The downpour, which last several hours, wrecked parts of the
medium-security prison, including the perimeter wall and
surrounding buildings, spokesperson Adamu Duza said in a
statement on Thursday.
Service agents were hunting the fugitives and had so far
recaptured 10 of them with the help of other security agencies.
"We are in hot chase to recapture the rest," Duza said.
He assured the public the authorities were on top of the
situation.
"The public is further enjoined to look out for the fleeing
inmates and report any suspicious movement to the nearest
security agency," he said.
Duza gave no details on the identities or affiliation of the
escaped prisoners but in the past members of the Boko Haram
Islamist insurgent group have been locked up in Suleja prison.
Prison breaks have become a major security concern in Nigeria
where overcrowding, underfunding, and lax security measures have
created conditions ripe for escape.
Thousands of inmates have escaped in recent years due to weak
infrastructure and militant attacks, notably a July 2022 Islamic
State attack on a high-security prison in the capital Abuja
where around 440 inmates were freed.
"The Service is not unmindful of the fact that many of its
facilities were built during the colonial era, and that they are
old and weak," Duza said.
He added that the service is making "frantic efforts" to
modernize its prisons, including the construction of six
3,000-capacity facilities and the revamping of existing ones.
(Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Alison Williams and
Angus MacSwan)
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