Some Lagos lawyers on Friday called for enhanced security at the nation's prisons, to stem the increasing spate of jail breaks.
The lawyers made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), while reacting to the recent escape of 119 inmates from the Koton-Karfe Prisons in Kogi on Feb. 16.
A lawyer, Mr Saka Bello, said that the people's confidence in the state's capacity to protect them could be eroded if the prisons were not adequately secured.
He said that the aim of sending criminals to the prisons would be defeated if they were securely kept and their movement restricted.
Bello said the prisons ought to serve as a deterrent to prevent criminals from further perpetuating crime.
“Where a man commits an offence and is sent to prison and only for such an individual to be able to find his way out, that is enough to show that he is actually not in any prison after all,’’ he said.
Also speaking on the issue, Mr Anthony Makolo, said that securing Nigerian prisons, as well as providing adequate security to the Nigerian people, was an essential requirement to entrench good governance and a sustainable democracy.
He said a nation that had no trusted means of deterring its culprits would be saddled with a lot of problems.
Mr Emeka Obineme advised that prison officials be well trained and adequately equipped to perform their duties.
He said all hands must also be on deck to fight crime to a standstill and this must first be through the instrumentality of the prison system.
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