A prison officer and an Okada rider were killed as 200 prisoners escape in a jailbreak at the Minna Medium Security Prison on Sunday night.
The armed attackers who stormed the prison at about 8:00 p.m yesterday, accessed the prison after exchange of fire with prison armed men.
One official was killed and about seven prisoners rearrested, the prison authorities had said. Although the prison authorities are yet to provide details of the escaped inmates, the police in Niger provided the some details.
The police on Monday said they have taken measures to ensure the arrest of the 200 prisoners that escaped from the prison.
Dibal Yakadi, the Commissioner of Police in Niger, said in an interview with newsmen in Minna said that only 19 out of the 219 prisoners that escaped were arrested.
“We are working in collaboration with other security agencies in Niger State to make sure that we re-arrest the runaway inmates.
“The police has embarked on stop and search for all vehicles and also engaged personnel on motor and foot patrol to ensure that we apprehend these inmates,’’ he said.
Spokesperson of the Minna prison, Rabiu Shuaibu who issued a statement detailing how the incident .
Read the full statement from Shuaibu:
The unfortunate incident was perpetuated by armed criminals who attacked the prison and gain access after exchange of fire with prison armed men.
This led to death of a prison officer and an Okada rider who conveys a prison officer on night duty.
So far, through combined effort of all security agencies in the state, 7 prisoners who attempted to escape have been recaptured and returned to the prison.
The prison authority in Minna is profiling the number of fleeing inmates to ascertain the escaped prisoners.
However, normalcy has returned and security agencies are working together to ensure that fleeing inmates are recaptured.
The general public is hereby assured of its safety; and advised to go on with its normal business.
At this juncture, we will like to urge all law abiding citizens to support the security agencies in maintaining law and order as security is a collective responsibility. We also advise that citizens should endeavor to report to security agencies any suspicious person or group of persons.
