All Boko Haram terrorists arrested and held in Kuje prison in Abuja escaped during the attack on the facility on Tuesday night.
Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi confirmed the escape of the dreaded group members while interacting with newsmen on Wednesday morning after a visit to the facility, Naija News understands.
This news platform had reported earlier that terrorists attacked the prison facility with bombs last night and freed many inmates.
Confirming the attack which has generated a barrage of reactions on and off the media, Magashi said: “The attack started around 10:30 pm. They came in their numbers gained entrance into the prison and released some of the inmates and we are now following to see the kind of inmates that they have released.
“Very soon, we will give you the correct figure of the inmates that were taken. Aside from that, we are trying to see what we can do to ensure that all escapees are returned back.”
According to him, about six hundred out of 994 inmates in the prison facility escaped last night.
Magashi said some of the inmates have been recaptured and brought back to the prison, hoping that more will be captured and returned soon.
“I think everything is under control. The people who came to do these activities from the records we believe they belong to a particular group. Most likely, they are Boko Haram members because we have a sizable number of Boko Haram suspects in detention, and presently we cannot locate any of them.
“I think they are about 64 in the prison and none of them now is available they have all escaped,” Daily Trust quoted the minister as saying.