Gunmen free 240 inmates from Nigerian prison

A prison authority spokesman says that heavily armed gunmen stormed a jail in Nigeria’s central Kogi state overnight, freeing scores of inmates.

It is unclear who the gunmen were but central and northwest Nigeria have been terrorized by criminal gangs for years.

“The medium Security Custodial Centre in Kabba, Kogi State, has been attacked by yet to be identified gunmen and 240 inmates forcefully released,” Nigeria’s correctional service spokesman Francis Enobore says in a statement.

At about 2245 GMT, he says, numerous attackers “engaged the armed guards in a fierce gun battle.”

The gunmen invaded the prison, which had 294 prisoners in custody at the time, including 224 pre-trial detainees.

Investigations are under way to find the escapees, he adds.