The attackers of the Kuje prison, Abuja, burnt down vehicles as well as pulled down a wall during the attack on Tuesday night.
One Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel and four inmates have been confirmed dead.
Boko Haram terrorists had attacked the center and freed inmates including 64 of their members held in the custody in the attack that lasted hours on Tuesday night.
A statement on Wednesday by the Service spokesperson, Umar Abubakar, said the terrorists used explosives on the center’s fence and its main entrance to gain access to the facility.
According to the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd.), he said over 600 inmates escaped the facility including 64 Boko haram members.
According to reports, high-profile Boko Haram suspects and bandits escaped during the invasion of the prison on Tuesday night. Addressing journalists after taking an assessment tour of the facility, the minister said, “The attack started around 10:30pm. They came in their numbers and gained entrance into the prison and they released some of the inmates and which we are now following to see the kind of inmates that they have released.
“Very soon, we will give you the correct figure of the inmates that were taken. Aside that, we are trying to see what we can do to ensure that all escapees are returned.
“The prison is accommodating about 994 inmates and over 600 escaped. Many people have been recaptured and brought back to the prison. Maybe by the close of the day, more will have been captured and returned.
“I think everything is under control. The people who came to do this activity, from the records, we believe they belong to a particular group. Most likely, they are Boko Haram members because we have sizeable number of Boko Haram suspects in detention, and presently we cannot locate any of them. I think they are about 64 in the prison and none of them now is available they have all escaped.”
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