Gunmen attack Kuje Prison, release inmates
Some unknown gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram fighters have been reported to have seized control of the prison in Kuje, an Abuja suburb, freeing hardened criminals into the nation’s capital.
The insurgents were said to have stormed the facility at about 10:00 p.m., detonating explosives and opening live rounds on state agents guarding the facility, according to a senior government official.
“Suspected Boko Haram attackers have just seized the prisons from our control. They have destroyed the prison and we don’t know what they plan to do next,” an official was reported to have told Peoples Gazette.
According to Peoples Gazette, the official could not immediately elaborate on the unfolding chaos at the prison, which holds suspects ranging from disgraced police chief Abba Kyari to infamous terror masterminds.
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Residents in the areas have also confirmed hearing loud noises believed to be explosives and gunfire.
Soldiers and other security personnel around the facility reportedly fled when the attackers arrived in “over 1,000 motorcycles,” per our sources.
Another prison source was reported to have told The Gazette that some high-profile suspects did not escape during the attack, which lasted about three hours.
“Abba Kyari, Farouk Lawan and other white-collar detainees are still here,” a top prison source said. “But most of the violent criminals and terrorists have been released.”
However, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service, AD Umar, confirmed that gunmen had attacked the correctional centre but that normalcy had been restored after security agencies intervened.