Prison break frees 200 inmates in Nigeria

Abuja - Gunmen broke into a prison in the
central city of Minna, freeing around 200
inmates, a police spokesman and security
sources said.
The sources said the gunmen stormed the
facility late on Saturday in Niger state, near
Abuja. Islamist sect Boko Haram and al
Qaeda-linked group Ansaru have been behind
several prison raids in recent years, although
it was unclear whether they had anything to
do with this one.
The police spokesman for Niger state said the
breakout was still being investigated.
"It's unclear if this is Boko Haram or some
criminal gangs," one of the security sources
said. "I doubt there were many high profile
Boko Haram suspects being held in Minna."
In central Kogi state last month, gunmen used
explosives to blow their way into a prison in
the city of Lokoja, killing one person and
freeing 144 inmates.
Suleiman Muhammad, a resident of Minna
living near the prison, said he heard gunshots
but no explosions and saw the guards fleeing
shortly after the first assault.
Boko Haram has spread insecurity across north
and central Nigeria, setting off bombs,
attacking towns and killing thousands of
people.
The Council for Foreign Relations (CFR) this
week estimated that some 10,340 violent
deaths between November 2013 and
November 2014 were linked to Boko Haram-
related violence.
There are also criminal gangs made up largely
of Fulani cattle rustlers in central Nigeria that
have killed many hundreds over the past two
years.
- Reuters