Ten escapee inmates of Benin Medium Correctional Centre and Oko Medium Correctional Centre, in Benin, have been re-arrested by Edo State Police Command.
Six of the escapees were re-arrested for alleged armed robbery, few days after escaping from the prison, while one was arrested for attempting to kill the prosecution witness who earlier testified against him in Court.
Names of the rearrested inmates were given as Emmanuel Udoh, Friday Etim, Victor Akpotor, Lucky Precious, Osarumen Enoragbon, Patrick Eguavoen, Abraham Matthew, Endurance Ifobuow, Mohammed Adamu and Henry Atadi.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, disclosed this in Benin, while parading a total of 126 suspects arrested for various offences.
He disclosed that 28 of the suspects were arrested for looting Nigeria Customs Service Warehouse, 45 for looting Central Medical Store warehouse, 13 for looting Olam Nigeria PLC private warehouse and 16 for looting Blessed Doris-Dey warehouse, all in Benin City.
One of the runaway inmates, Henry Atadi, was alleged to have snatched a Lexus SUV after escaping from the prison, and was arrested at Okada with the car.
He, however, denied stealing the car, saying that he was only given a lift after they were set free from the prison by hoodlums.
“After we were set free, I didn’t have money to go home, so as I was waiting for a vehicle, someone gave me a lift but when we got to Okada, police stopped us and the man that carried us suddenly disappeared and I was arrested,” he said.
On their part, Eddy Favour, Patrick Eguavoen and Abraham Mathew, were said to have stolen a Lexus saloon car ES 330, with registration number Abuja: KWL 205 AZ, after escaping from prison.
They were later arrested at the point of selling the car at Igueben, in Igueben local government area of the state.
Meanwhile, some of those arrested for stealing palliatives denied the offence, saying they were arrested for violating curfew declared by the statement.

By Jethro Ibileke