Today's Edition
LAGOS (AFP)
Twelve prisoners escaped in an early morning jailbreak in central Nigeria Monday, authorities said.
The escape is the latest in a country where old infrastructure and overcrowding are often faulted for such incidents, although Femi Fanwo, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, blamed the breakout on "internal compromise and collaboration."
"The circumstances surrounding the escape, including reports suggesting that the inmates fled through the tower without causing structural damage to the facility, raise serious concerns that necessitate a thorough investigation," Fanwo said in a statement.
One of the prisoners has been apprehended, he said.
With deteriorating infrastructure and an overpopulation rate of 147 percent, according to the United Nations, many prisons in the west African nation are vulnerable to escapes.
The UN blames excessive use of pre-trial detention for the overcrowding, with prisoners often waiting years before their trials are held.
Earlier this month, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said that some 4,000 prisoners were pardoned in 2024 to help ease congestion in the prisons and cut government spending.
On Monday, Tunji-Ojo ordered an investigation into the Kogi state jailbreak.
