Security agents have launched a manhunt for fleeing 575 inmates of the Oyo Medium Security Custodial Centre, Abolongo, Oyo State, freed by gunmen around 9.30pm on Friday.
About 262 inmates had been reportedly recaptured.
The heavily armed invaders were said to have engaged and overpowered the officers on duty, blew up the walls with dynamite and gained entrance into the custodial centre where they released the inmates.
They reportedly killed two security agents – an official of Amotekun Corps and a soldier – while others were injured.
Some residents of the area where the prison is located claimed that a Fulani warlord, Isikilu Wakili, arrested at Ayete, the headquarters of Ibarapa North Local Government Area early in the year and taken to the correctional centre, was freed by the hoodlums.
However, Sunday PUNCH could not ascertain whether Wakili, who was accused of kidnapping and destruction of farms, was still at the prison as of the time the jailbreak occurred.
The latest attack made it 13 jailbreaks across the country in five years.
Saturday PUNCH had in a September report chronicled jailbreaks which officials blamed on shortage of armed squad, weapons, poor security architecture in prisons, among others.
On September 12, gunmen attacked the medium Security Custodial Centre in Kabba, Kogi State was attacked around 10.45pm, freeing 240 inmates out of 294 prisoners in custody. The Service however claimed to have rearrested 114 escapees.
Amid the violence that erupted from #EndSARS protests, hoodlums on October 19, 2020 attacked Oko and Benin correctional centres in the state, freeing 1,993 inmates. As of october 25, 2020, just 207 inmates had been rearrested or turned themselves in.
Three days after the Edo attacks, hoodlums broke into the NCoS centre in the Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State. They freed about 58 inmates, burnt vehicles and injured some officials.
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