OKIGWE, Nigeria Seven inmates escaped and one police inspector was killed during an assault on the Okigwe Correctional Centre in Imo State, Nigeria, on Monday, according to police authorities.
The attack, suspected to be orchestrated by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), occurred in the early hours, as disclosed by police spokesperson Henry Okoye in a statement on Monday.
Okoye revealed that the assailants stormed the facility, located in the Umualomoke farm settlement of Okigwe Local Government Area, freeing the inmates and fatally injuring an inspector on duty. Additionally, a police operative was abducted during the attack.
In a further act of violence, the hoodlums targeted the residence of Nigerian Senator Patrick Ndubeze within the Okigwe area, according to Okoye.
Danjuma Aboki, the state commissioner of police, visited the scene and announced the deployment of a police special tactical squad, military personnel, and other security agencies to track down the alleged IPOB members responsible for the assault.
Aboki emphasized the need to rescue the abducted operative unharmed and recapture the fleeing inmates, urging residents to provide “useful information” to aid in the apprehension of the attackers.
The incident marks the second prison break in Imo State within three years, following the assault on the Owerri Correctional Centre in April 2021, during which over 1,800 inmates were freed.
