Olushola Omogbehin
The incessant incident of jailbreaks in the nation’s correctional facilities is far from over, especially with the latest report of about 16 inmates escaping from Keffi Prison.
This latest Jailbreak happened on Tuesday at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
Umar Abubakar who is the spokesperson of the Nigerian Correctional Service, said the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday after a breach of the facility’s security.
The inmates According to him overpowered the personnel on duty during the breakout.
The statement read:
“The Nigerian Correctional Service wishes to inform the general public of an incident that occurred in the early hours of today, 12th August 2025, at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Keffi, Nasarawa State.
“Some inmates breached the security of the facility and attacked personnel on duty to compromise the situation, enabling 16 inmates to escape custody.
“In the course of containing the situation, five personnel of the Custodial Centre sustained varying degrees of injury, with two currently serious and receiving urgent medical attention at a government health facility. Seven of the fleeing inmates have been recaptured and are now in custody.”
According to him, the Controller General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, has visited the facility after the incident and has ordered an all-inclusive investigation into the escape.
DAILY POST recalls that last year, almost 120 people escaped after torrential rains brought down buildings and a perimeter wall in Suleja prison, near Abuja.
Similarly in July 2022, at least 600 prisoners, some suspected Islamic State and Boko Haram jihadists, escaped after an attack on Kuje prison, also near Abuja.
Again in April 2021, more than 1,800 prisoners escaped after gunmen attacked a prison in Imo State in southeastern Nigeria.
In the same vein, over 800 others escaped in another jailbreak in southwestern Oyo State in July of the same year.
LEADERSHIP also reports that this marks the third jailbreak recorded in 2025.
The first happened on 24 March at the Koton Karfe Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kogi State, where 12 inmates escaped by tampering with padlocks.
Only six of them were recaptured, while one brave officer lost his life in the chaos. That two prisons have already been breached within the first eight months of the year is no longer shocking—it is now an expectation.
Recall that in May, another bizarre but revealing incident unfolded in Osun State. Torrential rainfall compromised the perimeter fence at the Ilesa Custodial Centre, enabling seven inmates to slip away under the cover of weather and poor infrastructure.
