A yet-to-be-identified number of hardened criminals were freed late Tuesday after an attack on Kuje correctional facility by Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
According to Peoples Gazette, the insurgents stormed the facility at about 10:00 p.m., detonating explosives and opening live rounds on the guards.
READ ALSO: Gunmen attack Kuje Prison as residents scamper for safety
“Suspected Boko Haram attackers have just seized the prisons from our control,” a government official said.
“They have destroyed the prison and we don’t know what they plan to do next.
”The official could not immediately elaborate on the unfolding chaos at the prison, which holds suspects ranging from disgraced police chief Abba Kyari to infamous terror masterminds.
“All major, biggest terrorists, armed robbers and kidnappers have escaped,” a top security revealed.
Residents in the areas have also confirmed hearing loud noises believed to be explosives and gunfire.
Soldiers and other security personnel around the facility reportedly fled when the attackers arrived in “over 1,000 motorcycles,” the medium stated.
Another prison source said some high-profile suspects did not escape during the attack, which lasted about three hours.
“Abba Kyari, Farouk Lawan and other white-collar detainees are still here,” a top prison source said.
“But most of the violent criminals and terrorists have been released.”
A spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) and the FCT police did not immediately return requests seeking details about the incident late Tuesday.
The attack comes as insecurity inundated President Muhammadu Buhari and his security chiefs.
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