Hundreds of prisoners, including dozens of terrorists, were fleeing to Nigeria after alleged Islamist militants attacked a prison near the capital, Abuja.
Armed men with explosives fired at Kuje Medium Security Prison on the outskirts of Abuja around 10pm on Tuesday, freeing nearly 900 of the 994 inmates from the prison, government officials said.
At least 443 of the 879 fugitives were still missing on Wednesday afternoon, said Umar Abubakar, a spokesman for Nigeria Correctional Service.
A prison guard was killed in the attack and three others were injured.
“They came in large numbers, went to jail and released some of the prisoners,” Nigerian Defense Minister Bashir Magashi said at a news conference near the jail on Wednesday morning.
Magashi speculated that the gunmen belonged to Boko Haram, but the attack was later claimed by Islamic State. He added: “The situation is under control.”
Later on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari visited the prison where senior officials showed him the facilities. He then tweeted that he was “saddened” by the attack and “disappointed” with Nigeria’s intelligence system.
“How can terrorists organize, have weapons, attack a security facility and get away with it? Buhari asked.
Prison officials inspect a door destroyed during prison escape in Kuje. Photo: Afolabi Sotunde / Reuters
Witnesses living near the prison facility said the attack lasted more than an hour, and security forces arrived at the scene long after the inmates had escaped.
Iliya Makama, who lives nearby, said: “Around 10pm we heard the sounds of gunfire that continued for about 40 minutes. Between the shootings we started to hear loud explosions.
“After a little over an hour, they started running in front of my window. At first I was lying on the ground with my wife … All this while there were no sirens or helicopter patrols from the police or soldiers “.
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Prison breaks have become more frequent in Nigeria, where last year more than 1,800 prisoners escaped from Owerri prison in the southeastern state of Imo after heavily armed men attacked. with shots and explosives.
The Kuje attack will solidify fears about increasing the capacity of armed groups across Nigeria, which have launched bold attacks closer and closer to the capital, with little or no resistance from overflowing and ill-equipped security forces. .
It came hours after gunmen attacked an advanced convoy of security personnel from Buhari, his home state of Katsina, northwestern Nigeria, ahead of a scheduled visit by the president.
On Wednesday, the president’s spokesman said: “The attackers opened fire on the convoy from the ambush positions, but were repelled by the military, police and DSS personnel accompanying the convoy. Two people from the convoy. “The convoy is being treated for minor injuries. The rest of the staff, personnel and vehicles arrived safely in Daura.”
Riots have escalated in Africa’s most populous country, with security forces fighting on several fronts, from a 13-year-old jihadist insurgency in the northeast to terrorist and “bandit” jihadist groups in the northwest, hijacking to get a rescue and terrorizing rural areas. communities.
The movement of jihadist groups from northeast to north and central Nigeria, forming alliances with other armed groups, has caused a growing alarm. In the state of Niger, local government officials have said the groups have seized communities just a few hundred kilometers from Abuja, taking advantage of the lack of rural security.