At east one hundred and seventy five inmates of the Olokuta Maximum Prison in Akure, the Ondo state capital, have escaped after gunmen stormed the facility early Sunday.
Witnesses say the attackers used explosives to blast their way through the prison which is a few kilometers from the 32 Artillery brigade of the Nigerian Army Akure.
There were unconfirmed reports that four people died in the attack which occurred at about 12.30 am.
The State Comptroller of Prison, Tunde Olaniyan, confirmed the jailbreak but denied that anyone died in the attack.
Mr. Olaniyan said the gunmen had superior weapons. He described the attack as “unusual” and added that some of the inmates that escaped from the prison have been re-arrested.
The police also denied claims that the gunmen were members of the Boko Haram sect.
The Ondo state command of the force attributed the attack to armed robbers who came to free some of their colleagues detained in the prison.
Spokesperson of the state police command, Wole Ogodo, said investigation into the attack has begun.
He however appealed to people of the state to inform the command of any strange movement in their areas.
Hours after the incident, residents of the area and government officials trooped to the scene of the incident to ascertain the level of damage done by the attack.
Journalists were however barred from gaining entry to the main prison building.
Source: Premium Times
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