More than 100 inmates escape from Nigerian prison after heavy rains damage facility

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• More than 100 inmates escaped from a Nigerian prison near Abuja due to heavy rains destroying parts of the facility.
• The overnight downpour destroyed the perimeter fence of the medium-security prison in Suleja.
• Nigerian prisons face challenges such as overcrowding and outdated infrastructure, with 70 percent of inmates awaiting trial.

More than 100 inmates have escaped from a prison in Nigeria near the capital city of Abuja after overnight heavy rains destroyed parts of the facility, a prison official said Thursday, as security agencies searched for the fleeing prisoners.

The downpour, which lasted for several hours on Wednesday night, destroyed the perimeter fence of the medium-security prison in the neighboring town of Suleja, in Niger state, "giving way to the escape of a total of 118 inmates from the facility," according to Adamu Duza, a prisons spokesman.

The prison service and other agencies have managed to recapture 10 of the escaped inmates while the search is on to find the rest, Duza said.

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There are fears that they could find their way into the vast forests that connect Suleja town and neighboring states, some of which are known hideouts for criminal gangs.

People carry their belongings on the streets after a torrential rain in Ogun, Nigeria, on Oct. 25, 2023. More than 100 inmates have escaped from a prison in Nigeria near the capital city of Abuja after overnight heavy rains destroyed parts of the facility, a prison official said Thursday, as security agencies searched for the fleeing prisoners. (Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty Images)

In addition to being overcrowded with 70% of the inmates still awaiting trial, most prisons in Nigeria are old, having been built during the colonial era before the West African nation’s independence from Britain in 1960.

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The structures are rarely renovated, which has made it easier for inmates to escape during past jailbreaks. Thousands of inmates have escaped from prisons during such jailbreaks, including Abuja where nearly 900 inmates broke free in 2022.

The authorities are making efforts to rebuild the structures and modernize the aging facilities, Duza said.