Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has expressed serious concern over the jailbreak incident at Ilesa Correctional Centre that occurred early Tuesday, resulting in the escape of seven awaiting trial inmates.

During a visit to the correctional facility on Thursday, Governor Adeleke described the incident as unfortunate and assured the public that every necessary effort would be deployed to uncover the cause and return the escapees to custody.

Speaking through the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the governor stated, "The Osun State Government under my leadership will not relent in teaming up with the Federal Government to determine the immediate cause of this jailbreak."

The governor's delegation included security chiefs from the Nigeria Police, DSS, Immigration, NSCDC, and NDLEA, highlighting the seriousness with which the state is treating the security breach.

Governor Adeleke acknowledged the Federal Government's announcement of a ₦5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the escapees, demonstrating a coordinated approach to recapturing the fugitives.

"On behalf of the government and good people of Osun State, I am here today to have a comprehensive look at what happened here on Tuesday, leading to the escape of seven awaiting trial inmates from your Correctional Centre here at Ilesa," he said.

Preventive Measures Promised

The governor promised immediate preventive measures, including enhancing the facility's security infrastructure. "To this end, all that needs to be done, particularly illuminating the Correctional Centre with a multi-million naira solar-powered electricity system and improving the poor existing perimeter wall fencing, will be given urgent attention," Adeleke assured.

He emphasized the need for strong collaboration between state and federal governments to address infrastructural gaps at the centre and prevent similar incidents in the future.

C.C. Oluwadele, Controller of the Ilesa Correctional Centre, revealed that the inmates escaped during a heavy downpour on Tuesday, which they exploited to breach security at the facility. He assured that a joint search operation was underway and that the biometric data of the escapees had already been released to aid public identification.

"We will leave no stone unturned to re-arrest the seven escapees and restore normalcy at the facility," Oluwadele stated.

First Escapee Recaptured

In a positive development, one of the escapees, 39-year-old Kabiru Oyedun, has already been re-arrested by personnel of the Nigerian Police Force in Lagos State. Oyedun was apprehended on May 21 at approximately 5:35 p.m. in the Oshin-Welder area of Ayobo, a suburb of Lagos, following a tip-off from vigilant members of the public who sighted the suspect and alerted the police.

The swift recapture of one escapee demonstrates the effectiveness of public cooperation with security agencies and provides hope that the remaining fugitives will soon be brought back into custody.

The Osun State government continues to urge citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious individuals who may be connected to the jailbreak incident.