Mass Prison Escape in Nigeria after Heavy Rainfall Damages Facility and Perimeter Fence

Over 100 prisoners have fled from a medium security prison in Nigeria after heavy rainfall caused damage to the facility’s structure and perimeter fence. A total of 118 inmates escaped on Wednesday night from the Medium Security Custodial Centres in Suleja, Niger state, according to a press release by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) issued yesterday. The NCS stated that ten of these escapees have been recaptured and taken into custody while also revealing that parts of the prison facility as well as nearby buildings were damaged due to the heavy rainfall which they said is an annual occurrence in the region during this time of year.
The statement from the correctional service further explained that much of the facility was “old and weak” having been built during colonial times, leaving it susceptible to destruction caused by severe weather conditions. This issue with the structure of Nigerian prisons has led to a number of high-profile prison breaks in recent years as evidenced by an incident last year when over 300 prisoners escaped after Boko Haram militants raided a correctional facility located within Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
The NCS urged the public not to be alarmed and encouraged them to report any suspicious activity involving these escapees to nearby security agencies as they work towards recapturing those who remain at large. Prison breaks are not an uncommon occurrence in Nigeria given its history of similar incidents occurring regularly, such as last year’s raid on the Abuja prison by Boko Haram militants and a 2021 attack which saw over 200 prisoners escape from another facility located in neighboring Kogi State. In May of that same year, more than two thousand inmates fled during an assault at yet another Nigerian correctional institution based within Imo State as assailants made use of explosives to breach the prison’s defenses before making their getaway with numerous detainees still on the run from law enforcement authorities.