Security Experts, Prisons Officials Doubt Ja’afaru’s Sincerity Over Ngilari’s Release

…call for investigation

Some security experts and top Nigeria Prison Service officials have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to thoroughly investigate the claim by the Controller General of the Service in the controversy around the release of the convicted former governor of the state, James Balla Ngilari, from prison.
The experts believe that if nothing was done such move was capable of truncate the President war against corruption.
Recall that the author of the letter was said to have made a case for Ngilari to be moved from Nigeria to seek medical attention in a Canadian Hospital in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, UAE. Acting on the letter, the presiding judge, Justice Nathan Musa, ordered the release of the former governor from prison on bail in the sum of N100
million and two sureties.
A security experts said:“I think the central question here is, frankly: Was there a predetermination to release the convicted ex governor on the part of the Prisons boss?….Or was there faulty execution of instruction on the part of his subordinates?
He dispute the idea that  Mr. Ja’afaru Ahmed, is ignorant of the letter, as he strongly argued that no officer will deliberately put his career at stake.
This is a very clear case. Those who submitted the letter
had claimed that the communication emanated from the
Headquarters of the NPS in Abuja, in fact, this embarrassing
claim and counter claim should be investigated by an
independent panel.
Ikpe’s assessment was bolstered to some extent by remarks from another Security expert, Eugene Okbokwe, who stated that the Prisons boss “has to bear the major
responsibility for the convict’s release  and other
intelligence failures until proven innocent. “..
He said, “to the best of my knowledge, no such decision
would be taken by the CG’s subordinates without his
consent.  I dare to challenge him that the information/
excuses he gave to Nigerians was off the mark.”
He said, ” Nigerians are fed up with fruitless investigations often initiated by Prisons leadership either over jailbreak or  other administrative failures. Let them simply learn to admit their wrong doings.”
A senior Prisons official who pleaded not to be named told
some journalists that, he feared that the Ahmed purported
investigative committee’s inquiry will be“missing half” the issue and may be rejected by interested parties if the victims refuses to do so.
The reliable source who grouse about Ahmed’s sincerity and
willingness to cooperate with the investigations suggested that those fingered in the saga be given the opportunity to respond to the panel’s preliminary findings “and Nigerians will need immediate access to this information.”
It was learnt that the brewing battle over Ngilari’s release investigations follows news that the leadership of Prisons Service was deliberately venturing into what many see as a fruitless investigation to cover up what expert describe as “administrative mess”.
Recall that  image maker of the NPS, Mr. Francis Enobore,   confirmed that the CG had already ordered a thorough investigation into the scam to enable the service deal decisively with the perpetrators of the crime.
According to him,  “This is to bring to the attention of all Nigerians that the Controller General of the NPS, Mr. Ja’afaru Ahmed, neither authorised the issuance of the said letter to the judge to release the convicted former governor nor was he briefed on the matter. ”