place in spite of all the security arrangements that have been made to ensure that such an incident does not happen.
“We are assuring the nation and Nigerians in general that arrangements have been made to ensure that full investigations are carried out and to ensure that a repeat of the incidents will not occur.
“We call on Nigerians to continue to support the federal government in the effort to ensure that we fight criminalities to finish and to ensure that this country is brought back to normalcy in a more secure and a more peaceful atmosphere.”
He said the government and its security agencies were committed to ensuring that there was peace and tranquility as “Nigeria moves towards the 2023 general elections.”
FG’s declaration
Meanwhile, the federal government has declared all Boko Haram suspects who fled the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Abuja, wanted.
In a statement issued Friday in Abuja, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) revealed the names and photos of 69 inmates who escaped from the correctional facility following an attack by terrorists three days ago.
“The following are faces and names of Inmates with Boko Haram/terrorism cases who escaped from Kuje Correctional Centre during the jail attack on July 5, 2022.
“If you see any of these people, or have useful information which may lead to their recapture, please Call 07000099999, 09060004598 or 08075050006 or any law enforcement agency nearest to you. We guarantee to keep your information anonymous,” the statement read in part.
Those declared wanted were: Abdulkareem Musa, Abdusalami Adamu, Abubakar Abdulrahman Habibu, Abubakar Mohammed Sadiq, Abubakar Mohammed, Abubakar Yusuf, Adam Lawal Muhammad, Akibu Musa Danjuma, Amodu Omale Salihu, Bello Haruna, Bilyaminu Usman, Bukar Ali, Ibrahim Mohammed, Ikya Abur, Ismail Idris Abdullahi, Modu Aji, Mohammed Sani, and Musa Abubakar.
Also declared wanted were: Mustapha Umar, Mustapha Umar, Shehu Abdullahi, Suleiman Idi, Suleiman Zacharia, Sunday Micheal, Yakubu Abdullahi, Yasir Ibrahim Salihu, Yunusa Mukaiya, Abdulmannan Obadiki, Abubakar Mohammed Musa, Abubakar Umar, Adamu Mohammed, Ahmadu Hagola, Asama Haruna Kanti, Baluye Modu, Bassey Victor Kingsley, Diko Iko, Fannami Alhaji Bukar, Faruku Waziri, Hassan Hassan, Ibrahim Musa, Idris Ojo, and Ishaq Farouk.
Others were: Mohammed Goni Kyari, Mohammed Guja, Mohammed Saleh Buba, Mohammed Umar, Mukhtar Ussaini Khalidu, Musa Adamu, Musa Umar, Onyemire Asagba, Rabiu Shaibu, Sahabi Ismail, Sani Mohammed, Umar Ahmadu Ladan, Usman Balarebe, Yahaya Adamu Abubakar, Yusuf Yakubu, Abdulazeez Obadaki, Auwal Abubakar, Mansur Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Abubakar, Mohammed Jamiu Eneji Sani, Muazu Abubakar, Muhammed Sani Adamu, Muktar Umar, Nambil Zakari Gambo, Sadiq Garba Abubakar, Yazid Muhammed Usman, Yusuf Ali Yusuf.
Lawmaker’s admonition
In a related development, the chairman , Senate Committee on Finance, Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West), has said the incident was traceable in part to the lack of strict control and mismanagement of international borders of Nigeria by the relevant authorities.
Adeola stated this in Abuja Friday in his remarks as the chief launcher at the public presentation of a compendium of three books titled “Bridging African Boundaries: Cross Border Areas and Regional Integration in Comparative History and Policy Advocacy” authored by an expert on African boundaries, emeritus Professor Anthony Asiwaju, at National Universities Commission, Abuja.
He said: “The only living Nigerian passionate about border issues and problems is Professor Asiwaju. At over 80 years he has remained focused for over three decades on the issues of borders, the people at the international borders, their problems and solutions all over Nigeria and indeed Africa.
“The relevance of his work can be seen in the problem of insurgency bedeviling our nation. Recently we had the Kuje Prison attack by a terrorist group that freed many terrorists and hardened criminals.
“From the video clip of the incidents and the language of the attackers, it is clear that these are foreigners that must have infiltrated our country through porous international borders.
“We need to take international border issues and people living along the borders more seriously than we have done.”
The senator, who presently represents Lagos West Senatorial District with an active international border at Seme and is now the APC candidate for 2023 for Ogun West Senatorial District with another active international border at Idiroko, said “policy makers and leaders must take the issue of control and management of our borders and its people seriously to prevent the threat posed by insecurity with identifiable origin beyond our international borders.”
He added that with the array of mostly experts at the book presentation, he would encourage and support any effort like workshops and seminars for policy makers and stakeholders to brainstorm and implement policy advocacy contained in the research work of the compendium.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr. Adeola Ipaye, said Professor Asiwaju’s researches and efforts were instrumental to the establishment of major border control agencies like National Border Commission and the National Border Development Commission adding that at the continental level, the African Union established similar institutions based on the erudite professor’s work on border issues.
The author of the book, Prof. Asiwaju, said the book was for tertiary level history students, readers, researchers and policy makers in the field of border studies, adding that “it is an effort to publicise history as an applied science to be relied on by those in charge of public policies in applying solutions to myriad of integrative and developmental problems.”
The highlight of the occasion was the purchase of 100 copies of the book by Senator Adeola for donation to the libraries of the National Assembly, the Nigeria Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and other educational institutions in his senatorial district and beyond.
