Gunmen free 119 from Nigeria jail

Johannesburg – A gang of gunmen blasted their way into a Nigerian prison and freed 119 inmates in an audacious assault thought to have been planned by a radical Islamist sect that models itself on al Qaeda.

About 20 attackers roared up on motorcycles, bombed the gate and opened fire on the guards, a prison service spokeswoman said yesterday.

Only one prisoner remained inside the jail, which is in central Kogi State, about 100 kilometres south of the capital, Abuja.

‘‘From reports available to us, a large number of gunmen attacked the Koton Karfe prison around 7pm and threw explosives at the gate,’’ the spokeswoman, Hadiza Aminu, said. ‘‘One of our men was killed and the gunmen overpowered the wardens and broke into the cells, freeing inmates.’’

No-one has claimed responsibility for the assault but analysts said that it bore the hallmarks of the radical Islamist group Boko Haram, which has been behind a series of bomb attacks in recent months, mostly in the Muslimdominated north. Its name means ‘‘Western education is forbidden’’, and it is seeking the wider use of Islamic law.

On Christmas Day a Boko Haram bombing of a church killed at least 40 people. The State Security Service said yesterday that it wanted to question Habibu Bama, a former soldier, in relation to the attack on the congregation at a Catholic church in in western Niger State. The wanted notice followed the re-arrest last week of Kabiru Sokoto, another suspect in that bombing. He was detained on January 14 but escaped the next day.

Security sources said this month that they had arrested Boko Haram’s purported spokesman, Abul Qaqa.