An unknown number of prisoners have escaped after an attack by gunmen on the Medium Security Custodial Centre in the Abolongo area of Oyo State.
Reports say that the inmates were set free from the correctional facility during an attack on Friday at about 10pm in Oyo town.
The attack was confirmed by the spokesman of the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Olanrewaju Anjorin, who stated that the assailants who were large in number, stormed the area unexpectedly, using explosives to gain entry into the facility.
The prison authority also revealed that the escaped prisoners were awaiting trial.
According to Anjorin, prison officials in collaboration with other security agencies have launched a search mission to track the escapees and return them to the facility.
Although the command spokesman could not ascertain if there was any casualty in the attack, he stated that investigations were ongoing.
The attack comes a month after a group of gunmen released prisoners from a correctional facility in Kogi.
Chronicle NG reported that not less than 240 prisoners escaped after the attack on Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Kabba, Kogi State by the 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 assailants came heavily armed and engaged the prison guards in a fierce gun battle. They overpowered the guards and set most of the prisoners free.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
