From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Federal Government, yesterday, ordered security agencies to shoot dead, and not shoot to injure, any person or group of persons that attempts to attack any jail facility in Nigeria.
The order was given by Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, when he addressed senior officers of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Agodi, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during an inspection tour of the facility.
He said custodial centres were red zones and anyone who attempted to attack any of them should be gunned down.
“The most important thing is the security impregnability of this facility. This is a red zone, dangerous zone. Whoever attempts to breach the facility is already dead. He must not live to tell the story. Any effort to breach our facility is not acceptable. Don’t shoot to injure, but shoot to kill, for any reason. This is a total embodiment of the state to guarantee the security of the people.”
Aregbesola also ordered the demolition of shops and business centres around Agodi custodial facility.
He assured personnel of NCoS that the government would do its best in ensuring that their welfare was given top priority.
Speaking with journalists after inspecting the newly built maximum security custodial centre at Olomi-Olojuoro in Oluyole Local Government, Ibadan, Aregbesola said he would lead the campaign to get charitable Nigerians to support the process of decongesting custodial facilities across the country. He said the Ministry of Interior has been working with the Presidential Taskforce on Decongestion of custodial facilities to ensure that “inmates that have stayed far beyond the period of incarceration that should they be convicted, we will get them out as soon as possible.”