By Elijah Ade
Authorities have declared near 1900 escaped prisoners wanted, after they have escaped from prisons on Monday October 19, 2020 in Benin, Edo State, South – South Nigeria.
According to reliable sources, among the escapees are Alex Ose, a taxi driver who had been awaiting trial since 2014 on charges of armed robbery.
According to a source, one Egbine Joel is also among the escapees. It was gathered that Egbine Joel has been in the prison since 2011 on charges of murder, robbery and kidnapping.
A top reliable source in the state legal department said those who escaped from lawful prison custody risked being sentenced for an extra seven years if caught, noting that those who are re-arrested will be retried and sentenced to extra seven years.
In October 2020, during the #EndSARS protests, a significant prison break occurred in Benin City, Edo State, leading to the escape of near 1900 inmates from the Oko and Sapele Road Correctional Centres.
Earlier, the Chairman of the 11-man committee on the re-arrest of the escapee prisoners said 1,829 inmates escaped from Benin correctional facilities.
Meanwhile, the committee led by Deputy Controller Corrections (DCC) Usifo Joseph visited Edo State Governor, Godwin Obseki last week.
While speaking during the committee visit, Governor Obsaki said “We urge landlords and landladies to cooperate with the committee and Edo State Government by providing vital and valuable information that will lead to the arrest of the escapee prisoners. Any landlord or landlady harbouring any of these escaped prisoners will be immediately prosecuted.”
“We would not rest until we re-arrest every inmate that escaped from the Benin Correctional facilities. Additional charges would be prepared to add to the already existing charges of the escapees,” the governor said.
According to the committee, while 85 of the escaped prisoners have been re-arrested from different parts of the country, one Alex Ose, a taxi driver surrendered himself; whereas, the whereabouts of others, over 1, 700 remains unknown, including one Egbine Joel and many others.
Meanwhile, the jail break has raised concerns about the security of correctional facilities and the challenges in managing prison populations during civil unrest.
Authorities urged anyone with information regarding Mr. Joel or other escapees to contact law enforcement agencies promptly.
