A convicted kidnapper with a history of violence remains at large more than five months after walking out of an open prison in West Sussex.
Ola Abimbola, a 36-year-old Nigerian national, reportedly left HMP Ford in Arundel at approximately 8am on October 10, having been moved to the facility just one month prior.
The offender had been handed a 21-year sentence for conspiracy to kidnap, grievous bodily harm and carrying an offensive weapon in public.
Sussex Police confirmed they continue working to locate Abimbola, but have so far been unsuccessful.
The force has issued appeals through social media channels and urged members of the public to avoid approaching him, instead calling 999 immediately if spotted.
Category D prisons such as HMP Ford operate with minimal security measures and have traditionally served as transitional facilities for those nearing the end of their sentences before returning to society.
His transfer to the low-security facility came under revised regulations brought in by the Labour government aimed at easing pressure in higher-security establishments.
These policy changes have seen the population of high-risk offenders at HMP Ford surge by almost two-thirds over the past twelve months, climbing from 109 to 180 inmates.
Ola Abimbola was handed a 21-year sentence for conspiracy to kidnap, grievous bodily harm and carrying an offensive weapon
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SUSSEX POLICE
Justice Secretary David Lammy has faced mounting criticism following a series of erroneous prisoner releases nationwide.
Among those mistakenly freed were foreign sex offenders Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and Hadush Kebatu, alongside Billy Smith, a British national convicted of fraud.
The independent monitoring board at HMP Ford has cautioned that the influx of higher-risk offenders is “altering the mix of prisoners” and “could increase the risk or problems within the prison population”.
While the watchdog noted such difficulties had not yet emerged, it highlighted significant shortcomings within the probation service.
Additional vetting requirements for high-risk inmates seeking temporary release for employment, education or family contact have created substantial backlogs.
“Despite repeated assurances that probation would be properly funded and resourced, the problems remain systemic, causing significant delays in men getting release on temporary licence and putting additional pressure on the prison to provide purposeful activity in the meantime,” the monitoring board stated.
Abimbola was serving an extended determinate sentence and had been moved to HMP Ford, with at least five years remaining before any potential release.
His earliest parole hearing is scheduled for June 30, 2030, while his conditional release date stands at June 29, 2036.
Previous regulations required inmates to be within three years of their initial parole board hearing and five years of their conditional release date, before qualifying for open prison transfer.
However, Labour’s April 2025 amendments removed the conditional release requirement, although transfers still require risk assessments.
Mark Drury, of the Prison Governors’ Association, warned of rising absconding incidents and “increased risk to the public”.
He observed that efforts to address overcrowding had resulted in “a large number of prisoners in open prisons now we would not have considered suitable two or three years ago”.
