Surrender for your own good, Byabashaija tells escapees

CRIME | PRISON BREAK 

MOROTO-The Commissioner General of Prisons, Johnson Byabashaija, has asked the Moroto Prison inmates who escaped from detention recently to surrender, saying they will all be rounded up in the next few days. 

He said Prisons had received reports that the inmates were holed up in the villages.

"I would like to urge all inmates who escaped last Wednesday to surrender over the guns they used," Byabashaija said.

He said it is suicidal for one to live as a fugitive and that soon, most of them will be recaptured.

On Tuesday, Byabashaija visited the Moroto Government Prison for an assessment of the facility, following the escape of 219 inmates recently.

The group is also said to have grabbed 14 guns after a forceful entry into the prison's armoury.

He said the prisons, with support from the army and the community, had captured 14 of the escapees during the ongoing manhunt.

"Seven were killed and we can account for the 21 subtracted from the 219 escapees," Byabashaija said.

He added that they shall even get other inmates with time, since more intelligence information has been received.

He, however, said many measures will be put in place to avoid such incidences in future and that a double fence will be erected soon, to strengthen the security at the prison.

Byabashaija further said more sentries will be established, to fortify the place further.

He blamed the prison break on the failure by the management to institute intelligence that could have helped stop the plan by the inmates to grab guns.

"The failure by the intelligence could have contributed to the mishap," Byabashaija said, adding that there are other errors that could have contributed to the escape.

He said during his visit, he had also sighted shortcomings in the structural system of the facility.

"Next time, we need to provide a cage for the sentry so that we are not left in a mess," Byabashaija said.