A human rights group, Hope Behind Bars Africa, has expressed deep concern over the jailbreak at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Keffi (new), which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday.

At least 16 detainees escaped during the incident, while five staff members were injured, with two receiving urgent medical care.

In a statement, the organisation described the incident as part of a troubling pattern of jailbreaks across the country’s correctional facilities.

In May, seven detainees escaped from the Ilesha Custodial Centre in Osun, while in March, 12 persons broke out of the Koton Karfe Correctional Centre in Kogi.

According to the organisation, the increasing frequency of jailbreaks signals a crisis in Nigeria’s justice and corrections system, requiring urgent and holistic reforms.

The group said there “is a need for significant investment in infrastructure to modernise dilapidated facilities, measures to reduce overcrowding and policies to address systemic weaknesses”. It urged the federal government to take decisive steps to stop the current spate of jailbreaks.

The statement called on the National Assembly to prioritise correctional reform by passing legislation focused on strengthening and upgrading facilities. It added that reducing the prison population through reforms in sentencing and alternatives to incarceration were critical to addressing the root causes of insecurity in custodial centres.

“The time for urgent, coordinated action on the state of corrections in Nigeria is now,” the group said.

(NAN)