In a grave revelation that has sent shockwaves through the corridors of power, the Federal Government has sternly declared its commitment to investigating allegations of collusion between prison officials and terrorists in the North-Eastern region of Nigeria.
Characterizing the accusations as “despicable,” the government has labeled such actions as nothing short of treason, vowing not to tolerate any compromise to the nation’s security.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, brought these startling claims to light, accusing certain officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) of collaborating with inmates to fund terrorist operations.
The gravity of these accusations prompted a swift response from the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who condemned the alleged collusion as “treasonable.”
Speaking passionately on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Minister Tunji-Ojo underscored the severity of the situation. “It is treasonable as far as I am concerned.
You cannot be an officer of government and you swore an oath to protect the integrity of this country and compromise it by conniving with terrorists.
That will be despicable and unacceptable,” he declared, emphasizing the gravity of the offense.
“This is out of this world. It is not something I can even imagine in my head that an officer of the law will go as low as conniving with terrorists to attack the nation.
That is a treasonable offense. That can never under any guise or condition be swept under the carpet.
It is a serious allegation. Be rest assured that in the interest of Nigerians, for somebody to undermine the security of this country, it is a treasonable thing.”
Amidst the alarming accusations, Minister Tunji-Ojo shed light on the government’s ongoing efforts to decongest prisons nationwide. With 80,804 inmates spread across 253 custodial facilities, the minister pointed out that feeding the inmates places a significant burden on the Federal Government’s finances, costing approximately N3 million per day.
“So, before you go on, let me say this. You look at the economy of scale.
To feed these 4,068 inmates costs the government about N3 million a day. Multiply N3 million a day by 365 days,” he explained.
“It means we raised N585 million from the private sector to offset these fines and compensations to save the government an average of N1.1 billion per annum in feeding. That’s just the economy of scale,” he added.
Expressing concern over the justification behind spending such substantial amounts on feeding inmates, the minister questioned, “So, to me, what is the justification behind feeding somebody with N1.1 billion while holding him for N585 million, especially when that N585 million isn’t coming from the government?”
As the government pledges a thorough investigation into the alleged collusion between prison officials and terrorists, the nation awaits decisive action to address this unprecedented challenge to its security apparatus.
The outcome of this investigation is anticipated not only to bring perpetrators to justice but also to reinforce the government’s commitment to upholding the sanctity of national security.
