Military Take Over Security In Anambra Prison

Following the relocation of Boko Haram detainees to the Ekwulobia Prisons in Anambra State, the military have taken over the security of the facility.

Punch investigations showed that security operations in the Federal Government facility are no longer the exclusive preserve of the officials of the Nigeria Prison Service.

The development, sources told  Punch’s correspondent, is not unconnected with the caliber of the detainees being held behind the walls of the facility.

A visit by Punch to the prison on Saturday showed that armed military personnel were located in strategic locations around the prison.

The development has also brought some form of hardship to residents of the host communities of the prison.

Free human and vehicular movement is no longer allowed around the place. Our correspondent sighted soldiers compelling passers-by to raise up their arms and get frisked before they were allowed passage. Vehicles were also searched.

Residents of Anambra had last week taken to the streets protesting against the relocation of the detainees. But the Federal Government had reacted saying it was a mere rumour.

But happenings around the facility on Friday further learnt credence to the report that the Boko Haram detainees had been relocated to the quiet Anambra town.

“It is like a war situation. We no longer move freely; we don’t even talk freely because you don’t know who is who now. Armoured vehicles are everywhere” Stanley Ezechukwu, a primary school teacher in the area told our correspondent.

One of the soldiers who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “We are here to ensure that the prison is not attacked by the people who have demonstrated their resentment over the transfer of the detainees.”

Professor Chuwuemeka Ike, the traditional Ruler of Ndikerionwu, a neighboring community to Ekwulobia , condemned the transfer of the detainees to the area.

He acknowledged, however that prisons transfers are normal, but maintained that with the sensitive nature of the prisoners, the transfer of the Boko Haram detainee could have been avoided.

A press statement on Saturday by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Media, Mr James Eze, was not specific on whether the detainees had been relocated or not.

The statement titled; “The Transfer of Boko Haram Detainees to Ekwulobia Prisons:   the true position,” maintained that the governor had not made any official press statement on the issue as reported in some national dailies.