Prison breaks in Nigeria

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A prison break is an unlawful act under Nigerian law, of a prisoner forcing their way out of a prison. [1] [2] 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. [3] 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. [4] Prison break in Nigeria may be attributed to corruption, [5] 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. [6] [7] [8]

Contents

Methods

Several methods can be used to facilitate prison break. [9] Physical method is the most common method adopted by the perpetrators of Nigeria prison break. [10] This method involved the use of arms and sometimes explosives such as dynamite to subdue the prison armed guard and other officials resulting in fatal casualties. [11]

Punishments

In Nigeria, prison break is a criminal offense that is punishable under the Law of Nigeria. [12] The punishment varies depending on the nature of the attack, casualties involved in the attack and the nature of the offenses for which the participant were imprisoned. [13] [14]

Reported cases

Prison breaks are a pervasive issue in Nigeria due to a lack of security and being a common target by militants. Prison breaks have resulted in the escape of over 7,000 prisoners from Nigerian prisons since 2010. [15] [16] [17]

Bauchi prison break

On 7 September 2010, a prison break was reported in Bauchi prison in the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi by 50 gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram. [18] This attack resulted in the escape of 721 prisoners, leaving 5 people dead with 6 injured persons. [19] [20]

Edo prison break (2012)

On 19 August 2012, a prison break was reported in Oko by unknown gunmen, it was reported that explosives were used in the attack however the police denied that claim, [21] no deaths were recorded, no fewer than 10 inmates escaped. [22]

Ogun prison break

On 4 January 2013, it was reported that Shagamu minimum prison in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ogun State were attacked resulting in the escape of 20 prisoners leaving several prison officials and other prisoners injured. [23] About 4 escapee were rearrested by the Armed Squad of the Prison Service. [24]

Ondo prison break

On 30 June 2013, it was reported that the Olokuta Medium Security Prison in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, Nigeria were attacked by 50 unknown gunmen suspected to be Armed robbers. [25] The prison break resulted in the escape of 175 prisoners leaving 2 people dead and 1 warder injured. [26] About 54 escapee were rearrested. [27] [28]

Lagos prison break

On 10 October 2014, an unsuccessful prison break at the Kirikiri Medium Prison in Lagos State, a southwestern Nigeria by some convicted inmates of the prison was reported. [29] This incident left 20 prisoner dead and 80 others injured and 12 escape. [30]

Kogi prison break

On 2 November 2014, another prison break was reported in Koto-Karffi Federal Medium Security Prisons in Kogi State, a north-central Nigeria by numbers of gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram. [31] This incident resulted in the escape of 144 prisoners from the prison leaving 1 inmate dead and 45 escaped prisoners were rearrested. [32] [33]

Ekiti prison break

On 30 November 2014, another attack on the federal prison at Ado Ekiti, a city of Ekiti State by 60 unknown gunmen was reported. [34] This attack resulted in the escape of 341 prisoners leaving one prison official dead. [35] About 10 prisoners were recaptured during the attack and 67 escapee was rearrested thereafter. [36]

Minna prison break

On 6 December 2014, about a week after the Ekiti prison break, Minna medium prison was attacked by 3 unknown gunmen suspected to be armed robbers. [37] This prison break resulted in the escape of 270 prisoners leaving 1 security officer injured with no death recorded. [38]

Kuje prison break

On 24 June 2016, there was a jailbreak at the Kuje Medium Security in the Federal Capital Territory where two high profile inmates in persons of Solomon Amodu and Maxwell Ajukwu both of them awaiting trial for homicide escaped from custody by scaling through the fence. The Kuje prison chief was removed after this jailbreak by the Controller General of the Nigerian Prison service. [39] [40]

On 29 August 2016, authorities of the Nigeria Prisons in the Federal Capital Territory reported another unsuccessful attempted jailbreak at the Kuje Medium Security Prison. Authorities said some inmates tried to resist the routine cell-search which is part of the operational guidelines which led to an altercation between the officers and the inmates. The situation was quickly put under control and order restored as no prisoner was injured or any property damaged in the facility. [41]

Edo prison break (2020)

On 19 October 2020, a group of people under the disguise of ENDSARs protesters, allegedly attacked the prisons in Benin City and Oko in Edo State freeing about 1,993 inmates in custody and looted the facility carting away weapons. The attackers came in large numbers with dangerous weapons and attacked the officers on guard duty and quickly forced the cells open and destroyed properties in the facility. [42]

