The President said he was disappointed with the intelligence system.
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed shock over Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
SaharaReporters had reported that terrorists suspected to be members of Jamar Ansarul Muslimina fi Biladi Sudan, popularly known as Ansaru attacked the centre on Tuesday night and freed inmates including their members and Boko Haram terrorists held in custody.
Reacting on his verified Twitter page on Wednesday, the President said he was disappointed with the intelligence system.
“Saddened by the attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje. I am disappointed with the intelligence system. How can terrorists organize, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it? I am expecting a comprehensive report on this shocking incident,” he said.
Though the Nigeria Correction Service’s spokesperson, Umar Abubakar, said one Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel and four inmates died during the incident, a source told SaharaReporters that 10 inmates were killed during the incident.
Another source also dismissed the claim by the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, that 64 Boko Haram members escaped, saying that over 201 members of the group were unaccounted for.
“A total of 879 inmates escaped from the facility during the unfortunate attack. As of the time of this report, 443 have been recaptured, 551 inmates are currently in custody, 443 inmates are still at large, 4 inmates are dead and 16 inmates sustained various degrees of injuries and are being treated at the moment. However, efforts are ongoing to recapture all fleeing inmates,” NCS spokesperson had said.
“The Service will deploy its Corrections Information Management System in synergy with National Identity Management Commission to track all fleeing inmates and return them to custody.”
The President earlier visited the scene of the attack before his scheduled trip to Dakar, Senegal.