Buhari visits Kuje Prison—expresses disappointment in Nigeria’s security intelligence

Technocrat Media

President Muhammadu Buhari visited the scene of the attack at Kuje prison in the federal capital territory (FCT) and expressed his disappointment in Nigeria’s security intelligence gathering.

Mr Buhari blamed the situation on the failure of intelligence when he visited the scene on Wednesday.

The president queried why terrorists are able to successfully “attack a security installation and get away with it” in the nation’s capital.

On his arrival at the facility, Mr Buhari was briefed on the account of the attack by Shuaib Belgore, permanent secretary, ministry of interior, and Haliru Nababa, the controller general of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

According to them, the records office was the point of attack. It was set on fire, adding that the invaders thereafter launched an attack on all cells in which Boko Haram terrorists were held.

Garba Shehu, the presidential spokesman, said the president expressed shock at the scale and audacity of the attack.

“How did the defences at the prison fail to prevent the attack? How many personnel did you have on duty? How many of them were armed?” the president was quoted as asking the prison officials.

Mr Buhari was also said to have inquired about the number of guards on the watchtower and the functionality of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the facility.

“I am disappointed with the intelligence system,” Mr Buhari said.

“How can terrorists organise, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it?”

He added that he is expecting “a comprehensive report” on the incident.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Abubakar Umar, NCS spokesman, disclosed on Wednesday that a total of 879 inmates had escaped from the facility.

“A total of 879 inmates escaped from the facility during the unfortunate attack. As at the time of this report, 443 have been recaptured, 551 inmates are currently in custody, 443 inmates are still at large, 4 inmates are dead and 16 inmates sustained various degrees of injuries and are being treated at the moment,” the statement reads.

He also disclosed that 443 inmates have been recaptured.

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