At least 10 prisoners escaped from a jail in Mayom County’s Mankuei Payam in Unity State after breaking free on Tuesday night.
Mayom County Commissioner Luke Cherry confirmed to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday morning that there was indeed a prison break but said all the escapees would be hunted down and re-arrested.
He said the 10 criminals who escaped committed different crimes in Mayom County, and were serving different jail terms, while others were on remand.
“Yesterday (Tuesday) at night, 10 prisoners escaped from prison because one policeman who drank too much alcohol opened the prison gate. All the prisoners escaped, including the policeman who escaped with them in Mankuei Payam,” he explained. “The court sentenced two of the men to jail three months each in jail, two were sentenced to two months in jail, while a policeman who was drinking too much alcohol was sentenced to jail for two weeks. The cases of the five other men were still being investigated by the police.”
Commissioner Cherry added the fugitives will be rearrested because the police know their locations very well.
For his part, Dr. Riak Koang, a member of civil society in Unity State, said the state should build one central prison to house inmates.
“I am appealing to the governor to build a new prison that can accommodate all the prisoners from the seven counties so that we stop hearing about prisoners escaping,” he said.
According to Dr. Koang, the fugitives will go to the bushes and create insecurity for the residents of Mayom because they will support conflicts.