180 prisoners escape in Nigeria's jailbreak

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - No fewer than 180 prisoners have escaped from custody in central Nigeria’s Minna town following a prison break in which an official was killed, according to a government official on Monday.

“There was a jailbreak at Minna Medium Security Prison, located at Tunga area of Minna Metropolis, perpetuated by armed criminals who attacked the prison and gain access after an exchange of fire with prison armed men,” Jibrin Baba Ndace, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said in a statement.

Ndace quoted Interior Minister Abdulrahman Danbazzau as blaming the incident on “security gaps in the prisons such as manpower and decongestion”.

Ndace said 30 other escapees have been rearrested following the incident.

Comptroller General of Prisons Ja'afaru Ahmed said an investigative panel has been set up to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the jailbreak.

Nigeria's prisons are known to be congested, among other problems, as a result of the notoriously slow justice system which sees thousands of suspects (awaiting trial) being remanded in prisons for years.

Dambazzau said the government is building a 3,000-inmate capacity prison in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and recruiting 6,000 personnel to address some of the problems.