2017 Kidapawan jail siege

Last updated

2017 Kidapawan jail siege
Philippines location map (square).svg
Red pog.svg
Kidapawan
Kidapawan (Philippines)
LocationBarangay Amas, Kidapawan, Philippines
DateJanuary 4, 2017
around 1:00 (UTC+8)
TargetNorth Cotabato Provincial Jail
Attack type
Prison break
Deaths7 (1 guard, 1 barangay official, 5 prisoners)
Perpetrators Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
No. of participants
100 armed men (attackers)
DefendersNorth Cotabato Police

The 2017 Kidapawan jail siege occurred when about a hundred unidentified armed men attacked the North Cotabato Provincial Jail in Kidapawan, Philippines at around midnight freeing at least 158 inmates. Five inmates, a barangay official and a prison guard died in the siege. The jail break resulting from the attack is reportedly the biggest in the history of North Cotabato. [1]

Contents

Attack

At around 1:00 am armed men attacked the North Cotabato Provincial Jail in Barangay Amas of Kidapawan. This led to the escape of at least 158 inmates out of the 1,511 people detained in the prison. [2] A power outage which put out the lights in the prison preceded the attack. The intent of the siege was to free certain inmates detained in two cells but nearby inmates were also freed by the gunmen who reportedly spoke in the Maguindanao language. [3]

According to a report by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the gunfight following the attack lasted around two hours. The prisoners reportedly escaped through a wooden ladder placed at the back portion of the prison. [4]

Earlier before the attack, the local police of Amas was warned of plans of a jail siege to free high-profile inmates. The barangay volunteer security group which was not armed warned the residents of the locality of the possible attack. [3]

Jail Officer 1 Excel Visido died during the attack as well as Barangay Patadon Councilor, Satar Manalundong who was shot after authorities suspected him of helping an inmate escape. [1]

12 escapees were "recovered" by authorities while two surrendered to the city mayor. [5]

Aftermath

Kidapawan Mayor Joseph Evangelista requested the 39th Infantry Battalion to help the Cotabato Police Provincial Office in securing the site of the incident and in conducting strict highway inspection. The Kidapawan City 911 Response Unit was also put on standby in the area. Classes were suspended in five public schools situated in Barangay Amas. [2] BJMP's Special Tactics and Response team, the Special Action Force, and the military conducted clearing operations within and around the vicinity of the prison. [5]

The police in Davao City were put into full alert following the jail siege. [1]

Perpetrators

Initial reports suggested that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were behind the attack with the armed group responsible for the attack allegedly led by MILF commander Satar Mandalondong. [1] MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghadzali Jaafar denied that his group was involved in the attack and offered to share information regarding the attack if they manage to get them. [1]

The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters were also suspected to be behind the attack, but the group's spokesperson Abu Misry denied the involvement of his group in the attack. [2]

The local authorities of Amas has received feedback that the group was led by a certain Commander Derby, who is wanted for serious offenses, including armed robbery, drug trafficking, and extortion. [3] Commander Derby was suspected to be bribed by a local drug lord to help him escape.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maguindanao</span> Philippine province (1973–2022)

Maguindanao was a province of the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). From 2014 to 2022, its provincial capital was Buluan, but the legislative branch of government, the Maguindanao Provincial Board, convened at the old provincial capitol in Sultan Kudarat. It bordered Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, Sultan Kudarat to the south, and Illana Bay to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotabato</span> Province in Soccsksargen, Philippines

Cotabato or formerly but still colloquially known as North Cotabato, officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Kidapawan. Some of its municipalities are under the jurisdiction of the nearby Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotabato City</span> Independent component city in Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines

Cotabato City, officially the City of Cotabato, is a first class independent component city in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 325,079 people, making it as the most populated city under the independent component city status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arakan, Cotabato</span> Municipality in Cotabato, Philippines

Arakan, officially the Municipality of Arakan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 50,558 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidapawan</span> Capital of Cotabato, Philippines

Kidapawan, officially the City of Kidapawan, is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 Census, it has a population of 160,791 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magpet</span> Municipality in Cotabato, Philippines

Magpet, officially the Municipality of Magpet, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,800.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matalam</span> Municipality in Cotabato, Philippines

Matalam, officially the Municipality of Matalam, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 81,355 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulunan</span> Municipality in Cotabato, Philippines

Tulunan, officially the Municipality of Tulunan, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 60,978 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moro conflict</span> Separatist conflict in the Philippines

The Moro conflict was an insurgency in the Mindanao region of the Philippines which involved multiple armed groups. A decades-long peace process has resulted in various peace deals have been signed between the Philippine government and two major armed groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but other smaller armed groups continue to exist. In 2017, the peace council settled around 138 clan conflicts.

