Sixty-four Boko Haram terrorists freed by Kuje prison attackers, 600 inmates escape

Sixty-four Boko Haram members were among the 600 inmates confirmed by the Federal Government to have escaped from the Kuje Correctional Centre following Tuesday evening’s attack by suspected terrorists.

As at the time of the attack, the facility was holding 994 inmates.

Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd.), told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that 64 Boko Haram terrorists were held in custody, adding that all had been freed by the attackers.

He said: “Well, we too heard the attack. The incident started between 10 and 10:25am the security operatives recaptured some. What actually happened was they came in their numbers and released some of the inmates. We are now trying to see the kind of inmates they released.

“We are trying to see what we can do to see that all escapes within the prison accommodation are brought back to the prison yard.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Mr Shuaibu Belgore, also visited the facility, saying over 300 of the inmates have been retrieved and more are on the way.

He added that the facility houses 994 inmates and that the attackers, which he suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists, attacked the facility to rescue their co-conspirators.

He also added that one person died and three others were injured during the attack