At least five officers serving with the National Prison Service have been arrested after 12 inmates who were apprehended on suspicion of murder and cattle theft escaped from prison in Lakes State’s Cueibet County last Friday.
Juol Nhomngek, a member of the National Legislature representing Cueibet County, confirmed the prison break to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, saying several of his constituents had informed him about it.
“On Friday, the prisoners were brought out of their cells by the prison officers and taken under a tree to relax. This is when 12 prisoners made their way to escape,” he said. “The prison was not built well, and there is only a wire fence around it. So, it is the prisoner officers who know how these inmates escaped.”
According to the legislator, Governor Rin Tueny rushed to Cueibet County on Tuesday to address the issue.
“These escaped prisoners, some of them murderers, might be hiding in the bushes and might pose a danger to the community,” Nhomngek said.
Meanwhile, Daniel Laat Kon, a civil society activist in Lakes State, also confirmed that the five prison guards who were watching the inmates have been arrested for investigation.
He urged the judiciary and the Government in Lakes State to expedite trials.
“When you look at the prisons across the state, they are holding thousands of prisoners, particularly Rumbek Central Prison, and there are no trials,” he said. “This makes people who committed minor cases get frustrated and escape.”