Over 100 Inmates Escape Nigeria Prison Due To Heavy Rains

According to reports available to us, over 100 inmates escape Nigeria prison due to heavy rains and flooding.

A prison service spokesperson said that at least 118 inmates escaped from the facility in Suleja, near Nigeria’s capital, after heavy rains damaged it on Wednesday night.

The several-hour downpour destroyed parts of the medium-security prison, including the perimeter wall and surrounding buildings, spokesperson Adamu Duza said in a statement on Thursday.

Service agents were tracking down the fugitives and had already apprehended ten of them with the help of other security agencies. “We are in hot chase to recapture the rest,” Duza went on to say.

He reassured the public that authorities were on top of the situation.

“The public is further enjoined to look out for the fleeing inmates and report any suspicious movement to the nearest security agency,” he went on to say.

Duza did not reveal the identities or affiliations of the escaped prisoners, but Suleja prison has previously housed members of the Boko Haram Islamist insurgent group.

Prison breaks have become a major security concern in Nigeria, where overcrowding, underfunding, and lax security measures have created an environment conducive to escape.

Thousands of inmates have escaped in recent years as a result of poor infrastructure and militant attacks, most notably an Islamic State attack on a high-security prison in the capital Abuja in July 2022, which freed approximately 440 inmates.

“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,” said Duza.

He also stated that the service is making “frantic efforts” to modernize its prisons, which include the construction of six 3,000-capacity facilities and the renovation of existing ones.

This is a developing story and all latest updates will be shared.

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