At least 118 prison inmates escaped from a prison facility in Suleja, Niger state close to the Nigerian capital after heavy rains on Wednesday night damaged the prison facility a prison spokesperson confirmed.
According to Reuters, the rain which lasted for several hours wrecked part of the medium-security prison, including the perimeter wall and surrounding buildings spokesperson Adamu Duza said in a statement on Thursday.
Responsible Security agents are now hunting down the fugitives and have successfully recaptured 10 of them with the help of other security agents.
- “We are in hot chase to recapture the rest,” Duza said.
- “The public is further enjoined to look out for the fleeing inmates and report any suspicious movement to the nearest security agency,” he added.
Duza gave no details about the identities or affiliation of the fugitives but it is to be noted that in the past members of the Boko Haram insurgent group have been locked up in the Suleja Prison.
- “The Service is not unmindful of the fact that many of its facilities were built during the colonial era, and that they are old and weak,” Duza said
He explained that the Nigerian prison service was making elaborate efforts to modernize its prison, including constructing six 3,000-capacity facilities and revamping existing ones.
What to Know
Prison breaks have become rife in Nigeria due to overcrowding, underfunding, and lax security measures creating a huge security concern for Nigerians.
Thousands of inmates have escaped over the years due to poor infrastructure and militant attacks. The most notable scenario was the July 2022 Islamic State attack on a high-security prison in the capital Abuja where around 440 inmates were freed.
Suleja is a town in Niger state close to the country’s capital Abuja.
