By Chioma Iruke
Over 100 prisoners have reportedly escaped from prison, after gunmen invaded a Correctional Service Centre in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria, killing military officers at a military checkpoint.
The prisoners escaped in their hundreds from the Medium Federal Correctional Centre in Kabba, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 8, Ayuba Edeh, who confirmed the jail break, said the State Commissioner of Police and other heads of security agencies have swung into action to do an assessment of the cause of the break.
It was gathered that dozens of gunmen attacked the prison centre which is on the Kabba-Lokoja highway, on Sunday night through Monday morning, killing the military men keeping guard on the road before attacking the centre.
The gunmen thereafter launched attack on the prison officers before opening the prison to set all the prisoners free.
This is even as the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has assured the citizenry that Nigeria’s security forces will find the attackers of the Kabba Medium Security Custodial Centre and bring them to justice.
Aregbesola said no stone shall be left unturned to bring the fleeing inmate back to custody.
In a statement signed by Sola Fasure, the Media Adviser to the Minister of Interior, Aregbesola said: “We have been briefed by the Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Haliru Nababa, on the unfortunate attack on Kabba Medium Security Custodial Centre, in Kabba, Kogi State, by yet to be identified gunmen.
“During the attack, security officers on duty which comprised of 15 Soldiers, 10 Police Officers and 10 armed guards of the NCoS on duty fought gallantly to repel the attack. Regrettably, two officers of the Correctional Service are yet to be accounted for while one soldier and a policeman lost their lives during the attack.
“The Kabba Custodial facility had 294 inmates as at the time of the attack, many of whom escaped after the gunmen used explosives to destroy three sides of the perimeter fence. However, there remains 28 inmates who didn’t escape. Some have also voluntarily returned to the facility as at this morning.”
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