Around 600 prisoners, including multiple terrorists, went on the run in Nigeria following a suspected attack by Boko Haram militants on a prison near the capital, Abuja.
Gunmen armed with explosives blasted into the prison at about 10 pm on Tuesday, freeing 600 of the prison’s 994 inmates, government officials said.
At least one person was killed and three others were injured.
The attackers are believed to be part of Boko Haram, the brutal and bloodthirsty militant group linked to the so-called Islamic State.
The militants blew up the prison wall, forcing their way in and allowing the hundreds of prisoners to flee the compound, among those freed were fellow Boko Haram militants.
The interior ministry of the country announced that more than 300 prisoners who escaped after the attack were captured, but the rest still remain to be found.
Shuaib Belgore, permanent secretary of the Nigerian interior ministry said: "We understand they are Boko Haram. They came specifically for their co-conspirators.
“Right now, we have retrieved about 300 out of about 600 that got out of the jail.”
Despite the missing prisoners, he claimed the situation was now under control.
The attack occurred just hours after gunmen attacked a convoy of President Muhammadu Buhari’s security personnel, in his home state of Katsina, northwest Nigeria, before a scheduled visit by the country's president.
Buhari’s spokesperson said that attackers opened fire on the convoy from ambush positions but "were repelled by the military, police and DSS personnel accompanying the convoy"
Two people in the convoy are receiving treatment for minor injuries and all other personnel, staff and vehicles made it to safety.
Human rights organisations have said the attacks indicate the country's worsening security situation.
Last year nearly 2000 prisoners escaped from Owerri prison in the south-eastern Imo state, after heavily armed men attacked with explosives.
Over 5,000 inmates have escaped in jailbreaks in Nigeria since 2020.
