Nigeria: 281 prisoners escaped from prison damaged after floods

The devastating floods that hit the north caused the wall collapse in one in Maiduguri. This resulted in 281 prisoners in this prison in Nigeria escaping, according to the authorities, while seven of the escaped prisoners were recaptured in security services operations, “The floods caused the collapse on prison facility walls,” said Umar Abubakar, a spokesman for Nigeria’s Correctional Services. Operations to capture the remaining fugitives are underway, he added. Maiduguri, the regional capital of Borno State, experienced early last week from the worst floods in the last 30 years. Thousands of houses were covered by the waters, after the Alau dam was broken, on the Nganda River, 20 km south of Maiduguri. At least 30 people were killed and 400,000 displaced by the floods.