119 Inmates Escape As Rainstorm Destroys Suleja Correctional Centre Fence

One hundred and nineteen inmates have escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centres, Suleja, in Niger State after a rainstorm wreaked havoc on the facility late Wednesday. 

“A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, 24 April 2024 has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centres, Suleja, Niger State, as well as surrounding buildings, destroying a part of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of a total of one hundred and nineteen (119) inmates of the facility,” the Deputy Superintendent of Corrections Command Public Relations Officer, FCT Command, AS Duza, said in a Thursday morning statement.

The storm accompanied by heavy rain around 9 pm destroyed parts of the old Suleja custodial centre, a development that led to many of the inmates escaping from the facility.

The rainstorm destroyed parts of the building and exposed the facility’s inner fence protecting one of the cells where inmates were kept.

A resident of Suleja town Babangida Turaki said the incident occurred at night during the rains which pulled down a part of the fence undergoing repairs.

He said it was difficult to confirm how many prisoners escaped but noted that a combined security reinforcement returned some of the escaping prisoners.

The combined team of security agents has been sent to some strategic outlets and black spots of Suleja town to arrest the fleeing inmates.

Normalcy has since returned to Suleja town while a search is still ongoing to recover some of the prisoners.
-Channels