Flooding in Maiduguri, Borno State, has caused the escape of 274 inmates from the state prison after the facility’s walls collapsed.
Umar Abubakar, spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday. He noted that the flooding, triggered by the collapse of the Alau Dam after heavy rains, also destroyed staff quarters in the city.
“Upon the evacuation of inmates by officers of the service with support from sister security agencies to a safe and secure facility, 281 inmates were observed to be missing,” Abubakar said.
Authorities have since captured seven inmates, while efforts to track the rest are ongoing. Abubakar assured that the service has the full details and biometrics of the missing inmates. “The public is assured that the incident does not impede or affect public safety,” he added.
The floodwaters have displaced more than a million people and claimed at least 30 lives. Rescue operations continue, with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) rescuing over 400 individuals.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
