25 apr 2024 om 20:40
At least 118 prisoners escaped from a prison near Nigeria’s capital on Wednesday evening. After heavy rain that lasted for several hours, several parts of the prison were damaged, including the fence.
Ten of the detainees have now been recaptured. The rest are still on the run. Spokesman Adamy Duza says that they are being searched hard and assures that the authorities are “on top of it”.
The spokesperson did not reveal any information about the identities of the prisoners. It is known that members of the jihadist terrorist organization Boko Haram have been imprisoned in the prison in question in the past.
It is feared that they could find their way into the vast forests that connect the city of Suleja with neighboring states, some of which are known hideouts for criminal gangs.
Prison breakouts are not new in Nigeria: the country has long struggled to control outbreaks. For example, in 2022 the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs gave prison guards permission to shoot escaping detainees.
Prisons are also overcrowded: 70 percent of prisoners are still awaiting trial. In addition, most prisons in Nigeria are very old and need to be replaced. These buildings are rarely renovated. As a result, many previous attempts have easily succeeded.
The prison is making “frantic efforts” to modernize the buildings, the spokesperson said.
