Unknown gunmen on Monday killed two security operatives in an attack by gunmen on Kabba Correctional Centre in Kogi State.
The gunmen also reportedly freed over 230 prisoners in the facility in an attack, which was said to have occurred in the wee hours of Monday.
A soldier was also said to have been injured as the gunmen were said to have attacked a military checkpoint located a few metres away from the correctional centre with heavy gunfire before heading to the facility.
Francis Enobore, the spokesman of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), confirmed the security breach of the correctional facility.
According to Enobore, the gunmen were “heavily armed” and immediately engaged the guards in a fierce gun duel.
The NCS spokesperson stated that Haliru Nababa, the NCS Comptroller-General, has ordered the re-arrest of the escaped inmates and an investigation into the incident.
Speaking later, the Kogi state government says many of the inmates who escaped during an attack on a correctional centre in the state have been re-arrested.
Kingsley Fanwo, the state Commissioner for Information, in a statement said security agencies recaptured some of the prisoners, while some returned on their own.
The statement read: “We can confirm that some gunmen attacked the Kabba Custodial Centre but investigations are still on to clearly ascertain the number of inmates that escaped from the centre. We also lost two security operatives. That is the number we have at the moment.
“The state security adviser, commander Jerry Omodara (rtd) is currently at the centre with the Kogi state commissioner of police and the commander, army records, Lokoja.
“Security agencies have zeroed in to ensure those who escaped are rearrested as well as trail the masterminds of the attack. We have confidence in our security agencies to unmask the masterminds responsible for the attack and get them apprehended.
“Our security network has led to the rearrest of majority of the inmates that escaped as some have also come back to the centre on their own.
“Security agencies, traditional rulers and local hunters are working in synergy to ensure normalcy.”
The development is coming about five years after a jailbreak in Koton Karfe prison in Kogi.
