Seven out of the 281 inmates who escaped from the prison in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, have been caught again.
Reports say the escape happened because of bad flooding that damaged many places in Maiduguri and other parts of the state.
The Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed on Sunday that seven of the escaped inmates are now back in jail.
Their spokesman, Umar Abubakar, said the flood on Tuesday broke down the prison walls. This included the medium-security prison in Maiduguri and the staff housing nearby.
Abubakar said officers worked with other security teams to move the inmates to a safe place. After the move, they found out that 281 inmates were missing.
However, he said they have the details and fingerprints of the escaped inmates and are sharing this with the public to help find them.
Pictures of the escaped prisoners were shared on Sunday, too.
“We are working closely with other security teams. Both hidden and visible searches are going on to find the escaped inmates.
“So far, seven inmates have been caught and are back in jail. We are still working to find the rest,” the statement read.
“The public can rest easy knowing that this incident does not make the community less safe,” it added.
