The leadership of the State Security
Service has commenced an investigation into an attempted jailbreak at
the agency’s detention facility in Abuja on Sunday.
Our correspondents learnt on Monday that
the investigation was aimed at punishing errant SSS operatives, whose
carelessness was said to have been responsible for the incident.
This is as the SSS said on Monday that 16 detainees, who escaped during the jail break attempt, were rearrested.
It was learnt that the leadership of the SSS had been embittered by professional lapses of the operatives.
Security sources told one of our
correspondents in Abuja that the secret agency had commenced probe of
the incident since Sunday.
One of the sources said the bosses at
the SSS were alarmed that the detainees’ handler went to the detention
facility without adherence to standard procedure for feeding inmates.
The source said, “What happened was
abnormal. The incident was queried by the leadership. A decision has
been taken to x-ray the entire incident in order to get the details.
“The standard operational procedure is for three people to go to the detention centre to feed the inmates.
“Usually, the person carrying the food does not carry arms but in this case, he was hanging a Cador rifle.
“That is why the matter has to be properly investigated to find out where the lapses occurred.
“The others were with him. If not for those that were with him, the detainees would have killed many people.
“Going to the detention centre with the
gun was in violation of the rule and if it is investigated those
culpable might be punished.”
It was gathered that laxity on the part of the operatives contributed to the attempted jailbreak.
Investigations showed that the terror
suspects took advantage of the absence of most personnel on Sunday to
make the jailbreak attempt.
Sources told one of our correspondents
that lack of security cameras in the detention facility also made it
possible for the suspects to plan their escape without giving the
authorities room for suspicion.
“The terror suspects knew that most
personnel don’t come to work on Sunday and beside that, the few
operatives on duty would be in a relaxed mood since their bosses won’t
be around, so they took advantage of the situation and made their move,
but we successfully foiled it,” a source stated.
The Deputy Director, Public Relations, SSS, Marilyn Ogar, said that 16 suspects that escaped from the facility were re-arrested.
She added that 21 suspects who resisted arrest were shot.
“We were able to re-arrest 16 suspects
that scaled the fence and escaped out of the facility and 18 others who
resisted arrest were shot. Eight suspects however refused to participate
in the jail-break,” Ogar told a private-owned Channels television on Monday.
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