Photo Credit: The Cable
A police source has revealed how several inmates escaped from custody of correctional officers in Maiduguri, Borno State, during an emergency evacuation exercise following severe flooding occasioned by collapse of the Alau Dam in the state.The Whistler can report
While the Nigerian Correctional Service made a veiled attempt to deny the incident on Tuesday, the police source who spoke anonymously said the floods caused structural damage to the facility, forcing authorities to transfer inmates to a the Maximum Security Prison, Maiduguri.
“They (correctional officers) were trying to move the inmates due to the compromised structure by the flash water flood. They were moving inmates from the facility they were to the maximum prison. In the process of doing that, some prisoners escaped. The situation felt apocalyptic, with everyone trying to survive. We are still awaiting an official report to determine the exact number of escapees,” the police source revealed
The massive flood was said to have also submerged parts of the city including the Emir’s palace, and a section of government house.
After the rising waters made it easy for inmates to flee, several reports described how security personnel, faced with the sudden chaos, fired shots into the air to regain control and prevent further escapes.
But contradicting reports of the inmates’ escape, an anonymous official of the Nigerian Correctional Service maintained that all inmates were safely evacuated.
“Nobody escaped. The inmates were simply moved after the fence collapsed due to the flood,” the official stated.
Amid this, a popular security analyst on X.com, Zagazola Makama (@ZagazOlaMakama), claimed that approximately 200 inmates remain unaccounted for after the incident.
“At least 200 inmates remain unaccounted for at the Maiduguri Correctional Center following severe flooding that ravaged the city, Zagazola can confirm. The authorities have initially attempted to cover up the story, but sources confirmed that it did happened,” he wrote.
It was further gathered that authorities are currently trying to assess the full scope of the situation.
Meanwhile, Mr Barkindo Mohammed, the Director General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), in the state said the situation in the flooded Maiduguri town is still terrible.
“Just now we went for a rescue and proceeded to distribute sandbags in Gozari. As I am talking to you now I am trapped; we came to rescue some people and we are now trapped with my staff,’’ he said
