The Koton Karfe custodial centre in Kogi has collapsed due to heavy flooding, leading to the escape of 228 inmates, the News Agency of Nigeria.
Comptroller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Jafar Ahmed, who confirmed this while speaking with journalists in Koton Kafe on Monday said that the flood came at about 3 a.m., submerging the perimeter fence and the walls of two cells. He said that there were 228 inmates at the centre as at the time of the incident.
Ahmed said that the prison was not habitable at present but that the re-arrested inmates were being transferred to other prison facilities in the state.
He said that details of the incident will be made public later.
Security Adviser to the state governor, Jerry Omadara, confirmed that over 100 of the inmates had been re-arrested.
According to him, some of the inmates returned on their own, some reported themselves at nearby police stations while a combined team of policemen, army, navy and civil defence corps arrested others.
Omodara said that the state government was informed of the incident at about 4 a.m., adding that Governor Yahaya Bello immediately directed the head of security agencies in the state to deploy their personnel to the scene. He said that security agents were still combing the bush to re-arrest some of the fleeing inmates, saying that the flood was not making it easy for them to escape.
Meanwhile, Kwara State government says it will take decisive steps to curb the menace of flooding in the state.
State Deputy Governor, Kayode Alabi, disclosed this on Monday while answering questions from newsmen during an unscheduled visit to sites affected by flooding in Ilorin.
Alabi said that Asa River would be dredged and channelized as part of efforts to find lasting solutions to the perennial flooding affecting the state.
The deputy governor also called on the people to stop dumping refuse on the drains.
He said that the bad habit of dumping refuse on the waterways had caused hardship to the people living along the river bank.
Alabi directed the relevant ministries to clear the waterways to ensure free flow of water. He called on the people to embrace personal hygiene principles.