- * Abolongo prison gate in Oyo State was blown with dynamite by unknown gunmen
The gate of the Abolongo Correctional Center in Oyo State was blown by gunmen who attacked the facility, killing a soldier and freeing many inmates.
According to the Peoples Gazette, an operative of the state Amotekun was also killed and several others injured in the attack which occurred around 09:50 p.m. on Friday.
The newspaper said that the gunmen arrived with dynamites and successfully attacked the Abolongo medium custodial centre, leading to the escape of some inmates.
Some of the escaped inmates were captured, the Gazette quoted a source.
“Some group of men attacked the Abolongo prison last night, they came with dynamite, they blew our gate and had access to our custody in the successful attack,” he told The Gazette over the telephone.
“Already some inmates have been captured. we were unable to make any arrest of those that attacked us. We lost one soldier and one Amotekun and so many others were injured,” he added.
Olanrewaju Anjorin, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service, Oyo State Command, confirmed the Abolongo incident to The Gazette, stating that security agents were at the scene.
Anjorin, however, could not immediately confirm the figure of the escaped inmates from the Abolongo prison and the number of casualties, as senior officers were accessing the situation.
“The Oyo custodial centre in Abolongo was attacked around 09:50 p.m. by some gunmen. I’m right at the incident scene alongside the comptroller of Oyo State and other security agencies to ascertain the level of damage that was done here. We can’t confirm the full details of how it happened yet and those that escaped now as we are still carrying out our investigations,” he said over the telephone.
Also, when contacted, the Oyo commandant of Amotekun, Olayinka Olayanju confirmed the Abolongo incident but denied that any operative was killed.
“No Amotekun operative was killed, but our men are on the ground and are still conducting our investigation,” he said.