By John Ikani
At least 300 suspected Boko Haram terrorists are on the run after gunmen from the extremist group attacked Kuje Prison in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja on Tuesday night.
“We understand they are Boko Haram – they came specifically for their co-conspirators,” senior Interior Ministry official Shuaibu Belgore told reporters.
“Right now we have retrieved about 300 out of about 600 who got out of the jail cells,” he said, adding that some returned voluntarily while others were recaptured.
The prison was holding a number of high-profile detainees, including suspected militants and jailed politicians.
Witnesses described hearing loud explosions and gunfire around the Kuje prison.
The security forces said they later retook control of the facility.
Islamist militants have carried out several jailbreaks across Nigeria in recent years.
Other armed criminal gangs have also carried out similar attacks.
More than 5,000 inmates have escaped since 2020.
Hours before the latest prison attack, gunmen opened fire on a presidential in the north of the country. President Muhammadu Buhari was not in any of the vehicles.
