FG Suspends Niger State Prisons Boss Over Jailbreak

The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro (pictured) has approved the suspension of the Comptroller General of  the Niger state Prison Command, Musa Maiyaki, the Officer-in-Charge of Medium Security Prison Minna- ACP Mohammed Ibena and all other officers on duty during the jailbreak on Saturday December 6th in which over 200 prisoners escaped from the prison.

According to a statement by the National Public Relations Officer, Nigerian Prisons Service, Mr Ope Fatinikun, the suspension of the officers was based on recommendations by the new Prison's Comptroller General, Dr Peter Ekpendu.

The Comptroller General had recommended the immediate removal and suspension of the officers present at the Maximum Security prison during the jailbreak pending the outcome of investigations. The statement stated that the incident was a jailbreak and not a terrorist attack as was widely speculated in some quarters. It also stated that 108 of the inmates who escaped have been recaptured and that a total of 166 is still at large.