– Charles Okah who has been in detention for the
2010 independence day bombing reportedly escape
– He allegedly escaped from from Kuje prison by
scaling the prison walls
– The Nigerian Prison Service has however denied the
escape and insists he is still in detention
Charles Okah who is a member of the Movement for
the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) has escaped
from Kuje prison.
According to Sahara Reporters, Okah who is the
brother of Henry Okah who was the leader of the group
escaped on Friday, June 25 by scaling the high fence
of the prison walls.
Okah has been on trial for the 2010 Independence Day
bombing that killed 27 people during the country’s 50th
independence anniversary.
The escape happened around 7:30 pm and he
reportedly jumped the prison walls with another inmate.
Security operatives have begun a massive manhunt to
apprehend him.
Henry who is the senior Okah has since been convicted
by a court in South Africa.
MEND which used to be a notorious militancy group
eventually accepted the federal government’s amnesty
and stopped the destruction of pipelines and kidnap of
oil workers.
However, Daily Trust has reported that the news of
Okah’s escape from Kuje prison is not true.
Francis Enobore who is the public relations officer of
the Nigerian Prisons Service claimed he was in touch
with security operatives on ground and that Okah was
still in detention.
He said: “It is not true, Charlse Okah is still in custody. I
have been in touch with our men in the prison facility and
there is nothing like that [Okah escaping].”
Okah infamously tried to commit suicide in court in
2015 after he addressed Justice Gabriel Kolawole and
claimed that former president, Goodluck Jonathan was
responsible for his travails.
He had said: “I have been incarcerated for about five
years now, and I have a family to cater for.
“My children would grow up without feeling the warmth of
their father. I am tired of this endless trial.”
Earlier this year, Okah embarked on a hunger strike to
protest against harassment by officials of the Kuje
prison.
In a letter through Timi Okponipere, his counsel, Okah
had addressed the minister of interior, Abdulraman
Dambazau informing him of the danger his death will
pose to the whole country.
“At the time of writing this letter, our client is as
emaciated as a bean pole on account of the hunger strike
he has embarked upon, to draw global attention to his
plight.”
“Literally and figuratively speaking, our client is virtually a
dead man. If our client dies in prison custody, the entire
world, particularly the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta
where our client hails from, shall rise in unison against
President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, even as we
concede the fact that, our client’s ordeal began during
the tenure of former president Goodluck Jonathan, a
fellow Ijaw,”
More details soon.
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