Some high-profile inmates at Abuja’s Kuje Correctional Centre may have escaped the facility’s attacks by gunmen on Tuesday night.
Military personnel and prison guards on duty were said to have resisted the attacks, which lasted several hours.
According to sources, Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari and his men who were in the facility may have escaped.
On Tuesday night, gunmen detonated bombs and explosives at the facility.
Former Plateau Governor Joshua Dariye and his Taraba counterpart Jolly Nyame were also in the facility after being granted pardon by the National Council of States.
At the time of the attacks, the Federal Government had yet to release them.
Sources within the facility were told that, in addition to the high-profile inmates, some terrorists and other criminals may have escaped in the midst of the darkness and the attackers’ gunfire.
However, there was no official confirmation of the number of escapees and their profiles at the time of filing this report.
According to a source, it would be difficult to confirm whether Kyari and his men were evacuated for safety before the attackers gained access to the facility.
He also stated that the same was true for the former Governors.
The Nigerian Correctional Service Public Relations Officer, Francis Enobore, and his FCT junior officer, Mr Humphrey Chukwuendo, could not be reached. Their cellphones were turned off.
Terrorists heavily bombarded the Kuje Medium Custodial Centre on Tuesday night.
The attacks, which caught the facility’s guards off guard, threw the entire area into disarray.
The first explosion, a high capacity bomb, was heard around 10.25 p.m.
According to some accounts, it was followed by second and third blasts, as well as sporadic gunshots, sending residents fleeing for safety.
Security reports had warned officials about potential attacks on the facility.
It was not possible to determine whether or not steps were taken to prevent the attacks at the time of filing this report.
