Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, on Wednesday, raised an alarm of possible jailbreaks over the military’s withdrawal of its personnel from the state’s correctional centres.
“A jailbreak will not only threaten the peaceful atmosphere we are enjoying in the state, it will pose serious danger to our people,” Mr Akeredolu said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde.
The governor said the development came as a surprise, noting that it was necessary to alert members of the public and the federal government of the “unwholesome” situation.
“This development came as a surprise considering the fact that both the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Correctional Service belong to the Federal Government,” he said, noting that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Oyediran Oyeyemi, informed him of the withdrawal.
“The governor was more bothered about the overflow effect of the soldiers’ withdrawal on the security situation in the state. More so that such action could easily encourage jailbreaks across the state.
“The situation notwithstanding, proactive efforts have been made to secure these centres so as not to allow premeditated jailbreaks,’’ the statement read.
He said the state subsequently deployed armed police officers, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the State Security Network (Amotekun) to the correctional centres.
“While we believe that the Federal Government has a duty to protect the prisons, we are more concerned about the security of our people across the state.
The Nigerian Army had also withdrawn its personnel from all checkpoints on major highways across Ondo State in November last year.
(NAN)
