President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed disappointment in the country’s intelligence system and its utilisation.
During a visit to the the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, to assess the impact of yesterday’s terrorists attack on the facility, the President said he was expecting a comprehensive report on the incident.
After being briefed about the attack by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr. Shuaib Belgore and the Comptroller General of Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, President Buhari wondered how the terrorists planned and executed the attack successfully without hindrance.
President Buhari, who, like most Nigerians, was shocked by the scale of the attack and and audacity of the attackers, also wondered the defences at the prison fail to prevent the attack.
Similarly, he requested to know the number of people in the facility, and how many were account for.
The President also said he wanted to know the number of personnel on duty during the incident, and how many of them were armed.
He required to know if the CCTV was functional, if there were guards on the watchtower, and whether they attempted to repel the attack.
The relevant officials told him that none of the 63 detained in the facility was accounted for, but that burnt records were not lost because they have been backed up.
He was however informed that security forces had recaptured 350 of the escapees, while about 450 others were still unaccounted for, and that rapid work was under way to recapture the rest.
The President was accompanied by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and the Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has reacted to the mounting criticism of President Buhari’s trip to Dakar, Senegal, stressing that governments do not stop work because nations face terrorist threats.
It argues that canceling the President’s trip to Senegal would mean that the terrorists are successful in calling the shots, something that no responsible government in the world will allow.
Bello Wakili
