Ekiti prison break
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ekiti prison break | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Ekiti State, southwestern Nigeria |
| Date | 30 November 2014 |
| Target | Ekiti federal prison |
Attack type | Prison break |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | 0 |
| Perpetrators | Unknown gunmen |
No. of participants | 60 |
| Defenders | 341 prisoners escaped |
The Ekiti prison break was an attack on the federal prison at Afao road, Ado Ekiti in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ekiti State by 60 unknown gunmen.[1] The attack occurred on 30 November 2014.[2] 341 prisoners escaped from the prison leaving 1 warder and 20 sniffer dogs dead.[3][4] The escaped prisoners were largely awaiting trial.[5] 10 inmates who attempted to escape were captured during the attack at gunfire exchange between the policemen and the gunmen.[6] 67 inmates were rearrested after the attack and 274 inmates escaped.[7] One inmate, who claimed to have run away when he heard gunshots, returned to the prison to serve out his short sentence.[8]
The incident was reported to have occurred on Sunday, 30 November 2014.[9] Kehinde Fadipe, the comptroller general of the Nigerian Prisons Services, refuted the claims that the unknown gunmen were members of the Boko Haram,[10] an Islamic sect in Northeastern Nigeria, on the basis of the fact that none of their members was awaiting trial in that prison.[11][12][13] On 1 December 2014, Ekiti State executive governor Ayodele Fayose accused prison officials of conspiring with the unknown gunmen to launch the attack.[14]