You can’t force me to resign over attacks on prisons — Aregbesola

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has said that he cannot be forced to resign over the attacks on prisons around the country.

Aregbosola said this on Wednesday after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday.

The Minister, who spoke when he briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, said: “As to whether it (the jail attacks) calls for my resignation, I still don’t see any need for that because it is not for lack of preparedness that the attacks were successful.”

According to him, the protracted security situation in the country and inadequate dispensation of justice are among the factors responsible for the vulnerability of prison officials in the face of attacks.

He added: “Even the men in uniform, the hazard of their job could lead to their death.

“But none of them wanted to die.

“We are upping our game and we will not allow any such opportunistic attack and even make it impossible.

“That is what the state must do.”

Aregbesola, however, gave an assurance that the Federal Government was making efforts to step up security around the correctional centres.

He noted that a number of prison officials died defending the custodial centres and saluted their courage, which he said was the highest form of honour for the country.