‘228’ inmates escape as flood hits prison in Kogi

Two hundred and twenty-eight inmates have escaped from a medium federal correctional centre in Koton Karfe in Kogi after some parts of it collapsed owing to heavy flooding.

NAN quoted Jafar Ahmed, comptroller-general of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), as saying this while speaking with journalists in Koton Karfe on Monday.

Ahmed said the walls of two cells and a perimeter fencing came down after a flood hit the facility about 3:00 am.

The comptroller-general said the centre is no longer habitable because of the incident.

He said some re-arrested inmates have been transferred to other facilities in the state.

Ahmed said details of the incident will be made public soon.

Jerry Omadara, security adviser of Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, said they were informed of the development about 4:00am.

Omadara said Bello directed the head of security agencies in the state to deploy their operatives to the scene.

The security adviser said security agents were still combing the bush in an effort to re-arrest some of the fleeing inmates, adding that the flood was not making it easy for them to escape.

While commending the security agencies for their prompt intervention, he said nobody died in the incident.

Editor’s note: The picture in this report is only for illustrative purposes.