EXCLUSIVE: Over 100 Boko Haram suspects in Kirikiri Prisons-Minister

The minister of special duties (middle) and other members of the presidential
committee on dialogue and peaceful resolution

THE Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North has commenced the process of consultation with members of the Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram.

However, it was today discovered that both the Kirikiri Medium and Maximum Prisons, Apapa, Lagos, currently houses over 100 suspected members of the sect.

Led by the Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, the 18-man committee first paid a visit to the Kirikiri Medium Prison  and was received by Deputy Controller of Prison of the medium prison, Mr. Tunde Ladipo.

Also on the entourage were the Controller of Prisons, Lagos State Command, Katherine Nkolika Onoye; the Assistant Controller General of Prisons in charge of Operations, Mr. Nuhu Zuru; Head of Operations of the SSS, Mr. Raymond Nkemdilim; and the state Prison Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Bisi Jeje.

After a one-on-one session with the 34 suspects at the medium prison, the committee later moved to the Maximum Security Prison, under the command of Mr. Olumide Tinuoye, a Deputy Controller of Prisons (DCP), to confer with 70 members of the sect being detained in the facility.

In an interview with journalists afterwards, Turaki said the visit was in furtherance of the committee’s responsibility to hold talks and engage the suspects in order to get the necessary information that would enable the committee come up with its recommendations.

He said: “We came here basically to have interaction with people who are detained in connection with acts relating to terrorism. We have interacted and spoken to them and they responded to us very sincerely and frankly and I think I can say that we were well informed about most of the things they were interested in as a result of the interaction we had with them.”

Debunking claims that the visit was aimed at releasing some of the Boko Haram suspects, the minister said it was just to give the committee members a better perspective of how to go about their job of ensuring that peace is restored in the country.

He said: “The issue of release is usually contingent upon certain conditions. For now, we are more concerned with the release of vulnerable people and in this group of vulnerable people we have those people the security agencies have not been able to pin anything on them.

“We have seen those, who the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPR) have advised their release. We have also seen some whom the security agencies have conceded that they have nothing against them.

“These are the people that usually the committee advises that they be released. But we have not seen any woman or child here but even at that, I am sure the committee will make appropriate recommendations as usual even in the interim as far as the issue of their release or non-release is concerned."

On the extent at which they have succeeded in carrying out their assignment, he said: “We have gone very far as far as our terms of reference are concerned. We have interacted with a lot of stakeholders. We have been more informed and we have been given advice  and suggestions that will help us in our recommendations to government on the way forward.

“I can assure you that the committee is on top of the situation as far as dialogue is concerned. We have no serious challenges at the moment that we cannot surmount."

While declining to comment on when the suspects would be released, the chairman said since they had interacted with the detainees, the committee would meet and discuss before suggestions on the release of anybody are made to the appropriate quarters.

“Of course, even after our recommendations, there are plans for a concrete impact assessment programme because at the end of the day, we have been asked to study the situation critically and carefully and make recommendations for victims’ support. I assure you that Nigerians will be very proud of this committee,” Turaki added.