MAIDUGIRI:How Over 200 Inmates, Boko Haram Commandants Escaped From Correctional Centre After Massive Flooding
No fewer than 200 inmates, including Boko Haram commandants have escaped from the correctional centre in Maiduguri after a heavy flood on Tuesday resulting from the collapse of the Alau Dam and heavy flooding that submerged the state capital
By:Israel Adeleke
Following a torrential rain, massive flood and the collapse of the Alau dam, which has been at full capacity for the past few weeks, over two hundred inmates at Maiduguri prison were reported to have escaped from the correctional centre after a portion of the facility’s perimeter fence was pulled down.
An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that after the incident, they were able to move 200 other inmates to a different facility.
The source said, “The rain was torrential and caused terrible flood which affected our facility.
“Part of the wall of the Maiduguri New Prison collapsed and some Boko Haram commanders held in our facility have escaped with other prisoners. Those who escaped are more than 200 in all.”
“We were able to move 200 other inmates to a different facility,” the officer added.
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News gathered that this development took place in stark contradiction to the Borno State government’s earlier assurances about the safety of the state in terms of flooding as the government claimed to have implemented comprehensive flood prevention measures.
Unfortunately, the state capital, Maiduguri took a turn for the worse on Tuesday, just four days after government officials claimed to have implemented comprehensive preventive measures.
OTN News gathered that the devastating flood that struck Maiduguri and its surrounding communities in the early hours of Tuesday leaving hundreds of residents stranded, poses a serious humanitarian crisis because reports have it that about 75 per cent of the land mass have been submerged by water.
OTN News further reports that palace of the Shehu of Borno, the State Secretariat, Customs Office, the State Specialist Hospital, UNIMAID, and Gwange areas have been submerged by floodwaters following the collapse of the Alau Dam in the Konduga local government area of Borno State.
The disaster has resulted in widespread destructions and displacements of people with wild animals displaced from their natural habitats by the floods.
What's Your Reaction?
