Jos prison attack: Nine inmates, one gunman, officer shot dead, 262 inmates escaped

Nine inmates, an operative and one of the gunmen trapped in the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Jos, Plateau State, after the invasion of the facility, were killed in the gun duel on Sunday.

The attackers, who stormed the facility around 5.20pm, engaged the Nigerian Correctional Service armed squad personnel in a gun battle before breaking into the yard.

Giving an update in a statement on Monday, titled, ‘Jos Custodial Centre: Attacker, nine others shot dead,’ the NCoS spokesman, Francis Enobore, said 262 inmates escaped during the attack, adding that 10 had been recaptured.

He stated, “Sadly, one of the NCoS armed squad personnel paid the supreme price in the encounter while nine inmates lost their lives.

“Another staff member of the service was shot in the hand and six inmates were also injured in the attack.

“Meanwhile, some of the attackers and a total of 262 inmates escaped in the melee before reinforcement could come from sister services. However, 10 have so far been recaptured, leaving 252 at large.”

The statement added that the Controller-General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, “called for collaboration from patriotic individuals to apprehend the fleeing inmates as well as credible intelligence that could nip such ugly incidents in the bud.”

The Jos Medium Security Custodial Centre as of the time of attack had 1,060 inmates, comprising 560 pre-trial detainees and 500 convicts.

Meanwhile, the controller of the Jos Correctional Centre, Samuel Aguda, blamed suspected cattle rustler for the attack, saying the attackers came from the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.

He said, “The attackers were suspected cattle rustlers from Barkin Ladi; some of the inmates took part in attacking us because they gave them rifles from our armory. About 10 escapees were captured while two were brought back by their parents.”

In the same vein, six dead bodies have been recovered following the attack.

Our correspondent who visited the facility on Monday saw the dead bodies lying on the ground.

The facility on Monday turned into a tourist site as residents continued to besiege the prison.

Lalong praises security operatives

Also, the state governor, Simon Lalong, has condemned the attack.

In a statement on Monday by Lalong’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Macham Makut, the governor praised the quick reaction of other security agencies, who took “charge of the general area leading to entrapment of the assailants, as well as arrest of fleeing inmates.”

It added, “While describing the sad event as one too many in the nation’s correctional system, Lalong said it was high time a holistic approach is applied in bringing such attacks and jailbreaks to an end in order to guarantee the safety of inmates, correctional officers, and the larger society from criminals who choose to attack the very essence of Nigeria’s legal system by disrupting law and order.

“While directing an immediate boosting of security measures around all custodial facilities in the state, Lalong said the state government would work with the Federal Government to ensure that all correctional facilities in the state are protected from attacks.” Punch