Bala Tsoho Musa, the Principal of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Vocational Rehabilitation Centre in Kuchiko-Ija, has confirmed that six inmates have escaped from the facility.
Musa confirmed this while reacting to the alleged torture of an inmate to death at the facility.
The facility is located in a border community between Bwari Area Council of the FCT and Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.
Musa, who said that the six inmates escaped from the centre last Friday, however, denied that any inmate was tortured to death at the centre.
He said no escapee from the facility resembled the deceased.
It had been reported that an inmate at the centre was tortured to death and his corpse was dumped behind the centre.
A vigilante alleged that the victim was tortured to death by the officials of the centre, Daily Trust reports.
The inmates of the centre are reportedly mostly destitute people arrested from Abuja city centre over public nuisance.
Residents of the host community had reported that the centre was notorious for torturing inmates to the extent that many of them attempted to escape.
It was gathered that in the latest incident that led to the reported death of the victim, four inmates including the deceased, attempted to escape from the centre last Friday over allegations of torture and starvation.
A source quoted by Daily Trust said, “The victim and one other person were arrested and repatriated by the security guards while attempting to jump over the fence of the centre. The victim, who was seriously beaten with sticks, gave up afterwards and his remains were dumped nearby.
“Two escaped inmates brought the information to us.’’
The source said that the corpse of the deceased had been deposited at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hospital in Sabon-Wuse, in the Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.
The source said one of the surviving victims was also admitted to the same hospital.
