Lagos-based lawyer, Ebun Adegboruwa, has said that gunning down fleeing inmates amounts to extra-judicial killings.
He referred to what happened in Jos, Plateau State, when a correctional centre was attacked.
Authorities of the Jos Custodial Centre said eight inmates were gunned down while trying to escape.
But Adegboruwa, in a statement on Tuesday, said this was wrong, saying it was not tenable to apply fatal force on unharmed inmates.
Adegbowura, who was a member of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters, noted in the statement: “Yesterday, we were all alarmed watching the invasion of the Jos Correctional Centre by criminal elements masquerading as unknown gunmen. They bombarded the facility, apparently with the sole aim of freeing some of the inmates.
“In the course of the mindless attack, some brave security men were injured and killed. There are enough provisions in our laws for anyone dissatisfied with any process to ventilate their grievances without resorting to violence. I sympathise with the families of those who lost their lives in defending our nation and condemn the unwarranted attack on the correctional centre.
“It, however, came to light that at least eight of the inmates were killed while trying to escape. The Commandant said in an interview that “they were gunned down while fleeing.” The inmates were not the ones that attacked the facility but were most probably trying to take undue advantage of the opportunity of the attack to escape. That should not warrant their death.
“So if some unarmed inmates are feeling to escape, the appropriate thing would be to stop their advancement through the use of minimal force but certainly not to kill them for attempting to escape.
“I, therefore, urge the President and Commander in Chief to get all security agencies to respect the rights of citizens and to embrace appropriate rules of engagement in dealing with crisis situations.
“We have too many cases of extrajudicial killings in our land presently, especially in places like the South East where people are reported to be missing almost or on a daily basis.”
