 |
| The assailants who were said to be about 60, had stormed the prisons located at Afao Ekiti Road, Ado Ekiti on Sunday night at about 10.30pm. |
Like a replay of Kotonkarfi, Kogi state, jail break, where Boko Haram members forcefully freed their members, unknown gunmen, Sunday night, attacked the Federal Prisons, Ado Ekiti killing at least one person suspected to be a prison official.
The assailants who were said to be about 60, had stormed the prisons located at Afao Ekiti Road, Ado Ekiti on Sunday night at about 10.30pm.They were said to have freed their wounded colleagues who were earlier remanded in the prison by authorities.
The assailants who were said to be about 60, had stormed the prisons located at Afao Ekiti Road, Ado Ekiti on Sunday night at about 10.30pm.They were said to have freed their wounded colleagues who were earlier remanded in the prison by authorities.
The number of those freed could not, however, be ascertained at the time of this report.
A local leader of the Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, Mr Ade Adeniyi (Apase) was at the prison at the time of the attack. He was, however, said to have remained inside the prison even as other inmates fled. The prison is the only one in Ekiti State.
The gang were said to have used an explosive to blow up the main gate of the prison before they could gain entrance into the prison yard.
They equally killed all the 20 sniffer dogs tied in front of the gate.
The gang was said to have come to the prison premises in seven Hilux trucks, brandishing
dangerous weapons such as cudgels, cutlasses, AK 47 rifles , charms and chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ as they shot sporadically into the air .
Chat212 further gathered that the gunshots and the bombing were so intense that the inmates had to run in different directions to prevent being hit by stray bullets.
Journalists barred from prison
Journalists were not allowed into the premises during a visit to the prisons yesterday.
Earlier in the day, a statement aired on the state radio, alleged that the action was carried out by APC thugs to free a leader of Oodua People’s Congress, Niyi Adedipe who was remanded by the court over alleged murder of a former chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Chief Omolafe Aderiye.
The APC image maker in the state , Chief Taiwo Olatubosun, who spoke on the telephone denied any link with the party.
According to him; ‘’What shall we gain for doing that? We cannot do such things. It is not in our character to do such things.
“Very soon the PDP and the governor will have to accuse God for running a clueless government and for their shortcoming.”
He said the PDP was talking from the “figment of its imagination” asking if it was the APC that is in charge of the prison or the security of the state?
‘’It is the figment of their imagination that the APC is connected with the jail break. We don’t know anything about it,” he said.
Confirming the attack
The Comptroller of Prison, Ekiti State, Mr. Kehinde Fadipe , who later confirmed the attack, but denied loss of life adding that Adeniyi Adedipe, was still in custody.
“We are moving around to assess the situation. It was not a jail break but an attack on the prison. The main entrance of the prison was blown up.
“What happened is that we were attacked from outside not from within, they came massively with different weapons, they attacked our men on duty, and we have been here since 10.30 yesterday Sunday.”
On those that escaped from prison, the comptroller said his men were already out to re-arrest inmates that escaped during the attack.
He said he had no Boko Haram member in the prison to warrant attack from the Islamic sect, saying it would be preposterous to draw conclusion now on where the attack actually came.
He equally failed to give the figure of those that escaped and those that had returned into the prisons on their own.
The Comptroller added that some of the escaped inmates “have been recaptured and kept in police cells.
Governor expresses displeasure
Meanwhile, the state governor, Mr Fayose has expressed displeasure at the jail break assuring that all the perpetrators would fail.
His words: “We regret the jail break perpetrated by the evil people which led to the escape of many inmates. I want you to know that I have the grace of God on me and whoever plans against us shall be destroyed. My prayer is that they will not know peace.”
Fayose justifies reduction in number of ministries
Meantime, Governor Fayose has justified the reduction in the ministries to 10 from 36, saying the present economy of the state cannot sustain over bloated civil service.
He spoke in Ado Ekiti yesterday while performing the swearing in ceremony of the new Head of Service, Mr Olugbenga Faseluka and six permanent secretaries
The new permanent secretaries are Ademiloye Ojo Fasiku, Ayodeji Ajiboye, Olabisi Akindele (Mrs.), Lawrence Babatope Ojo and Sunday Komolafe,while the former Head of Service, Mr Bunmi Famosaya was appointed a Special Adviser to the governor.
