By Parrot Newspaper 
Ilesa Jailbreak: NCoS Begins Manhunt as Inmates Escape
7 Inmates Flee as Crumbling Wall Exposes Fragile Security at Ilesa Prison
By Ricky Awodi| May 21, 2025 | Parrot Newspaper Investigative Desk
In the quiet early hours of Tuesday, a sudden downpour shattered more than just silence in Ilesa, Osun State. As stormwater pounded the grounds of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, a section of the aging perimeter wall crumbled—creating a gap wide enough for seven inmates to escape into the darkness.
Now, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) is scrambling. A manhunt is underway. The agency confirmed the breach occurred at about 2:00 a.m. during what officials described as a “force majeure” incident—a term often reserved for uncontrollable events. But behind the official language lies a deeper problem: Nigeria’s prison infrastructure may be dangerously unfit for purpose.
A Pattern of Collapse, A System in Decay
This isn’t an isolated event. It’s the third time in under a year that weather-induced damage has triggered prison breaks. In April 2024, rains broke down the Suleja prison walls in Niger State, freeing 119 inmates. Just months earlier, in September 2023, floods tore through the perimeter wall in Maiduguri, Borno State, allowing 281 inmates to flee.
Experts say these are more than accidents—they are symptoms of chronic neglect.
“Many of our custodial centres were built decades ago with little consideration for today’s climate realities or rising security threats,” a retired prison official told Parrot Newspaper under anonymity. “These structures are not just old—they’re vulnerable.”
Security or Sabotage? Inside the Ilesa Breach
While the NCoS insists nature was solely to blame for the Ilesa incident, questions linger about internal complicity and delayed maintenance. An internal investigation has been ordered by the Controller General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, but no timeline has been given for its completion.
“We are coordinating efforts with security agencies and local leaders to recapture the escapees,” said NCoS spokesperson Umar Abubakar in a statement. “The public is also urged to share any information that can assist in tracking them.”
But in the streets of Ilesa, fear and frustration are growing. Residents worry about who the escapees are, and whether they pose a threat. “We just want to know if they are violent offenders or not,” said a local shop owner who lives a few streets from the prison. “We deserve to be informed.”
Wider Implications for National Security
Beyond Osun State, these repeated escapes raise red flags about the broader fragility of Nigeria’s correctional system. Inmates fleeing en masse are not just an embarrassment—they pose tangible risks to public safety, ongoing trials, and efforts at criminal justice reform.
“There’s a gap in emergency response planning,” says Dr. Amaka Oladimeji, a criminologist and lecturer at the University of Ibadan. “Our prisons are not designed to withstand extreme weather, and yet climate change is accelerating. The government must act decisively—this is no longer a coincidence.”
Call for Accountability
As the search for the seven fugitives continues—with hotlines (07087086005, 09060004598, 08075050006) activated for tips—pressure is mounting on the NCoS and the Ministry of Interior to produce answers, not just arrests.
How old was the Ilesa wall? Were there any prior warnings about its condition? And crucially, what protocols exist to prevent this from happening again?
Until these questions are addressed, observers fear more walls may fall—and with them, the integrity of Nigeria’s already stretched security apparatus.