BREAKING NEWS: 119 Prisoners Escape As Rainstorm Destroys walls of Suleja prison

119 prisoners escape as heavy rainfall destroys walls of Suleja prison

An unspecified number of inmates escaped from the old Suleja Correctional Centre in Niger State’s Suleja local government area after a rainstorm ravaged the facility on Wednesday night.

Around 9 pm, a storm accompanied by heavy rainfall destroyed parts of the old Suleja custodial centre, leading to a mass exodus of inmates from the facility.

Reports from STEADY GIST indicate that the rainstorm caused significant damage to the building, exposing the inner fence that previously secured one of the cells housing inmates.

A resident of Suleja town, confirming the incident to our correspondent, mentioned, “The incident is indeed true; we assisted in apprehending two of the inmates and turned them over to the prison authorities.”

Information reveals that a joint team of security agents has been dispatched to strategic locations and hotspots within Suleja town to apprehend the fleeing inmates.

Additionally, it was noted that security personnel resorted to sporadic gunfire to intimidate the escaping inmates from their hiding places.

Sources suggest that the escaped inmates, overpowering the guards at the facility, fled in various directions, complicating the efforts of security personnel in pursuit.

Meanwhile, heightened security measures have been implemented along Minna-Suleja and Suleja-Kaduna roads, as well as the Madalla axis leading to Abuja.

Efforts to elicit a response from the State’s Comptroller of Prisons were unsuccessful at the time of press, although a senior officer from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) confirmed the incident to STEADY GIST on condition of anonymity.