The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has ordered that those who attempt to attack custodian facilities in the country should be neutralised.
Describing the facilities as sacred institutions, he said anyone who aims to breach them should not leave to tell the story. This was contained in a statement on Friday by his Media Adviser, Sola Fasure.
The statement also quoted Aregbesola as saying the Federal Government has inaugurated a vulnerability audit of the Nigerian Correctional Service custodial centres across the country.
He expressed hope that the vulnerability audit would help to point out the weakness in the security architecture of the facilities.
It was titled,“FG Inaugurates Vulnerability Audit of all Custodial Centres… Neutralise those who attempt to breach your facilities, Aregbesola directs NCoS.“
It partly read, “The vulnerability audit we have inaugurated today will identify the weakness in our security setup and will help to put in place an effective structure to assist us in better securing our facilities against future external aggression. In the past, the challenges to the facilities were usually internal insurrections which our system had been primed to deal with. But this new challenge, starting with the #EndSARS riots of last year, is an armed invasion by gunmen, in large numbers, bearing sophisticated weapons and military-grade ordinances. They overrun the place, blow up huge holes on the perimeter fence and overpower our security system. We are determined to eliminate the threat from these attackers and ensure that our facilities are no longer vulnerable. The NCoS stands at the heart and end of the Administration of Criminal Justice System. It is a critical and essential element in keeping those the court thinks must be kept away from our society. You must do all in your power to defend it. The custodial centres represent Nigeria’s sovereignty, it’s a sacred institution that signifies her authority. Anyone who aims to breach them is simply testing the might and will of the Nigerian state and must not live to regret such actions.”
The Controller General of the Service, Haliru Nababa, noted that teams will be inaugurated in each of the geopolitical zones and an interim report submitted next week.
He, however, disclosed that the service, in order to curtail the incessant attacks on its facilities, had sent 150 armed personnel for training at a military formation in Kontagora, adding that others would join soon.
“We are heading back to the office to operationalise this assignment. Next week, we are submitting an interim report of the audit and the full report will be submitted in eight weeks’ time. We are aware of the embarrassment the frequent external attacks have on our reputation as a service and as a country. We are assuring the Minister that our officers are ready to combat all attacks on our facility. Already, the service has sent the first batch of 150 armed personnel for training at a military formation in Kontagora. Others are billed to complete their training in the next couple of weeks”.