Following an attack by unidentified gunmen, at least 240 convicts have fled the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Kabba, Kogi State.

Mr Francis Enobore, spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), confirmed the event in a statement released on Monday, adding that the attack occurred about midnight on Sunday.

According to him, the assailants arrived at the detention center fully equipped and engaged the guards in a violent fire fight right away.

Kabba MSCC was established in 2008 with a capacity of 200.

As of the time of the invasion, 294 inmates were in custody out of which 224 were pre-trial detainees and 70 convicted inmates.

The latest jailbreak comes a few months after gunmen attacked the Nigerian Correctional Service and the police headquarters in Imo State, freeing 1,844 inmates, after which the hoodlums set the facilities ablaze.

The gunmen also razed the Imo State Police Command headquarters and burnt almost all the vehicles parked at the command’s headquarters. No fewer than 50 cars were set ablaze in the process.

A similar attack was carried out at the correctional centre in Ubiaja, Edo State; however, the jailbreak was foiled by officers at the facility.

The inmates, after breaking out from their cells, engaged the correctional officers in a fight, leaving some of the security personnel injured.

It took a combined effort by officers from the Nigerian Army, 4th brigade, and the Edo command of the Nigeria Police Force, to eventually overpower the inmates and return them to their cells.