Late on Tuesday night, there was a terrifying attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The assault which involved the use of explosives and guns, left many within the area perplexed and scared.
As at the early hours on Wednesday, it was still not clear what had transpired, however, the authorities and witnesses have been dishing out information regarding the attack which again has left many Nigerians questioning what really is going on in the country.
Having continued to diligently follow the breaking story and emerging new developments, we bring you seven major things which we have learnt so far.
1. Five killed
Speaking on the incident, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) said a total of five persons were killed in the course of the attack. Chief Superintendent of Corrections, Umar Abubakar, disclosed in a statement on Wednesday that three inmates died in the chaos while the gunmen killed a personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
2. 19 persons injured
As regards the number of those injured, Mr Abubakar said 16 inmates sustained various degree of injuries while, 3 NSCDC operatives also got seriously injured.
According to him, all are currently being treated.
3. Over 800 inmates escaped
Mr Abubakar also revealed that no less than 800 inmates escaped during the assault which saw vehicles burnt and parts of the facility destroyed.
He said a total of 879 inmates escaped from the facility, adding that “443 of the escapees have been recaptured while 551 inmates are currently in custody, and 443 inmates are still at large,” however, these figures do not seem to add up, especially in the light of the fact that the facility is said to have held only 994 inmates prior to the attack.
4. All 64 Boko Haram members in the facility, escaped
Following his own assessment of the incident, the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, disclosed that all 64 Boko Haram Terrorists who were in custody of the correctional centre, fled the facility.
5. DCP Abba Kyari and other VIPs are safe
Contrary to reports suggesting that DCP Abba Kyari had escaped during the attack, the NCoS said the embattled police officer and other VIPs are hail and hearty and remain in their custody.
6. Explosives were used in the assault
In its statement, the NCoS revealed that the attackers broke into the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje using explosive devices through the main entrance and the fence of the facility respectively, it was in this attempt that a security personnel was killed.
7. Boko Haram suspected to be the orchestrators
With the number of Boko Haram terrorists who escaped from the Kuje Prison during the attack on Tuesday night, the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, said there are strong indications that it was the terrorists that invaded the facility to free their members being held in detention.
As at the time of filing this report, the insurgents had not claimed the attack as theirs, however, authorities say a full scale search is ongoing to recapture all those who have escaped.
8. ISWAP Claims Responsibility For Kuje Prison Attack
The Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Abuja.
This was disclosed on Wednesday in a statement written in Arabic shared via A’maq Agency, a news channel run by the Islamic State.
“Islamic State fighters penetrated the prison of the Nigerian government yesterday (Tuesday), in Kuje city, on the outskirts of the capital, Abuja, after demolishing its walls, and successfully liberated dozens of prisoners,” a translation of the statement read.
Tuesday night appeared to be the appropriate time for armed non-state actors to strike in the nation’s capital as they invaded the correctional facility, freeing hundreds of inmates in the process.
While authorities linked the attack to terrorists, a total of 64 Boko Haram fighters held at the centre for their roles in the insurgency in the North East were unaccounted for following the incident.
Amid widespread criticism sparked by the incident, President Muhammadu Buhari visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
After being briefed on what transpired, the President expressed his disappointment with the intelligence at the facility with many questions, including how terrorists could attack a security installation and get away with it.
A researcher who analyses ISWAP activities in sub-Saharan Africa, Tomasz Rolbecki, also linked the attack on the correctional facility to the terrorist group.
“I wanted to believe it was not them (ISWAP), but here we are,” he said in a series of tweets while also quoting and sharing A’maq Agency’s video. “Watching the IS supporter groups right now, they are, as expected, absolutely ecstatic (sadly) and are using the same name as the campaign of prison breaks in Iraq in 2012-13 (the infamous “Breaking the Walls” campaign).
“There is one question to answer – how did ISWAP manage to do it? From previous claims, the cells that could’ve been responsible (I’m talking about the one in Suleja and the one in Kogi) seemed very small and unable to do something at such a scale.”
