President Muhammadu Buhari is expecting a “comprehensive report” from security agencies, hours after terrorists stormed the Kuje prison facility in the nation’s capital city of Abuja, fired their way through and set close to a thousand inmates free.
Latest reports say four prison guards were shot dead by the terrorists who deployed explosives to blow apart prison gates and walls.
There are also reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) had warned prison authorities of an imminent attack at a medium detention facility that houses ministers, politically exposed persons, former governors and ex-lawmakers.
In a tweet, President Buhari says he is “saddened by the attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje.”
The nation’s Commander-in-Chief adds that; “I am disappointed with the intelligence system. How can terrorists organise, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it? I am expecting a comprehensive report on this shocking incident.”
The incident occurred just hours after President Buhari’s advance team to his home state of Katsina, was ambushed and attacked by terrorists.
A retired Army General who ruled Nigeria with an iron fist in the early ’80s, Buhari has been unable to secure Africa’s most populous nation since he vowed to do so before the 2015 general elections. On his watch, insecurity has escalated, with terrorists, bandits and kidnappers enjoying a free rein.
Prison breaks have also become commonplace lately, with inmates set free after similar jail breaks in Oyo, Kogi, Edo and Osun.