TheCable

Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, says escaped inmates of various custodial centres will be re-arrested and returned to custody.

The minister said the escapees are effectively trapped and will eventually be nabbed.

He gave the assurance while speaking on Saturday at an interview programme of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“They can only run, they cannot hide; they are like trapped mouse(sic), we will get them,” Aregbesola said.

“They will open bank accounts; they will have telephone numbers; they are just deceiving themselves; they will be caught.

“They are like trapped mouse(sic). Where is a trapped mouse going? If you release the rope used to trap the mouse, you are just entertaining yourself, later you’d retrieve the rope and bring the mouse home.”

The minister said he would liaise with the ministries of finance and communication to secure the arrest of the fugitives.

“Government is not giving up; government is the most difficult institution to offend; it has long insatiable memories,” he said.

“I have read about criminals or suspects who ran away from justice forever or even died as fugitives, but ultimately found out when the DNA of their bones were assessed and analysed.

“Government is a patient institution; we have done what we should do; there is nobody today in our custodial facility without all the biometrics registered; none.

“All inmates, either as awaiting-trial persons or as convicts in our custodial facilities are registered in our database or have their biometrics in the database.

“We need the cooperation of all the other agencies; the cooperation of other operators in the system to help us. We have circulated the biometrics of the fugitives to every relevant organisation that could help us use the data to apprehend them and we are not relenting.

“I am meeting with the minister of finance on some things to do with that because we need to work directly with that ministry and some of its agencies.

“I am also meeting with the minister of communication and digital economy since some of its agencies are well-positioned to accelerate the process of re-arrest

“The truth is, having registered the biometrics of all inmates and the fugitives, the escapees can only run, they can never hide.”

Aregbesola added that all those who escaped from custodial centres including those involved in the jailbreak of July 5 at the Kuje Custodial Centre in the federal capital territory (FCT) would be re-arrested.