The Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP), a well-known terrorist group, has openly claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s massive attack on the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja which had left several security officials dead and a massive prison break.
In a video which had been shared by the terrorist group, ISWAP on Wednesday, numerous inmates had been seen fleeing the prison while the terrorists chanted ‘Allahu Akbar’.
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ISWAP is a breakaway faction of the Boko Haram sect that has terrorised the North-east region of Nigeria for over a decade. Africa, particularly the Lake chad region which the North-eastern part of Nigeria is part of, also battles ISWAP terrorists who are believed to be affiliated with ISIS.
Africa Daily News, New York reported how hundreds of inmates were freed by the attackers. An official has also revealed that four inmates and a security official were killed during the attack. About 443 inmates are still at large while another 443 have been recaptured, a spokesperson said. About 64 of the inmates still at large are members of the terror group, Boko Haram.
The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has also revealed that it does not have an intelligence report that the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja could be attacked by terrorists. The NCoS stated that it only gathered intelligence about the custodial centre in Bauchi and one other place.
Speaking on TVC News’ Your View on Thursday, the NCoS spokesman, Umar Abubakar, maintained that the service has all its correctional centres; saying, however, that the attackers adopted what he called the principle of surprise.
He said: “We didn’t have intelligence about Kuje Correctional Centre. The intelligence we had was about Bauchi and another. We will only appeal to the communities where these facilities are located to assist us with intelligence. It also has to do with the synergy among the various security agencies.
“All our facilities are fortified. What I want to tell you is that what they adopted is the principle of surprise. They came in with IEDs to our facilities and when they came in, the armed men on ground engaged them in a fierce battle.
“They shared themselves into three. There was an attempt to gain entrance through the main gate of the facility but they could not. Because of the fierce battle from the armed men on ground. The third group now used IEDs by the wall. They brought down the wall and got access to the facility.”
On the fatalities recorded during the jailbreak, Umar disclosed that an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) lost his life in the Tuesday attack, while some men of the NCoS sustained gunshot injuries.
He explained further that three of the terrorists were shot dead as some escaped with bullet wounds
“On the side of the security personnel on duty, we lost one civil defense officer, while some of our men sustained gunshot wounds; they are currently being treated in one of the hospitals.
“Then, on the side of the terrorists, three were gunned down and some escaped with gunshots wounds and we have made an appeal to hospitals and clinics that if there is anybody who come to the hospital or clinic with gunshot wound, such person is a criminal and such person should be reported to the nearest police station or they can get across to us,” he said.
