By Milcah Tanimu

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has published additional names and photos of inmates who escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger state. The incident occurred on April 24, when heavy rainfall caused the prison walls to collapse, allowing 118 inmates to flee.

Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo attributed the breach to the old, deteriorating walls of the detention facility and assured that the federal government would take measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

By June 6, NCoS spokesperson Abubakar Umar announced that 23 of the escaped inmates had been recaptured. A subsequent update on June 15 listed 18 names of the escapees on the NCoS website, including Ogbonna Kingsley, Auwal Mohammed, Mustapha Ibrahim, Suleiman Sani, and others.

On Thursday, Abubakar Umar released another statement, identifying 13 more escapees and publishing their photos along with the previously listed 18, making a total of 31 names now available to the public. The new escapees include Tasiu Mohammed, Philip Ola, Mohammed Lawal, Buba Bello, and several others.

Umar stated that the NCoS has implemented various strategies to track down the escapees and return them to custody. The public is encouraged to report any sightings of the fugitives to security agencies or use the provided contact numbers and email addresses to share information.

For further information or to report sightings, the public can call 07087086005, 09060004598, or 08075050006, or email [email protected] or [email protected].