Inmates freed after gunmen’s jailbreak
Gunmen have attacked a prison in south-west Nigeria, freeing dozens of inmates.
It is the third jailbreak in the country this year and raises concerns about how safe detention facilities are in the west African nation where authorities have struggled to stem rising violence.
A handful of security facilities, especially police stations, have been attacked in a similar manner in the past year. Olanrewaju Anjorin, a spokesman at the correctional centre in Oyo state, said gunmen attacked late on Friday night and an investigation would reveal the extent of the damage.
“I can’t ascertain the number of people that escaped or that were recaptured but I am telling you that the security has been beefed up around the custodial centre and the town,” he said
Friday’s attack was the third this year in Nigeria, where jailbreaks are becoming more frequent and police only capture a fraction of those who escape.
Lagos-based online newspaper The Cable reported in July that at least 4,307 inmates had escaped from prisons since 2017, based on compiled media reports.
This year alone, more than 2,000 were freed in two earlier jailbreaks: on September 13 when 240 inmates escaped after gunmen attacked a detention facility in north-central Kogi state with explosives, and on April 5 when at least 1,800 were freed in Imo state.