TheCable

There was an attempted jailbreak at Ikoyi prison in Lagos on Thursday.

Prisoners were seen running helter skelter, as smoke billowed from the premises.

“The prison is on fire; everyone is running for safety now,” a source in the area, who confirmed the attack to TheCable, said.

Security operatives from the police and the Nigerian army were immediately deployed to the area.

Augustine Njoku, spokesperson of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), was not immediately available to comment on the matter as he said he was in a meeting.

The development comes after weeks of #EndSARS protests, which began as peaceful demonstrations but have now been marred by violence across the country.

Hoodlums reportedly hijacked the protest and vandalised public infrastructure, including police stations and prisons.

On Monday, hoodlums had broken into two prisons in Edo state, leading to the escape of inmates from custody.

According to the NCS, 1,993 inmates escaped during the attack on the prisons in Edo.

“They came in large numbers, bearing dangerous weapons and attacked the officers on guard duty. They were unmistakable on their mission, which was to force the cells open, free the inmates, and carry out other nefarious activities,” the NCS had said on the Edo incident.