An unspecified number of inmates have escaped from the old Suleja Correctional Centre in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State following a rainstorm that destroyed a part of the facility’s fence on Wednesday night.
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.
