The Sun News
By Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Three persons, comprising a soldier, an inmate and Amotekun Corps member lost their lives, while many others, including an Amotekun Corps member, were critically injured when gunmen invaded Medium Security Custodial Centre, Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), Abolongo, Oyo town in Oyo State around 10:00p.m. on Friday October 22.
The security personnel that died or injured, as gathered, were attached to the Correctional Centre to provide security. The soldier was attached to Operation Burst. A pick-up van, belonging to Operation Burst, which is a joint security network of Oyo State, was sighted at Abolongo riddled with bullets just as bloodstain was seen in the vehicle.
But the inmate that lost his life during the commotion reportedly tried scaled the fence of the centre, but could not make it as he landed on the ground on the other side of the fence.
The security personnel attached to the facility reportedly engaged the gunmen in a fierce duel with a view to repelling them for about 20 minutes, but the gunmen were said to have overpowered them and gained entry into the yard after using dynamite to blow open the wall.
The attackers, as gathered, used grenades and other explosives to gain access into the awaiting trial section of the facility before setting free many of the awaiting trial inmates. But the other sections of the facilities were said to have been left untouched.
Sunday Sun reliably gathered that a total of 837 inmates were freed by the gunmen that came in large numbers on motorcycles. But as at the time of filing this report, the authorities of the NCS disclosed that a total of 262 escapees had been recaptured, while 575 of them are still at large.
But some of the escaped inmates reportedly returned to the centre by themselves. One of them was said to have come back with bread and beans, saying: “I know that with what happened, there will not be good for us for some days. This is why I went out to get food so that I will not starve.”
When this reporter visited the attacked facility on Saturday, it was observed that observatory towers, residence of the head of custodial centre, and the iron door at the entrance of the main building of the centre were severely damaged with bullets and explosives.
But journalists were not allowed to enter the main custodial centre, where the inmates are being kept in different cells to assess the extent of damage done by the gunmen.
The Controller of Corrections, NCS…
