The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency – NDLEA – operatives have arrested one of the wanted terror suspects who escaped from the Medium Security Correctional Centre in Kuje, Abuja, following an attack on the facility by terrorists last week.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed this in a statement Monday (today) and identified the suspect as Suleiman Sidi who hails from Borno State.
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), while declaring the suspect alongside 68 others wanted, had identified him as Suleiman Idi.
“The fleeing suspect, Suleiman Sidi, was arrested in the early hours of Monday 11th July at Area 1 Motor Park in the Federal Capital Territory while attempting to board a commercial vehicle to Maiduguri, Borno State,” Bababfemi said.
“When he was searched, three wraps of cannabis sativa were found on him. During a preliminary interview, the wanted terror suspect confirmed he was remanded at the Kuje correctional centre for terrorism and robbery charges, adding that he was indeed one of the inmates who escaped from the facility last Tuesday.
“While commending the officers and men of the FCT Command of the agency for the arrest and their vigilance, Chairman / Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has directed that the wanted suspect should be immediately handed over to the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS.”
Suleiman’s arrest came three days after another suspected terrorist, Hassan Hassan, who fled the same correctional facility, was recaptured in Nasarawa State.
In a related development, the Niger State Police Command has announced it has recaptured one Kazeem Murtala, 54, who escaped from the Kuje Custodial Centre.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, in a statement said the inmate was captured by policemen on patrol in the Suleja area, following credible intelligence,
“in view of the recent attack at Kuje Custodial Center and escape of some inmates, on 9/07/2022, Police operatives attached to ‘A’ Div Suleja while on patrol around general hospital Suleja down to Bakassi area of Suleja and based on credible intelligence, the police operatives stormed an identified compound and arrested one Kazeem Murtala aged 54yrs,” the statement read.
During interrogation, the inmate confessed he escaped from Kuje prison during the attack, Abiodun added.
He said the inmate was serving a jail term after conviction for an offense he committed and had been in custody in the last couple of years.
Based on the directive of the state Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Bala Kuryas, the inmate had been transferred to the custodial center, the statement also said.
The state police command thanked members of the public for supplying them with the intelligence that led to the recapturing of the escaped prisoner, urging them to continue to fight crimes in the state.
