Gunmen attack prison in Oyo State to free inmates

Hundreds of prisoners have escaped from the Abolongo Custodial Centre in Oyo town of Oyo State, South-West Nigeria. This follows the storming of the facility by gunmen to free inmates.

The gunmen were said to have arrived in their numbers around 10 pm on Friday and started shooting sporadically when they gained access and released the inmates.

The Nigeria Correctional Service Public Relations Officer, Francis Enobore who confirmed the incident said the exact number of inmates who escaped is unknown but profiling is underway to ascertain the figure.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Abolongo Custodial Centre, Olarewaju Anjorin says officials of the facility including other security personnel were overpowered by the gunmen before carrying out the attack and setting some prisoners free in the process.

At the moment, a detachment of security personnel have been deployed to support officials of the custodial facility to track the unknown gunmen and possibly rearrest the fleeing inmates.