In the early hours of Tuesday, 12 August 2025, sixteen inmates escaped from the Medium-Security Custodial Centre in Keffi, Nasarawa State, following a violent breach of the facility’s security.
Some detainees reportedly “breached the security of the facility and attacked personnel on duty to compromise the situation, enabling 16 inmates to escape custody.”
A statement by NCoS spokesperson Umar Abubakar disclosed that five officers sustained varying degrees of injury during the chaos, two of whom remain in critical condition and are currently receiving urgent treatment at a government hospital.
Seven of the escapees have been recaptured and returned to custody. Efforts are ongoing to locate and apprehend the remaining nine fugitives, who are still at large.
Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, the Controller-General of Corrections, promptly visited the custodial centre following the incident.
He has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the breach, warning that “no staff will be spared if found culpable.”
He also directed an immediate, coordinated manhunt in collaboration with other security agencies.
The public has been urged to remain calm and vigilant, and to report any suspicious activity or sightings of escapees to the nearest security formation.
This latest incident reveals a growing pattern of dangerous and frequent jailbreaks across Nigeria.
A summary of recent major incidents includes:
- Suleja, Niger State (2024): Torrential rain caused structural damage to the facility, leading to the escape of 118 inmates; only a fraction were quickly recaptured.
- Kuje, FCT (July 2022): Militants from ISWAP and Ansaru attacked the custodial centre, freeing hundreds, including high-profile suspects.
- Owerri, Imo State (April 2021): Armed attackers using explosives freed over 1,800 inmates.
- Benin and Oko, Edo State (October 2020): During the #EndSARS protests, mobs stormed the prisons, liberating nearly 2,000 inmates.
Security analysts attribute this troubling trend to systemic shortcomings within Nigeria’s correctional infrastructure namely overcrowding, underfunding, insufficient surveillance systems, inadequate staff training, and delayed judicial processes.
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