A Nigerian official says more than 100 inmates have escaped from a prison near the capital city of Abuja after heavy rains overnight destroyed parts of the facility, including the perimeter fence.
However, according to Adamu Duza, the prison’s spokesman, the prison service and other agencies have managed to recapture 10 of the escaped inmates while the search is on to find the rest.
Duza also said that the downpour, which lasted for several hours on Wednesday night, destroyed the perimeter fence of the medium-security prison in the neighboring town of Suleja, in Niger state, “giving way to the escape of a total of 118 inmates from the facility.”
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The structures are rarely renovated, which has made it easier for inmates to escape during past jailbreaks. Thousands of inmates have escaped from prisons during such jailbreaks, including Abuja where nearly 900 inmates broke free in 2022.
In addition to being overcrowded with 70% of the inmates still awaiting trial, most prisons in Nigeria are old, having been built during the colonial era before the West African nation’s independence from Britain in 1960.
It’s worrisome that they could find their way into the vast forests that connect Suleja town and neighboring states, some of which are known hideouts for criminal gangs.
Duza however gave assurance that the authorities are making efforts to rebuild the structures and modernize the ageing facilities.
