Reps promise to unravel circumstances behind Kuje jailbreak

The House of Representatives on Monday promised to unravel the circumstances that led to the attack on the Kuje correctional centre in Abuja.

The Chairman of the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Sha’aban Sharada, stated this at the resumed investigative hearing on the terror attack.

Members of the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) on July 5 attacked the correctional centre and freed hundreds of inmates, including suspected terrorists detained in the facility.

The lower legislative chamber had on July 22 set up a joint committee on National Security and Intelligence and security-related committees to investigate the causes and effects of the attack.

Other members of the committee are the Chairman of the House Committee on Reformatory Institution, Anayo Godwin, and his Committee on Army counterpart, Abdulrasaq Namdas.

Sharada assured Nigerians that the committee would not spare anyone in the security breach.

READ ALSO: Police rearrests another inmate of Kuje prison in Niger

He said the House would trace the circumstances that led to the incident, adding that deliberate efforts would be made to ascertain the security situation within and around the facility.

He said measures would be put in place to prevent the recurrence of the incident at the facility and others around the country.

The chairman explained that insightful briefs had been received from the Directors- General of the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency and the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

The committee, however, re-invited the security chiefs and other heads of security agencies including some ministers who failed to honour its earlier invitation.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who appeared before the committee said that a good number of terrorists came to attack the Kuje correctional facilities.

He said the security challenges currently ravaging the country were inherited by this administration.

The minister said: “We have kidnapping for ransom, Boko Haram insurgency and separatists agitation, among others.”

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