The Federal Government has said that about 600 inmates escaped from the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja following an attack on the prison by suspected terrorists on Tuesday night.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mr Shuaibu Belgore, made the disclosure while speaking to newsmen during a visit to the facility on Wednesday morning.

Belgore said over 300 of the inmates have been retrieved, adding that more are still at large.

He added that one operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was killed, while three others were injured in the attack.

The Permanent Secretary further stated that the correctional centre houses 994 inmates, noting that the attack was carried out by Boko Haram terrorists.

Belgore said: “There have been several attacks on our facilities most of them are being repelled, but every now and then, there is one that they have succeeded. In this is one they came very determined with high explosives.

“The initial entry attempt was unsuccessful, then they attacked another section of the wall with higher-grade explosives which brought the wall down.

READ ALSO: Gunmen attack Kuje prison in Abuja

“The forces on the ground did everything they could to repel them but the number they came with was high which they were not able to defend against.

“They kept on fighting gallantly unfortunately the breach happened. Reinforcement came when they were halfway through it. They were eventually repelled.

“At the time they came in they killed one NSCDC operative while trying to save the situation. We understand they are Boko Haram terrorists and came specifically came for their conspirators.

“Many of them have returned, some were retrieved from the bushes they were hiding, right now we have retrieved about 300 out of about 600 that got out of the jail,” he stated.

The attack on the correctional centre was earlier confirmed via a statement issued by the Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Abubakar Umar, on Wednesday.

Umar confirmed that the facility was attacked at about 10pm on Tuesday.

The Star