The Controller General of Corrections (CGC), Hailey Nababa, issued this warning in a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja.

“In view of the purported national protest scheduled for August 1, 2024, the Nigerian Correctional Service wishes to inform the public that the Custodial Centres have been designated as red zones; therefore, any person or group of persons who have no business whatsoever should steer clear,” the statement, signed by the agency’s spokesman Abubakar Umar, read.

The agency reiterated that “custodial and non-custodial centres are critical national assets essential to public safety and national security.”

It warned that any tampering with or attacks on these facilities could lead to a breakdown of law and order, exacerbating societal security issues.

In preparation for the protest, security has been heightened at custodial centres nationwide. “Adequate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure that no correctional facility is defiled,” the statement noted. Additionally, the Ministry of Interior Joint Taskforce (MOIJTF) has been activated to provide extra security around these facilities.

This declaration follows similar measures by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), which has also beefed up security around the country’s borders.

The Comptroller General of Immigration Service, KN Nandap, directed zonal heads, state command comptrollers, and Divisional Immigration Officers (DIOS) to increase vigilance and surveillance in light of the planned protest.

Other security agencies, including the Nigerian Army and police, have also issued warnings against violence during the upcoming protest.

The downpour damaged parts of the facility, including its perimeter fence, facilitating the escape.

Adamu Duza, spokesman for the Federal Capital Territory FCT Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service NCoS, confirmed the incident on Thursday morning.

He stated, “A total of 118 inmates fled the facility due to the damage caused by the heavy downpour.”

Duza also mentioned that the recapture efforts are underway, with 10 inmates already back in custody.

The authorities are in pursuit of the remaining escapees.

The NCoS assured the public that efforts are being made to modernize old facilities, including the construction of six 3000-capacity ultra-modern custodial centers across Nigeria.

They also urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the nearest security agency.

INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, gave the hint when he received the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, and his team at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

At the parley, both organisations agreed that it was high time inmates were granted voting rights in compliance with an existing High Court judgement in Benin City, which ruled in favour of inmate voting.

As of 2020, there were about 73,726 inmates in Nigeria’s correctional facilities across the country.

The INEC boss affirmed that the commission was committed to inclusivity, including the rights of inmates to vote during elections. 

He pointed out that inmates’ voting rights have been recognised by Kenya and South Africa on the African continent, and Nigeria was ready to toe a similar path.

Yakubu, however, raised some germane issues which needed to be addressed in order to allow for successful inmates’ voting, adding that “there was need to discuss the practicalities of how this could be achieved in Nigeria.”

He said, “Let me start with the Legal Framework.  Section 12, sub-section 1 of the Electoral Act 2022 lists five qualifications for registration as a voter in Nigeria, because you have to register as a voter before the right to exercise that right is conferred. That section of the Electoral Act has at least 5 qualifications.

“Number one, the prospective registrant must be a Nigerian citizen. Number two, he or she must be 18 years of age, at least. Number three, he or she must originate, reside or work in the local government or be covered by the registration centre or the point of registration. Number four, that citizen of Nigeria must present himself or herself to the registration officer for registration and support. And number five, which is really critical to our discussion today, is that he or she must not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote under any law, rule, or regulation imposed in Nigeria.

“This is one area that we need to discuss so that we know the categories of inmates that will exercise the right to vote and I’m happy that you came with your Director, Legal. We, therefore, need to work things out carefully. We want transparency of the process. Because everything that we do in the Commission, particularly when it comes to the rights of citizens to vote, must be done transparently.”

Other issues raised by the INEC chairman included location of polling units for inmates, possibility of political party campaigns in the correctional facilities, voter education for inmates, voter registration for inmates, and observers’ access to correctional facilities to monitor elections if polling units had to be situated in the facilities.

He stressed the need to address the issues militating against inmates’ voting as soon as possible, as he pointed out that the 2023 general election was seven months away.

Yakubu said, “The sooner we’re able to address these issues, the better for the process. But remember, we have only a little over seven months to the next general election. But the next general election is not going to be the last election conducted by Nigeria. So, even if we don’t meet all these critical thresholds in 2023, we’ll continue with a discussion to see what happens beyond 2023.”

