Inmates flee as rainstorm wreaks havoc at Suleja Prison

Some inmates escaped from Suleja Correctional Facility in Niger State during heavy rainfall on Wednesday night.

The rain, which spread across communities in Niger and neighboring Federal Capital Territory (FCT),  destroyed parts of the fence of the prison.

An unspecified number of inmates reportedly seized the opportunity to escape.

A resident, Abdullahi Nura, told our reporter that the inmates overpowered officials on duty and fled in different directions.

Some of them reportedly hurled stones at volunteers who attempted to block them from escaping.

“Some parked vehicles had their screens damaged due to the action of the escaping inmates, ” Nura added.

It was learnt that three of the inmates were recaptured in Suleja hours after their escape, while others were nabbed around Rafinsanyi, and Kwankwaso axis along the Suleja-Madalla road, on Thursday morning.

Efforts to speak with the Suleja Police Area commander, ACP Muhammad Sani Musa, were not successful as of the time of filing this report.

The prison authorities are yet to react to the incident, which is a reminder of how suspected terrorists overran Kuje Prison in Abuja two years ago.

All suspects in the cells where terrorists were kept were set free in the operation that lasted for hours.

Nigeria has had its own share of jailbreaks over the years, with government vowing to track down fleeing inmates.

However, many of them are still on the run years after their illegal escape.