Tension as popular inmate escapes while appearing in court

• Authorities of the Nigeria Correctional Centre, Edo State Command, announced the escape of awaiting-trial inmate Osita Thomas, 28
• Thomas fled during a court appearance last week, where he was facing charges of conspiracy and stealing
• An NCC official warned that over 1,000 personnel would retire this year with no plans to recruit replacements

The Nigeria Correctional Centre (NCC), Edo State Command, has confirmed that an awaiting-trial inmate escaped from custody during a court appearance last week.

The command's Public Relations Officer, Aminu Suleman, disclosed the development in a statement dated October 21 and released to journalists in Benin on Thursday. The escaped inmate was identified as Osita Thomas, 28 years old, who was facing charges of conspiracy and stealing at the time of his escape.

How Thomas escaped

According to The Punch, Thomas fled while being brought before the court for his scheduled hearing. A senior NCC official explained that the warden escorting him and a group of other inmates to court could not go after Thomas because leaving the remaining inmates unattended would have risked further escapes.

The official pointed to a severe shortage of manpower as the root cause of the incident, warning that the situation within the NCC is worsening. More than 1,000 NCC personnel are expected to retire before the end of this year, and no recruitment exercise has been planned to replace them.

Manpower shortage raises concern

The admission by NCC officials that staff constraints directly hindered the pursuit of an escaped inmate raises serious questions about the capacity of the correctional service to maintain custody of inmates during out-of-facility movements such as court appearances.

With a large wave of retirements approaching and no visible plan to bring in new officers, the Edo State Command faces growing pressure to address the staffing gap before it leads to further security lapses.

Edo varsity lecturer suddenly dies in hotel

Legit.ng earlier reported that a senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Dr Matthew Uwuigbe, slumped and died inside a hotel room in Edo State.

The incident reportedly occurred after an alleged sexual encounter with a 21-year-old commercial s3x worker at a hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma.

Edo State Police confirmed three people, including the hotel owner, manager, and the s3x worker, have been arrested as the investigation continues.

Source: Legit.ng