Recall that InsideOjodu had earlier reported that suspected gunmen on Monday morning attacked the Owerri Correctional Prison in the Imo State capital and freed over 1500 inmates.

But the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, in a statement signed by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba stated that the attacked was carried out by IPOB and ESN.

Adamu condemned the alleged act by the security arm of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra. IPOB, however, has since denied being behind the attacks.

The IGP, however has ordered the immediate deployment of additional units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) and other Police Tactical Squads to Imo State to strengthen security and prevent further attacks on security formations or any other critical national infrastructure in the State.

The statement read:  “Preliminary investigations have revealed that the attackers, who came in their numbers with sophisticated weapons such as General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), Sub-Machine Guns (SMGs), AK49 rifles, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), are members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/Eastern Security Network (ESN).

“The attempt by the attackers to gain access to the Police armoury at the Headquarters was totally and appropriately resisted by Police operatives on duty who repelled the attackers and prevented them from breaking-in and looting the armoury.

“The armoury is thus intact! Similarly, the police suffered no human casualty, apart from a police Constable who sustained a minor bullet wound on his shoulder.”

The IGP also directed the Commissioner of Police in the state and a new Special Investigation Team “to carry out holistic investigations into the incident with a view to fishing-out the perpetrators and bringing them to justice”.

“The IGP, who described the deliberate and criminal attack on security operatives as an attack on the soul of our nation, has enjoined leaders in Imo State, the South-East and other parts of the country to speak out against the unfolding violence and criminality.

“The IGP calls on citizens to avail the Police and other security agencies with useful information that can assist in identifying and arresting the criminals.

“He vowed that the perpetrators will be brought to book, noting that the Force is doing all within its powers to curb the activities of unscrupulous elements hell-bent on threatening the unity, safety, security and socio-economic wellbeing of Nigerians,” the statement added.

The freed Nigerians in a Save Our Soul (SoS) message lamented that despite their pardon on March 26 to decongest prisons in response to COVID-19 pandemic, the embassy had refused to clear them.

It was gathered that out of 4,011 prisoners of different nationalities released by Ethiopia to return to their countries, only Nigerians were left stranded in the detention facility.

One of the affected Nigerians, Charles Okeke, who spoke on behalf of others, said they were serving their prison terms at the Kaliti Federal Prison before their pardon.

He said the Consular-General sent members of the Nigerian Embassy to them on April 6th to collect their passports with a promise that the Federal Government would send a flight to take them back home.

Okeke said two weeks later, the embassy asked them to pay $1000 each for their flight ticket and $50 each for their exit visa adding that all of them mounted pressure on their family members at home and paid the fees.

“After paying that money, they gave us a date to travel, which was May 31st. But three days before the deadline, they told us that the Federal Government of Nigeria has put on hold the evacuation process because of new COVID-19 travel protocol. They told us that all the intending evacuees must undergo COVID-19 tests five to nine days before boarding. But they said they were working for us to skip the test. We later found out that it was a delay strategy.

“On June 3rd, we wrote to the embassy pleading with them to allow us undergo the test. They came and conducted the tests and three days later, the results came out and we all tested negative.

“On June 23, the embassy called us and said we would be leaving on June 24th and that our flight will take off at 9:30 am. On that same day, the embassy called us to hold on that an order came from Abuja and that a new date would be communicated to us”.

Okeke, however said since then no date had been fixed for their evacuation and wondered why they were left stranded while the government successfully conducted evacuations of stranded Nigerians in other countries.

“The embassy has forgotten the plight of Nigerians pardoned by the Ethiopian Government. We have made all efforts since then to contact the Consular-General and all our efforts proved abortive. The Ethiopian Airline left from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa to Abuja on July 16 but we were left behind after paying $1050 each for a charted flight.

“They gave us pardon with other African nations. Every other countries have evacuated all their citizens apart from Nigeria. Those from Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique, Brazil, Venezuela and other European countries have brought their citizens back home.

