Eagle-eyed worshipers of a church in New Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja on Sunday assisted the police in re-arresting one notorious inmate who escaped from Minna Prison.
Unknown gunmen at the weekend attacked Minna Medium Security Prison setting free at least 275 inmates of the detention facility.
Emmanuel Samuel Onah, who is serving a 15-year sentence for murder, reportedly escaped, traveled to Abuja, and crept into some women worshipers of a church in New Nyanya.
Onah’s unkempt appearance, sources told Pointblanknews.com, had triggered suspicion on his mission to the church.
The fugitive had reportedly told the women he was stranded, and needed money to enable him travel to Oturkpo.
According to witnesses, Onah, apparently sensing the women weren’t satisfied with his explanation, begged to be allowed to pass the night in the church.
“We allowed him stay, but dispatched somebody to New Nyanya police station where gallant officers came and promptly arrested him,” offered a worshiper.
“Upon interrogation, we discovered he was one of the jail birds of Minna Prisons convicted for murder and was actually fleeing to his village in Benue State,” offered a police officer who didn’t want his name mentioned.
He said the inmate would be thoroughly “interviewed” before sending him to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in Lafia, the state capital.
Only 64 of the escapees have so far been re-arrested, officials of the Nigerian Prisons Service have said leaving 211 still at large.
The Minna attack happened barely 24 hours after the new Comptroller General of Prisons Dr. Peter Ezenwa Ekpendo assumed office.
The attack on Minna Prisons was the third in two month on prisons across Nigeria.
Three weeks earlier, unknown gunmen had broken into Akure Prisons, setting free scores of inmates.