Kuje Prison Break: 879 Inmates Escaped, 443 Recaptured

The Federal Government has reacted to Tuesday’s attack at the Kuje Custodial Centre, revealing that a total of 879 inmates escaped from the facility during the unfortunate incident.

This was disclosed by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Mr Abubakar Umar of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) in an update on Wednesday afternoon.

Umar also revealed that four inmates of the Kuje Custodial Centre died in the incident.

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) stated that the attackers broke into the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, using explosive devices through the main entrance and the fence of the facility respectively.

Umar stated that personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to the Custodial Centre was killed, and three personnel of the NCoS were seriously injured.

He said, “A total of 879 inmates escaped from the facility during the unfortunate attack. At the time of this report, 443 have been recaptured while the rest remain at large.

“Four inmates are dead and 16 inmates sustained various degrees of injuries and are being treated at the moment. However, efforts are ongoing to recapture all fleeing inmates.”

According to Umar, the NCoS will deploy its Corrections Information Management System (CIMS) in synergy with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to track all fleeing inmates and return them to custody.

“We, therefore, appeal to hospitals and other medical institutions and practitioners to report anyone that comes to them for treatment for gunshot injuries to the nearest law enforcement agency,” they urged.