“ We are 60 and we are stranded. The embassy is quiet despite collecting our money. All the blames go to the embassy. We expected them to at least take us to Addis Ababa because the prison authorities are tired. Come clear us from the prison. We can pay for our hotel bills. We are begging the Nigerian Government to assist us. We want to leave this pandemic zone,” he said.

Prosecutors said security camera footage showed Epstein, 66, who was found dead in his Manhattan federal prison cell this past August, was alone in his cell the night officials said he killed himself.

In an exclusive interview on “Fox & Friends” last month, pioneering forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden revealed Epstein’s body bore telltale signs of homicide, despite the official ruling that he had killed himself.

The bombshell claim by Baden, a former New York City medical examiner who has worked on high-profile cases during a five-decade medical career, reignited suspicions that surfaced immediately after Epstein, who was awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges involving underage girls, was discovered dead in his cell on Aug. 10.

New York City Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson ruled Epstein’s cause of death to be a suicide by hanging.

In announcing a case against two guards accused of falsifying records, prosecutors said Tuesday that video surveillance showed that nobody had entered the area housing Epstein.

Baden, the pathologist hired by Epstein’s brother to investigate his death, said he still was not convinced and wanted to know more from guards about the position of Epstein’s body when he was found.

Mark Epstein, Jeffrey’s next of kin, had hired Baden to perform an independent investigation because the family wasn’t getting answers, the pathologist told Fox News.

Last month, Baden, who observed the autopsy, told Fox News its findings were more consistent with homicidal strangulation than suicidal hanging. He noted that Epstein had two fractures on the left and right sides of his larynx, specifically the thyroid cartilage or Adam’s apple, as well as one fracture on the left hyoid bone above the Adam’s apple, Baden said.

“Those three fractures are extremely unusual in suicidal hangings and could occur much more commonly in homicidal strangulation,” Baden, who is also a Fox News contributor, said at the time.

Baden previously had probed cases involving O.J. Simpson, President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, record producer Phil Spector, New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez and many others.

“I’ve not seen in 50 years where that occurred in a suicidal hanging case,” the 85-year-old medical legend said.

There were also hemorrhages in Epstein’s eyes that were common in homicidal strangulation and uncommon, though not unheard of, in suicidal hangings, the forensic pathologist said.

Attorneys for Ronald Lee Haskell argued that he had heard voices in his head telling him to kill members of the Stay family in 2014. Prosecutors said Haskell, 39, had planned to kill anyone who helped his ex-wife Melannie Lyon after she left him.

Authorities say Haskell traveled from California and stalked Lyon’s family for two days before committing the murders.

Those killed include Stephen Stay, 39, and his 34-year-old wife Katie, along with their children, Zach, 4, Rebecca, 7, Emily, 9, and 13-year-old Bryan. Katie Stay was Melanie Lyon’s sister.

Cassidy Stay, who was 15 at the time of the shootings, survived by playing dead after she was shot in the head. She testified that Haskell forced everyone in the Houston home to lie face down in the living room before shooting them. He subsequently tried going to the home of his ex-wife’s parents and brother but was arrested by police.

A forensic psychiatrist who testified for the defense said Haskell suffered from severe mental illness that prevented him from knowing right from wrong. The psychiatrist testified Haskell was suffering from a form of bipolar disorder, a brain condition that causes unusual shifts in mood, and from schizoaffective disorder, a condition characterized by hallucinations or delusions.

In Texas, an insanity defense is rarely used and seldom successful.

Lyon testified that Haskell physically abused her and their children. She eventually took them and moved to Texas from Utah to be with her family after the couple divorced.

Prosecutors claimed Haskell faked symptoms of mental illness and had carefully planned the killings, disguising himself as a FedEx delivery driver to gain entry into the Stay family’s home.

“We are grateful for the jurors’ rapt attention over the last many weeks to every piece of evidence in the case,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. “There was never a reasonable doubt that Haskell meticulously planned and carried out the slaughter of the Stay family.”

Jurors deliberated for eight hours over two days before coming to a verdict. The trial’s penalty phase is scheduled to begin Monday. Prosecutors are asking for the death penalty.