Reps vow to unravel circumstances behind Kuje jailbreak

The House of Representatives has vowed to unravel the circumstances that led to the July 5 Kuje jailbreak by the terrorists of the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP).

The Chairman House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Sha’aban Sharada, said this on Monday at the resumed investigative hearing of the terrorists’ attack on Kuje correctional centre in Abuja.

The House of Reps 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 Kuje jailbreak.

Other members of the committee include the Chairman, House Committee on Reformatory Institution, Anayo Edwin, and the Chairman, House Committee on Army, Abdulrasaq Namdas.

Sharada, who is the lead Chairman of the joint committee, assured Nigerians that the lawmakers would not spare anyone in the security breach.

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 safeguard the reoccurrence around the facility and others around the country.

The lawmaker stated that the House would also ensure the monitoring of measures put in place to protect lives and property of residents in the FCT and those of all Nigerians.

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Sharada reassured Nigerians that the joint committee would be thorough, firm and objective in carrying out its assigned responsibility.

He said 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 it’s earlier invitation.

A mild drama, however, ensued when Osai Osai (PDP-Delta) raised a constitutional order for the security chiefs who failed to honour it’s invitation to be summoned.

Osai said the next action would be to issue a warrant of arrest if they failed to honour the House summons.

A quick intervention by Namdas, however, saved the day when he pleaded with the House to re-invite the affected officers, adding that some of them could be on duty, considering the security challenges in the country.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, while appearing before the committee said some terrorists came to attack the Kuje correctional centre.

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

“We have kidnaping for ransom, Boko Haram, separatists agitation, among others,” he said.

The Star