Nigeria was attacked by heavily armed gangs with blasting devices on the 5th, and hands released more than 1,800 prisoners. (Video screenshot)
A prison in southern Nigeria (Nigeria, Nigeria) was attacked by heavily armed gangs with explosive devices on May 5 and released more than 1,800 inmates, making it one of the most significant escape cases in the West African country’s history.
The state prison unit issued a statement saying that the unidentified attackers arrived in the early hours of the 5th in a number of pickup trucks and buses and broke into the Imo State (Imo) Owerri prison (Owerri prison) with explosive devices and had a shootout with prison guards. The attackers also used explosives to detonate roadblocks and enter the prison, forcibly releasing 1,844 inmates.
State prison department spokesman Francis Enoboré said 35 prisoners refused to escape at the time, and six escaped prisoners later surrendered themselves.
James Madugba, spokesman for the Imo State prison authorities, told AFP that the situation was under control, but the exact number of escapes was still to be confirmed.5
No group has yet come forward to claim responsibility, but President Muhammadu Buhari called the attack a “terrorist act” committed by “seditionists” and called on the security forces to bring the attackers and escapees to justice.
Enoboré said the prison service has begun a full investigation into the attack and is working with other security agencies to find those at large.
An earlier statement from the prison service said the militants initially attempted to enter the weapons depot at the Imo State Police headquarters, but were repelled by police officers on duty, with one officer slightly injured in the exchange of fire. Police then launched a manhunt and appealed to the local population for assistance.
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