Not less than 240 prisoners have escaped after an attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Kabba, Kogi State by unidentified armed men.
The attack which took place around midnight in Sunday, was confirmed by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) spokesman, Mr Francis Enobore, who issued a circular notifying the public on the latest development on Monday.
Enobore stated that the assilants came heavily armed and engaged the prison guards in a fierce gun battle. They overpowered the guards and set most of the prisoners free.
The NCos spokesman added that the Comptroller–General, Haliru Nababa has directed a recapture procedure to be activated immediately and detailed investigation carried out even as he leads a team to assess the situation.
The Comptroller-General urged the public to provide security operatives with any information that will aid the recapture of the prison escapees.
Kabba MSCC was established in 2008 with a capacity of 200 inmates.
At the time of the invasion, 294 inmates were in custody, 224 of which were pre-trial detainees and 70 convicted inmates.
The latest jailbreak comes a few months after gunmen attacked the Nigerian Correctional Service and the police headquarters in Imo State, freeing 1,844 inmates, after which the hoodlums set the facility ablaze.
The gunmen also razed the Imo State Police Command headquarters and burnt almost all the vehicles parked at the command’s headquarters. No fewer than 50 cars were set ablaze in the process.
A similar attack was carried out at the correctional centre in Ubiaja, Edo State; however, the jailbreak was foiled by officers at the facility.
The inmates, after breaking out from their cells, engaged the correctional officers in a fight, leaving some of the security personnel injured.
It took a combined effort by officers from the Nigerian Army, 4th brigade, and the Edo command of the Nigeria Police Force, to eventually overpower the inmates and return them to their cells.