The 2008 Battle of North Cotabato was a military confrontation between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and a rogue Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) faction under the command of Umbra Kato in North Cotabato, a province of Mindanao, in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kogi prison break</span> 2014 prison break in Nigerian prison

The Kogi prison break was an attack on Koto-Karffi Federal Medium Security Prisons in Kogi State, in north-central Nigeria by unknown gunmen suspected to be members of the terrorist group, Boko Haram. The attack occurred on 2 November 2014. About 144 prisoners escaped from the prison; 1 inmate was shot and killed during the attack. The escaped prisoners were largely awaiting trial for robbery. Twelve inmates returned to the prison to serve out their sentences and about 45 escaped prisoners were recaptured altogether.

A prison break is an unlawful act under Nigerian law, of a prisoner forcing their way out of a prison. It can also be described as attacks on the Nigerian Prisons Services by terrorists such as Boko Haram and armed robbers in which many prisoners are released. Often, when this occurs effort are made by the Nigerian Prisons Services in conjunction with security agency to rearrest the escapee and return them to the prison and this may result in the extension of their jail term. Prison break in Nigeria may be attributed to corruption, poor funding of the prison services, poor prison facilities, inadequate security features such as CCTV, motion sensors, high wall made up of barbed wire and sometimes electric fencing of the wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damaturu prison break</span> Prison break in Nigeria suspected to be orchestrated by Boko Haram

The Damaturu prison break was an attack on the Jimeta prison at Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State in the northeastern Nigeria by 40 gunmen suspected to be members of the terrorist group Boko Haram. The attack is thought to have been a bid to rescue imprisoned members of Boko Haram. About 40 prisoners escaped from the prison; seven inmates and one prison warden died. The escaped prisoners were largely members of the insurgent.

For three days from March 30, 2016, thousands of farmers and their supporters blockaded the Davao–Cotabato Road in Kidapawan, North Cotabato, in the Philippines. A day before prior to the road blockade, 500 farmers protested in front of the National Food Authority Office in Kidapawan to air their grievances. The demonstration ended violently with at least three deaths on the side of the protesters and a total of 116 injured on both sides after the police dispersed the mass action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Davao hostage crisis</span> Hostage crisis in the Philippines

On August 13, 1989, 16 inmates at the Davao Metropolitan District Command Center, who had previously escaped from the Davao Penal Colony, captured 15 members of a Protestant group, the Joyful Assembly of God. The inmates were part of the prison gang called the Wild Boys of DaPeCol, led by Felipe Pugoy and Mohammad Nazir Samparani. The hostage crisis ended with the deaths of five hostages and all 16 inmates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maute group</span> 2012–2019 Philippine Islamist militant group

Dawlah Islamiya, also called Islamic State of Lanao and formerly named as the Maute Group, is a radical Islamist group composed of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas and foreign fighters. Based in Lanao del Sur, it was founded by brothers Abdullah and Omar Maute. The organization, which also conducted a protection racket operation in the municipality of Butig, clashes on several occasions with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the most significant of which began in May 2017 and culminated in the siege of Marawi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Davao City bombing</span> Terrorist attack in the Philippines

A bombing at the Roxas Night Market occurred in Davao City, Philippines, on September 2, 2016, causing at least 14 deaths and 70 injuries. On September 13, 2016, one of those injured, a pregnant woman, died, bringing the death toll up to 15.

On 29 July 2013, terrorists attacked on Dera Ismail Khan's central prison and freed more than 240 criminals including 35 high-profile terrorists. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility of attack.

This is a chronology of the Moro conflict, an ongoing armed conflict in the southern Philippines between jihadist groups such as the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Maute Group, Jemaah Islamiyah, and Islamic State affiliates, mainstream separatist groups such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and the Philippine Government since 1971. Much of the fighting has been concentrated on the island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, with spillover incidents and attacks occurring in the Philippine capital Manila and neighboring countries such as Malaysia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Rizal, Paulo (January 4, 2017). "Davao City jail wardens, police in full alert after Kidapawan jail attack". Davao Today. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Tabugoc, John Andrew (January 4, 2017). "Classes suspended in 5 public schools following North Cotabato provincial jail attack". Northbound Philippines News Online. Philippine News Agency. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Unson, John (January 4, 2017). "Armed men free 158 detainees from North Cotabato jail". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  4. "Armed men free more than 150 in Kidapawan jailbreak". Al Jazeera. January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Cupin, Bea (January 4, 2017). "Over 100 inmates escape in Kidapawan jail attack". Rappler. Retrieved January 4, 2017.