Though the Nigeria Correction Service’s spokesperson, Umar Abubakar, said one Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps officer and four inmates died during the incident, a source told SaharaReporters that 10 inmates were killed during the incident.
Another source also dismissed the claim by the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, that 64 Boko Haram members escaped, adding that over 201 members of the group were currently unaccounted for.
“A total of 879 inmates escaped from the facility during the unfortunate attack. As of the time of this report, 443 have been recaptured, 551 inmates are currently in custody, 443 inmates are still at large, 4 inmates are dead and 16 inmates sustained various degrees of injuries and are being treated at the moment. However, efforts are ongoing to recapture all fleeing inmates,” NCS spokesperson had said.
“The Service will deploy its Corrections Information Management System in synergy with National Identity Management Commission to track all fleeing inmates and return them to custody.”
The President who visited the scene of the attack is expected to depart for Dakar, Senegal, later today.
He has been junketing across the world in the last few months without providing solutions to the insecurity ravaging all parts of the country.
Terrorists had in the last 24 hours attacked his convoy in Katsina.
Also, two police officers were killed in the same Katsina, his home state, where the attack on the president’s convoy took place.
A senior police officer was also killed in a separate state.
The killing of the police officers adds to the over 40 security personnel killed by non-state actors last week in the country.