Kuje prison plans security beef-up amid rising insecurity

With the alarming rate of insecurity in parts of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the Nigerian Correctional Service has said it is working to beef up the security in its Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja.

The spokesperson for the FCT Command, Adamu Duza, disclosed this to The PUNCH on Wednesday.

The FCT is facing an alarming surge in insecurity, exemplified by the recent kidnap of six sisters and their father by bandits in the Bwari Area Council of the FCT.

The killing of Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, one of the girls, generated anger among Nigerians.

The sisters were among the 23 others abducted by the bandits who reportedly killed a policeman and injured another one during the January 13, 2024 attack.

According to a December 2023 Nigeria Security Report, by Beacon Consulting Ltd, an enterprise security risk management and intelligence firm, a total of 519 persons were abducted across 229 local government areas in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

A deep dive into the report showed that the FCT ranked third in the states with the highest number of abductees,  with 67 civilians and one government official as victims.

Since December 24, 2023, when suspected bandits attacked Garam, a community in Tafa LGA of Niger State, bordering the Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory, abductions of residents have occurred almost daily.

There are fears that schools and custodial centres might soon be invaded by bandits if the crisis is not addressed properly.

To forestall a possible repeat of the July 5, 2022 jailbreak at the Kuje Custodial Centre, Duza said, “The FCT Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service is in talks with sister security agencies to beef up security in and around our custodial centres in the nation's capital.

“However, at the moment all security agencies are present in our facilities to help secure our custodial centers in synergy.

“The following security agencies are attached to the facilities: Nigerian Army 176 Guard Battalion; Nigerian Army 102 Guard Battalion, at Suleja; DSS, FCT Command; Mopol 21 PMF; Mopol 50 PMF; NPF/CTU (B Div.), at Kuje; NSCDC, FCT Command; and NIS, FCT Command.

“We want to assure Nigerians that all the custodial centres under the command is peaceful and calm.”