Jailbreaks: Reps want FG to Upgrade Correctional Centres

• ……. Provide budgetary allocation for  132 KVA electricity sub-station in Jigawa

By Christiana Ekpa

Following the recent cases of jailbreaks in the country, the House of Representatives on Thursday asked the Federal Government to upgrade Nigerian correctional centres to avoid further reoccurrence of such.

This was just as the House mandated its Committees on Appropriations and Power to make provisions for funds in the 2022 budget for the construction of a 132 KVA Electricity Sub-Station in Gwaram, Jigawa State.

The House equally resolved to “urge the federal government to rehabilitate and upgrade the correctional centres with the latest and sophisticated arms such as GPMG and automatic machine guns and latest security electric fence wires attached with shocking gadgets and highly sophisticated CCTV cameras”.

The House also urged the federal government to take over the payment of electricity bills of the correctional centres in Nigeria or exempt the centres from paying electricity bills.

It’s further mandated its Committee on Appropriations to include the rehabilitation and upgrade of the correctional centres in the 2022 budget estimates.

The House resolutions was sequel to the adoption of a motions moved  separately by Hon. Muhammed Kazaure and  Hon. Yusuf  Galambi at the plenary  Thursday.

Kazaure while presenting his motion said correctional centres are where convicted criminals are kept to make the society safe, thus it is dangerous for such convicts to be let loose.

Hon. Kazaure expressed concern that if adequate steps are not taken to re-arrest the escaped convicts and provide adequate security in correctional centres, some of the criminals who escaped may become more emboldened to the point of forming terrorist groups that would put the country in jeopardy.

The Lawmaker said that there was a need to upgrade the firearms of the security personnel guarding various correctional centres from AK-47 to General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) since those attacking the prisons now come with the same calibre of firearms as the security on ground.