Heavy rains have destroyed a broken wall of a prison in Nigeria and enabled more than 100 prisoners to escape
More than 100 prisoners have escaped from the prison after heavy rains demolished the damaged wall of the prison located near the capital of Nigeria, Abuja.
The relevant prison authorities in Nigeria have announced that 118 prisoners escaped from the Suleja Prison, but 10 of them have already been arrested while a fierce search continues to find the rest.
Information about the identity of the escaped prisoners has not yet been made public, raising concerns about potential risks to public safety. However, the prison leadership has said that measures are being taken in collaboration with other security and defense agencies to deal with the situation and asking citizens to continue with their daily activities without worry.
"In cooperation with the security agencies, so far we have recaptured 10 prisoners who were escaping and put them in custody, while we are in a strong search to arrest others", said the Abuja Prisons Authority.
The incident has given a picture of the major challenges facing the Nigerian prison system, especially the bad condition of many detention centers. Prisons like Suleja, built since colonial times, are dilapidated and in danger of collapsing, thus increasing security risks.
The incident of the escape of more than 100 prisoners in one prison is compared to another that happened two years ago, where more than 400 prisoners were able to escape following an attack by armed men in another prison in Abuja. The incident caused a disaster including the killing of four prisoners, a guard and many attackers.
Since 2020, more than 5,000 prisoners have escaped from prisons in Nigeria in cases of attacks against prisons, which shows the challenges that continue to face the prison system in ensuring effective protection is put in place in the country's prisons.../