Owerri prison break

On 5 April 2021, a group believed to be Eastern Security Network attacked Owerri Prison in Owerri, Imo State. ESN came into the prison heavily armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices. The militants used explosives to access the administrative block and released 1,844 inmates and also burnt down other police facilities within the vicinity of the prison. [43]

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Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, is an Islamist jihadist organization based in northeastern Nigeria, which is also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bauchi prison break</span> Prison break perpetrated by Boko Haram

The Bauchi Prison break was an attack on the federal prison in the North-Eastern Nigerian city of Bauchi, in which members of Boko Haram released 721 prisoners. The attack occurred on 7 September 2010, and was carried out by approximately 50 gunmen. Of the 721 prisoners who escaped, as many as 150 were affiliated with the terrorist group Boko Haram. The Bauchi prison break was part of a broader escalation of Boko Haram activity, that escalation served as retaliation for the death of one of the group's primary leaders. Following this, Boko Haram has staged multiple subsequent attacks on government and religious targets in Bauchi state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ansaru</span> Islamist militant organization in Nigeria

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The following lists events from 2014 in Nigeria.

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

The Ekiti prison break was an attack on the federal prison at Afao road, Ado Ekiti in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ekiti State by 60 unknown gunmen. The attack occurred on 30 November 2014. 341 prisoners escaped from the prison leaving 1 warder and 20 sniffer dogs dead. The escaped prisoners were largely awaiting trial. 10 inmates who attempted to escape were captured during the attack at gunfire exchange between the policemen and the gunmen. 67 inmates were rearrested after the attack and 274 inmates escaped. One inmate, who claimed to have run away when he heard gunshots, returned to the prison to serve out his short sentence.

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

The Minna prison break was an attack on Minna medium prison, Minna in the northwestern Nigerian city of Niger State by three unknown gunmen suspected to be armed robbers. The attack occurred on 6 December 2014. 270 prisoners escaped from the prison leaving a security officer injured. The escaped prisoners were largely gangs of armed robbers, awaiting trial. It was reported that one of the notorious armed robbers in the prison called Osama took part in the jail break.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lagos prison break</span>

The Lagos Prison Break occurred on October 10, 2014, when five persons escaped from the Kirikiri Medium Prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ondo prison break</span> 2013 prison break in Nigerian prison

The Ondo prison break was an attack on the Olokuta Medium Security Prison in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, Nigeria, by 50 unknown gunmen suspected to be armed robbers. The attack occurred on 30 June 2013. About 175 prisoners escaped from the prison leaving 2 people dead and 1 warder injured. The escaped prisoners were largely awaiting trial for robbery. About 54 escaped inmates were rearrested after the attack and about 121 inmates escaped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agodi prison break</span>

The Agodi prison break was an attack on the Agodi Minimum Security Prison in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, Nigeria by condemned criminals. It was reported that about eight inmates died in the attempt leaving eighteen others injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edo prison break</span> 2012 prison escape in Nigeria

The Edo prison break was an attack on the federal prison at Oko in Benin City, the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria by unknown gunmen suspected to be Armed robbers in a bid to rescue their members who are largely condemn inmates. About 12 prisoners escaped from the prison.

The Abuja DSS attack was a coordinated terrorist attack by the Islamic group Boko Haram on the Department of State Security, Abuja on 31 March 2014 in a bid to escape from detention. This resulted in the death of 21 insurgents who attempted to escape leaving 2 security personnel severely injured.

<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.

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.

Kabiru Umar Abubakar Dikko predominantly known by his sobriquet Kabiru Sokoto is a convicted Nigerian terrorist and a member of the Nigerian Boko Haram terrorist group, Boko Haram. He was born in Northern Nigeria which is predominantly occupied by the Hausa people and Fulani tribe. He was the mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of the St Theresa Roman Catholic church on 25 December 2011 in Madalla, Niger State which killed 37 Christians. Sokoto was arrested, fled custody the following day and was rearrested a month later. On 21 December 2013, Sokoto was sentenced to life imprisonment. During his trial, the presiding judge said that Sokoto had shown no remorse for his actions.

On July 5, 2022, the Islamic State launched a coordinated attack on Kuje prison, near the Nigerian capital of Abuja. The attack killed five people and freed 879 inmates, although almost half were recaptured in the following days.

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