THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Suspected Islamist gunmen bombed their way into a prison in central Nigeria before opening fire on the wardens and emptying the jail of its 200 inmates, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.
The attack in the central Kogi state left one warden dead and while there was no official confirmation of the raiders' identity, local residents suspected the Boko Haram Islamist sect which has been wreaking havoc in Nigeria.
"There was a jail break last night. From reports available to us, a large number of gunmen attacked the Koton Karfe prison around 7:00pm and threw explosives at the gate and opened fire on our wardens," said prison spokeswoman Hadiza Aminu.
She said a shoot-out then erupted.
"One of our men was killed and the gunmen overpowered the wardens and broke into the cells, freeing inmates – 199 inmates all awaiting trial escaped, leaving only one inmate," Aminu told AFP.
She refused to speculate on the identity of the attackers.
"We still don't know who was behind this attack. Investigations have commenced to determine that."
But a resident Isiaka Yakub said: "From all indications, the attackers were members of Boko Haram," adding that there were around 20 of them. Continue reading and comment » | AFP | Thursday, February 16, 2012
