www.xinhuanet.com
XINHUA online
CHINA VIEW
VIEW CHINA
 Breaking News At least 50 inmates escape in Nigerian jailbreak    2 foreign workers kidnapped in Nigeria rescued    At least 37 killed in 3 car bombs in Iraq    5 American soldiers killed in western Iraq    Turkey says possible not to start EU entry talks on time    Typhoon Damrey heavier than expected: official    
Home  
China  
World  
Business  
Technology  
Opinion  
Culture/Edu  
Sports  
Entertainment  
Life/Health  
Travel  
Weather  
RSS  
  About China
  Map
  History
  Constitution
  CPC & Other Parties
  State Organs
  Local Leadership
  White Papers
  Statistics
  Major Projects
  English Websites
  BizChina
- Conferences & Exhibitions
- Investment
- Bidding
- Enterprises
- Policy update
- Technological & Economic Development Zones
Online marketplace of Manufacturers & Wholesalers
   News Photos Voice People BizChina Feature About us   
At least 50 inmates escape in Nigerian jailbreak
www.chinaview.cn 2005-09-30 02:34:49

    LAGOS, Sept. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- At least 50 inmates escaped from a prison in southern Nigeria after some of them dismantled heavy security barriers and overpowered their jailers, police said Thursday.

    The jailbreak occurred Tuesday afternoon in the Auchi prison of Edo state as the inmates numbering 200 protested against alleged poor feeding and poor conditions.

    The act reportedly in a few minutes ran up to an uprising when they attacked prison officials with dangerous weapons and then threw open the prison gate for a massive jailbreak. No life was lost in the jailbreak.

    "It's true that we have a jailbreak. The police have already taken over the case. We have made a number of re-arrests, about 10 yesterday afternoon," Edo state police spokesman Peter Ogboi told Xinhua by phone.

    "We are equally working in conjunction with the prison service to identify those breaking from the Auchi prison," Ogboi said, adding "we are equally working with the communities and other interested groups around Auchi to ensure more were re-arrested."

    Almost all newspapers in Nigeria however put the number of the escapees at between 100 and 120. Ogboi said they were speculative numbers by the media but admitted that the prison authorities had actually not given them the accurate figures.

    Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has in the past few months witnessed a spate of jailbreaks.

    On June 17, more than 200 inmates escaped from two jails in the country's resistive oil-rich Niger Delta region. Several of them were shot dead as police opened fire to quell the riot.

    Last week, at least three inmates were killed in a prison riot in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos as some of the inmates refused to be transferred to other jails. Enditem

  Related Story
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.