The Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) has said that contrary to speculation in a section of the media that a number of prisoners escaped in an accident that involved a Prison bus conveying some prisoners to court on Friday in Lagos, saying all the 26 inmate in the bus are in good hands.
A statement by the service spokesman Francis Enobore, whereas it is true that an accident involving a prison bus did happen along Badagry Express Way, the reported escape of prisoners in the vehicle is false and can best be described as a mere figment of the reporters’ imagination.
“To put the record straight, the prison bus left Badagry prison with 27 prisoners and had already dropped 26 of them in various courts leaving just 1 inmate and 5 staff including the driver in the vehicle when the accident occurred at about 1045hrs.
“The inmate did not sustain any injury and was returned safely to the prison. A separate vehicle was deployed to evacuate the other 26 prisoners from their various courts back to the prison. Although 2 of the staff members and some occupants of the other vehicle with whom they collided had serious injuries, there was however no death. The injured are being attended to in hospitals and they are responding to treatment even as we fervently pray for their quick recovery.
“While the unfortunate incident is highly regretted, it is important to restate that no prisoner escaped and none sustain any injury.”
