Everything you need to know about the Kuje prison break

 

Most of the 700 inmates at the kuje correctional facility in Abuja, the federal Capital Territory have reportedly escaped. Other inmates, including the suspected deputy commissioner of police, Abba Kyari, who was remanded at the prison by a Federal High Court, have been removed from the facility. Kyari is standing trial for allegedly dealing in cocaine alongside four members of his former police unit, the Inspector – General of Police Intelligence Response Unit (IRT), and two others persons arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, Enugu State, in January this year.

 

 Gunmen suspected to be terrorists on Tuesday night attacked the prison facility in Nigeria’s Capital city, and newsmen learnt that the facility was ruined by the heavy firepower brought by the assailants.

 

Multiple sources said that the gunmen invaded the facility around 10pm. Details about the causalities suffered in the attack  were still sketchy at the time of filing this report, but one of newsmen reporters quoted an ‘inside source’ saying many inmates were able to escape.

 

The place was completely ruined and all the inmates have left the facility for now, including Abba Kyari, ‘’ a source reportedly said.

 

“Most of the inmates have escaped from the facility; it is sad. It houses over 700 inmates,” another source said.

Earlier, while the attack was going on, one of our sources had said, “Can you hear the gunshot? We are under serious attack.”

 

Kuje prison was established in 1989, it has minimum and maximum holding cells where inmates are incarcerated.

 

It is famous for holding high – profile offenders, including former governors and ministers.

At least 150 inmates are believed to have escaped during the attack, including terrorists and other hardened criminals,” another source said.

 

It was gathered the attack took place around 10:30pm with rocket grenades attacks and other high caliber weapons on the facility.

 

Our correspondent was told that while many inmates took advantages of the chaos as the military and other security agents guarding the facility took to their heels. The kuje prison was completely taken over for more than 2 hours by the invading terrorists. All soldiers and prisons officers escaped. For more than 2 hours no reinforcement came.

 

All doors were broken by the terrorist and every criminal has escaped. Only people that are not criminals, those with less than 3 months to be released and important people.

“We are in serious trouble in Nigeria. No resistance at all from prison officers and soldiers for almost 3 hours the operations lasted.

 

Very successful operations for the terrorist who kept shouting Allahu Akbar from the beginning to the end of the operations.” No official comment from the prison officials as the spokesman of the prison Francis Enobore is yet to respond to inquiries.

 

It was later gathered that, Abba Kyari, and other top inmates are safe after terrorist attacked the kuje Correctional Facility on Tuesday night.

Some of the messages said, “Glory be to GOD, we are alive and we refused to run away. All major terrorists, kidnappers, armed robbers, murderers have all escaped. Only important people like Abba Kyari and his men, former governor Jolly Nyame, Farouk Lawan and some few senior citizens refused to escape even after the terrorists have opened all the doors for everybody to escape within the 3 hours operations.

 

However, the kuje jail break is just one of many recent jail breaks across the country. That the kuje incident offured despite similar jail breaks in places like Kogi and Edo States suggest the government is unable to protect its prisons. For residents of kuje, however, they hope no such incident occurs in the facility anymore.

The spokesperson of the Nigerian correctional Service (NCoS), Umar Abubakar, on Wednesday, said over 400 of the escaped inmates have been recaptured while 443 are still at large. Another 16 inmates who sustained various degrees of injuries are receiving treatment. “I wish to confirm that about 220hrs, some yet to be – identified gunmen attacked the Medium Security Custodial Centre, kuje in the Federal Capital Territory.

 

However, men of the Armed Squad of the Nigerian Correctional Service and other security agencies attached to the Custodial centre have responded and calm has been restored to the facility and the situation is under control.”

On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari visited the prison to review the situation. He expressed disappointment that the security officials at the prison could not prevent the attack.

 

It was stated that, 64 Boko – Haram members previously held in the facility were released by the invaders and are still at large. Just like the prison authorities, residents and witnesses in the community hosting the facility of the attackers at over 100. 

In a follow – up report, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mr Shuaibu Belgore, has disclosed that about 600 prisoners escaped during the attack.

Belgore who visited the facility on Wednesday morning, said the facility houses 994 inmates and over 300 inmates have been caught while the rest will soon be apprehended.

He further disclosed that the assailants are suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists who attacked the facility to rescue their colleagues. The invaders reportedly used dynamites and destroyed the heavily fortified facility, including the Central Terrorism Unit (CTU), freeing all the terrorists there.

Another source said, “The attack at night was deliberate because they know we don’t have the capacity to resist invasion at night.

“They shepherded their members overnight and disappeared,” he said. Daily Trust reported that two police officers have been arrested after their communication with some of the escaped was intercepted.

“Two of the terrorists that escaped called a police investigation officer (IPO) in one of our stations and spoke to him in a compromising manner... They are now being investigated to know their level of complicity,” he said.

The aforementioned publication reported that the terrorists were planning a deliberate and massive attack on the military detention facility in kainji as well as the prisons in Bida and Minna.

“What they want to achieve is to set free members of the terrorist organization who are detained in those facilities.

“They are planning to do this on Sallah day and unless something is done, it will come to pass,” he said.