Koton-Karfe, Kogi State – March 25, 2025
In the early hours of Monday, twelve inmates escaped from the Federal Correctional Centre in Koton-Karfe, Kogi State, causing fear among residents. However, by Tuesday morning, nine of the escapees had been caught and returned to prison.
The Kogi State government has promised to find out how the prisoners escaped. Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said that something suspicious happened and that the escape might not have been just a simple jailbreak. He added that some people inside the prison might have helped the inmates escape.
“The idea that they just ran away is not acceptable,” Fanwo said. “There is proof that someone inside the prison helped them. We need to find out exactly what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has asked the State Security Adviser to work closely with the prison authorities and other security agencies to prevent another escape in the future.
At the same time, the Federal Government has also ordered an investigation. The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, called the jailbreak “unfortunate” and promised that all the escaped inmates would be caught. He also sent the Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sylvester Ndidi, to visit the prison and check what went wrong.
“We are handling the situation,” the minister said. “Our officers are already in Kogi, and we will make sure all the prisoners are found.”
The investigation will focus on how the prisoners escaped and whether prison officers helped them. The government also wants to make sure that Nigeria’s prisons are more secure to prevent such incidents in the future.
For now, security has been tightened in Koton-Karfe, and the search for the three remaining escapees continues.
