Aregbesola Declares Prisons “Red Zones” |The Source

By Uche Mbah

Angered by the incessant prison breaks being experienced nation wide, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregebesola, has declared the Nigerian Correctional Facilities red zones.

Nigerian Prisons, whose name had been changed to Nigerian Correctional Centers by the Buhari Administration under the watch of Aregbesola, has been having its fare share of controversies occasioned by prison breaks under controversial circumstances.

The latest is the liberation of prisoners by, still to be identified gunmen in Imo state.

Though about 200 of the prisoners have either been rearrested or voluntarily returned, it had left a sour taste in the mouth, particularly as it appeared to have followed the script of similar jail breaks at Benin Prisons.

There have been other attacks on other correctional facilities in the country.

But in a tweet via his verified twitter handle, @rauaregbesola, the minister said anyone who attacks a correctional facility “will not live to regret it”.

“Today, I declared all Custodial Facilities in Nigeria a RED ZONE!  ‘Anyone or group of persons that decide(s) to attack them should not (sic) live to regret it.’ This is the new order to all Squadron Commanders of the Nigeria Correctional Service who gathered at the NCoS HQ today”, he tweeted Friday.

“In my speech titled, ‘Inviolable Custodial Centers’, I charged the Commanders to note that custodial facilities are a symbol of the authority of the Nigerian State. They are sacred and inviolable institutions.

“They are usually built around military fortresses, to show how important they are. This is to deter would-be attackers from inside or outside. I charged the Commanders to directly guard them and defend their integrity. Their mission is to defend the facilities at all cost.

“Let me repeat again, defend them at all cost. They are empowered by the highest authority in the land to use every means necessary to defend the custodial centers against internal and external aggression”, he said.