Imo Jailbreak: Freed Inmates Taking Up Menial Jobs To Survive, Aiming For Fresh Start

A few of the 1,800 inmates who escaped through the Owerri jailbreak have taken up cleansing and menial jobs for survival, a report by Vanguard said.

Based on the report, the escapees took up majorly hawking and cleansing jobs in brothels, motor parks and market squares to boost cash for his or her feeding and survival.

Eyewitnesses additionally informed Vanguard that the inmates have taken refuge in uncompleted buildings as their house in addition to mingle round nightlife hotspots.

Areas affected as said within the report, embody the Management put up alongside Onitsha street, Whethdral Roundabout as much as Poly Junction, IMSU junction in addition to Irete axis on Owerri/Onitsha Street.

Most of the respondents mentioned among the freed inmates have been hard-working and peaceable individuals.

There are, nonetheless, allegations that some infamous inmates don’t need to go to their village, as a result of they’re afraid that they’d be reported to the safety businesses.

Subsequently, they have interaction in pick-pocketing at night time to boost cash rapidly for themselves.

Some alternatively need to elevate little cash via cleansing jobs as a part of beginning afresh, simply as a few of them mentioned they wanted cash to return to their villages, as their persons are not even conscious that they have been in jail for a few years and that they have been imprisoned by intimidation and false allegations towards them.

Those that mentioned that they had an encounter with among the inmates, one Chike, referred to as Iron mentioned: “Our happiness is that my man is again from jail due to the individuals who launched them. My brother from Ebonyi got here to do the hawking enterprise and was arrested that demolished Eke Ukwu market in Owerri. He dedicated no crime. We didn’t know he was in jail.”

One other drama was mentioned to have performed out in Management put up when a gaggle mentioned to be “dangerous boys” jubilated over their freed pals considered one of whom was mentioned to have been arrested in reference to an alleged theft/kidnapping between Management put up, World Financial institution and Hospital junction alongside Owerri/ Port Harcourt street.

Considered one of them mentioned: “Our males are again. We’re ingesting and having fun with ourselves. Work begins, who be police? Sign my man is again. They’ll’t come out now, later within the night time. Males can’t return to the village. That one no-follow.”

A businessman in Irete, who spoke on situation of anonymity, mentioned: “A few of these inmates are harmless. Two of them have been on my buddy’s enterprise premises. They opened up and mentioned they have been amongst these freed and defined how they acquired into jail. My brother, you’ll shed tears.

“Our persons are struggling. They pleaded with my buddy, that they need to be a part of his boys in offloading baggage of cement and clear up his enterprise premises with the intention to elevate cash and go house. They mentioned they’re from Ngor Okpala native authorities space and had been in jail for greater than 15 years. However my buddy gave them N5,000 and meals, and that they need to go house.”

In one other encounter, a supply, proprietor of a enterprise/leisure outfit round one of many nightlife areas in Owerri, who selected to stay nameless mentioned: “Is it not the prisoners that now work as cleaners? They’re accountable girls simply that they appear famished and malnourished, however with time they are going to be Okay. What they want is simply rehabilitation as a few of them complained that they did nothing that ought to warrant their imprisonment.

“A few of them at the moment are in market locations, motor parks as cleaners, some doing hawking enterprise. It isn’t every little thing we see we are saying typically. You see, they’re prepared to clean plates. A few of them have repented. A few of them didn’t commit any offence. That is a depraved nation.”