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Nearly 300 prisoners escape Nigerian prison after floods

By Reuters
September 16, 2024
A view of the prison where nearly three hundred prisoners escaped after floods in Maiduguri, northern Borno state, Nigeria September 15, 2024. — Reuters
A view of the prison where nearly three hundred prisoners escaped after floods in Maiduguri, northern Borno state, Nigeria September 15, 2024. — Reuters

ABUJA: Devastating floods collapsed walls at a jail in Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria early last week, allowing 281 prisoners to escape, prison authorities said on Sunday.

Seven of the escaped inmates have been recaptured in operations by security agencies, Umar Abubakar, spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Services said in a statement.

“The floods brought down the walls of the correctional facilities including the Medium Security Custodial Centre, as well as the staff quarters in the city,” Abubakar said.

Maiduguri is the capital of Borno state which early last week suffered its worst floods in decades. The flooding began when a dam overflowed following heavy rains, decimating a state-owned zoo and washing crocodiles and snakes into flooded communities.