Twelve prisoners vanished from a correctional facility in central Nigeria during an early morning escape on Monday.
Kogi State authorities are pointing towards “internal compromise and collaboration” as the likely cause.
This latest incident underscores the persistent challenges plaguing Nigeria’s correctional system.
Information Commissioner Femi Fanwo expressed deep concern over the unusual nature of the breakout.
He noted the inmates reportedly fled through the tower without inflicting structural damage.
Fanwo emphasized the urgent need for a comprehensive investigation into the suspicious circumstances.
Authorities confirmed that one of the twelve escaped individuals has already been successfully apprehended.
Nigeria’s prisons grapple with severe overcrowding, operating at 147 percent capacity according to United Nations data.
Deteriorating infrastructure further exacerbates the vulnerability of these facilities to security breaches.
The UN attributes the high incarceration rates partly to the excessive use of pre-trial detention.
Many inmates endure lengthy periods awaiting their trials. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has now ordered a thorough probe into the Kogi state jailbreak.
This escape is the most recent in a series of prison breaks across the West African nation.
Earlier this month, the government announced the pardoning of approximately 4,000 prisoners in 2024.
This measure aimed to alleviate the chronic congestion within the prison system and reduce governmental expenditures.