Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has called on fleeing inmates of the Benin Maximum and Medium Correctional centres to return to the facilities on or before Friday this week to avoid the heavy hands of the law whenever they are caught by the Nigerian Police Force.
The Governor made this call while on an on-spot assessment of the damages done to the centres and various places looted by hoodlums who hijacked the peaceful protests by youths tagged #EndSARS in Benin City, the state capital.
The peaceful protests of Nigerian youths tagged #EndSARS has been on for more than a week across the states of the federation calling on the Federal Government to put an end to all forms of police brutality, malpractices, and bad governance.
The situation, however, took an ugly turn when suspected hoodlums hijacked the peaceful protests.
Monday this week saw jailbreaks in two correctional facilities in Benin City – the maximum and medium jail centres of court convicted felons, leading to the release of one thousand, nine hundred and ninety three inmates.
The Governor embarked on an on-spot assessment of the damage done to the centres where he expressed dismay at the wanton level of destruction levelled on the facilities but was also quick to exonerate the #EndSARS protesters from what happened.
The Governor used the opportunity to call on the escapees to submit themselves to authority in order to become legal citizens.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Celestine Okoye, however, said that the police force is working to restore normalcy in the state.
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Obaseki thereafter took a tour of some of the government property such as the Edo Development Property Authority, EDPA, and Emotan Gardens Estate at Idogbo where the suspected hoodlums wreaked havoc.
He was also at the Idogbo Police station that was razed to the ground.
Editor: Ena Agbanoma
