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Nigeria: Armed men released 240 prisoners in a raid on a prison

The gunmen exchanged fire with the guards and blew up the facility wall southwest of the federal capital, Abuja, and managed to free almost all of the prisoners.

Authorities appealed to the public to help apprehend the fugitives

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• Nigeria

• prisons

Reuters

Monday, 13 September 2021, 15:15

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Nigeria suffers from many security problems.

Nigerian forces after the release of abducted students, March (Photo: Reuters)

Gunmen raided a jail in south-central Nigeria and released 240 prisoners - almost all of them - the country's authorities said today (Monday). The attack took place in the late evening hours of yesterday, when the gunmen exchanged fire with the guards at a prison in Kaba in the state of Kogi province, southwest of the federal capital Abuja. According to the Interior Ministry, a soldier and a policeman were killed during the attack, in which the gunmen blew up the wall of the facility from three directions, and two guards were missing.

The Prison Service said 294 prisoners were in custody at the time of the attack - 224 of them were awaiting trial and the rest were convicted. The prison was established in 2008, with a capacity of only 200 inmates. In Nigeria, suspects can be held for years in custody before the start of their trial. Human rights groups say many of the country's prisons are overcrowded and legal proceedings are ineffective.

The Prison Service said the commissioner, Liro Navaba, was leading the investigation and had ordered the arrest of all prisoners.

"He asked the public for information that would help re-capture the fugitives," the spokesman said.

This is the second major escape from a prison in Nigeria this year.

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