Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Wednesday in Akure condemned the withdrawal of men of the Nigerian Army from correctional centres in the state.
He said in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, that the action could induce jailbreaks.
“Last night, Gov. Akeredolu received reports from the Commissioner of Police in the state, Oyediran Oyeyemi, that soldiers attached to the correctional centres in the state have all been withdrawn.
“This development came as a surprise considering the fact that both the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Correctional Service belong to the Federal Government.
“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.
“It is, however, pertinent to alert members of the public and the Federal Government of this unwholesome situation.
“The situation notwithstanding, proactive efforts have been made to secure these centres so as not to allow premeditated jailbreaks,’’ the statement read.
It added that Gov. Akeredolu, who received full briefing on the situation, had met with heads of other security agencies in the state and deployed armed police officers to the correctional centres.
“Similarly, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) whose main assignment is to secure Federal Government facilities, has also deployed armed officers to the correctional facilities.
“Akeredolu has also directed the deployment of men of the State Security Network (Amotekun) to complement the Police and the NSCDC.
“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.
“A jailbreak will not only threaten the peaceful atmosphere we are enjoying in the state, it will pose serious danger to our people.”