Inmates who escaped from the Owerri correctional centre are at the risk of being named if they refuse to come back voluntarily.
 
The Nigerian government revealed this on Wednesday. The government said it would publish the names and photos of over 1,800 fleeing prison inmates in Imo State in a bid to recapture them quickly.
 
Gunmen had on Monday morning attacked the correctional facility and the state police command headquarters, setting cars on fire and other valuables on fire before releasing over 1,800 inmates.
 
Francis Enobore, the spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service told PeoplesGazette that the names of the inmates would soon be released.
 
He said: “As I speak with you, they (information about fleeing inmates) are being processed. Our IT experts are currently working on it. We have their complete pictures and bios.

“We will publish their pictures online and other strategic places where the general public can see.”
 
The NCoS spokesperson added that no bounty had been placed on the fleeing inmates.
 
“I cannot say, for now, the inmates have committed an offence already. But we will wait and allow the inmates to utilise the opportunity given to them by the honourable minister,” the NCoS spokesman explained.
 
He added some of the inmates that returned were brought back by their relatives.
 
“As we speak, 60 inmates who returned on their own voluntarily are in our custody. Some of them were brought back by their parents, custodians. The next measure would be determined after the expiration given by the honourable minister,” Enobore stated.