The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says it is unfortunate that the assorted array of security forces guarding the medium security prison in Kuje could not defend the facility against terrorists attack.

Mr Aregbesola who spoke when he led the top brass of the interior ministry to the damaged prison noted that “ a platoon of the Nigerian Army with sophisticated weapons, the Nigeria Police Force, officers of the NSCDC, and armed officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service on ground during the time of the attack.

“We have a world class facility here by any standard. I am disappointed with the level of defence.

“We have enough men to protect this facility but unfortunately they couldn’t hold their position effectively for defence and that was the reason for the breach,” the minister said.

Sola Fasure, Mr Aregbesola’s spokesman, made this known via a statement on Friday.

The minister called for cooperation among the security agencies to forestall future attacks on public infrastructure and other national assets.

Mr Aregbesola also restated his earlier position on declaring all custodial centres across the country as red zones, adding that whoever attempts it won’t live to tell the story.

“Now my position is so clear, I have declared since April 2021 that all our facilities are red zones and that whoever attempts an attack may not live to tell the story. I still maintain this.

“Kuje is the most fortified in the country, if fortification for security is the determinant of whether it is medium or maximum.

“It is medium by size but maximum by the security being put there. We have a platoon of security officers deployed here.

He said there was a high grade of military and police and other security forces deployed for protection but strangely, something happened most of which could not be said on camera.

“I want to believe those who escaped can only run but cannot hide,” Aregbesola added.

The minister who expressed regret over the attack, stated that what was being experienced as a nation was the fall out of the success of the war in the North-East.

“It is very regrettable that this happened. Let’s put it in context. The nation was experiencing asymmetric warfare. Yes, the insurgents have been degraded in the North-East.

“We have 61,000 of them in our custody in the North-East, the effect of the effectiveness itself in degrading them in the North-East is what we are experiencing,” he said.

“He said as sad as it was, Nigerians must put behind whatever had happened now in the context of the asymmetric warfare unleashed on the nation by the criminal elements “and we will rise to it.”

“That’s the assurance I want to give to Nigerians, as I said if deployments is the basis of security, Kuje was as at Tuesday heavily fortified.”

(NAN)