All the detained Boko Haram terrorists in Kuje Correctional facility have escaped from the centre, the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, said on Wednesday.
According to him, all the 64 members of the Boko Haram terrorists fled the facility following the invasion of the Centre in the early hours of Wednesday.
The Network gathered that terrorists stormed the facility with explosives and high caliber weapons while shooting sporadically from all the direction of the correctional centre located in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Magashi, while speaking to newsman in Abuja, said there are strong indications that terrorists invaded the facility to free their members being held in detention.
He said that the Federal Government is working hard to ensure that other fleeing inmates are recaptured and returned back in the facility.
“Most likely, they are Boko Haram because we have a sizeable number of Boko Harams that are in detention,” the minister said.
“Presently, we could not locate any of them. I think there are about 64 Boko Haram (members) in prison, they have all escaped.”
He further added that normalcy has returned to the place stressing that the situation is under control.
He said the correctional centre has an accommodation of 994 prison inmates and out of the figure, the government has been able to track down 600 inmates who have been recaptured.
Magashi stated that before the end of the day, many more inmates still hiding would be rearrested and sent back to the facility.
“We are trying to see what we can do to ensure that all the escapees are brought back to the prison yard. I think the prison is an accommodation for about 994 inmate escapees.
“We have 600 already inside now and many people are being captured and brought back to the prison. Maybe by the close of the day, more would have been captured. I think everything is under control.” Magashi added.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mr Shuaibu Belgore, earlier explained that over 300 of the inmates have been retrieved and more are on the way.
According to him, it was unclear how many of the gunmen were killed. He said that the government lost one official with three others injured.