Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum at the weekend expressed concern over the escape of some jailed terrorists from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) Custodial Centre in Maiduguri last Tuesday.

?I?m worried. Yes, I?m seriously worried,? Zulum said when asked about a report that many inmates fled due to the flooding in Maiduguri, which pulled down walls of the state capital?s correctional service.

The NCoS has declared 281 inmates missing from the centre. The figure is 81 higher than the 200 earlier reported by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication that focuses on the Lake Chad region.

Six days ago, the Alau Dam, which the governor said had not been maintained for a long time, collapsed, causing the worst flooding the state has experienced in the last 30 years.

Zulum, who said he was yet to ascertain the death toll, however, put the number of those affected by the flood at over 2 million ? 1 million more than the figure he metioned last week.

Recalling that his administration had established a rehabilitation centre for repentant insurgents/terrorists, the governor added that ?humanitarian assistance? were being rendered to the victims.

He said: ?You have to bear in mind that the Borno State Government has established what we call the Borno model of rehabilitation, which has allowed many insurgents to repent,? he added.

?Within the last two years, over 200,000 Boko Haram members and their families have repented, and I think this has also yielded positive results in ensuring the return of peace and stability to Borno State.?

NCoS releases fleeing inmates biometrics, rearrests 7

NCoS, which released the biometrics of the 281 missing inmates yesterday, revealed that seven had been rearrested.

The service added that all security agencies have been alerted to assist in re-capturing of the fleeing inmates.

The NCoS said it observed that ?upon the evacuation of inmates by officers with support from sister security agencies to a safe and secure facility, 281 inmates were observed to be missing.?

?The unfortunate incident has left scars, bringing down the walls of the correctional facilities, including the medium security custodial centre Maiduguri (MSCC) as well as the staff quarters in Maiduguri city,? said spokesman for the service, Abubakar Umar.

He added: ?it Is important to note that the service is in custody of their details, including their biometrics, which is being made available to the public.

?The service is working in synergy with other security agencies as both covert and overt deployments have been activated to look out for them.

?Presently, a total of seven inmates have been recaptured and returned to custody, while efforts are on to track down the rest and bring them back to safe custody.

?While this effort is on, the public is assured that the incidence does not impede or affect public safety?

Help also came to the flood victims from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar at the weekend.

While NAF announced it had commenced airlift of materials to victims in Maiduguri and its surrounding communities, Atiku donated N100 million to them.

NAF?s spokesman, Kabir Ali, explained in a statement that the relief materials, including 300 bags of 50kg rice, were donated by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

Ali added that the Air Force has launched a medical outreach to support the flood victims.

The outreach, according to him, include the provision of medications, food, and water supplies to help mitigate the effects of the flood and address the urgent needs of the affected population.

During a sympathy visit to Governor Zulum in Maiduguri yesterday, Atiku, who donated N100 million to the state government for the victims, prayed for the souls of those who lost their lives and the speedy recovery of the injured.

He urged for an investigation of the cause of the incident.

Also, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) which condoled with victims, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the government in mitigating the effects of the disaster.

Its President Margaret Oguntala praised Zulum for his resilience and dedication to overcoming the challenges the state had faced.

Oguntala, also a fellow of NSE, reaffirmed the society?s commitment to supporting the government in mitigating the effects of the disaster.

Oguntala directed the Maiduguri branch of the NSE and all relevant divisions within the society to assist the government in providing critical technical support. (The Nation)

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