Flooding from a dam collapse in Nigeria swept deadly zoo animals and more than 250 inmates into local communities in Maiduguri, Nigeria, last week.
“The floods brought down the walls of the correctional facilities including the Medium Security Custodial Centre, as well as the staff quarters in the city,” Umar Abubakar, spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Services, revealed in a September 15 statement to CNN.
The flood-assisted escape occurred while the prisoners were being transferred to a “safe and secure facility,” Abubakar said.
Officers have since recaptured 7 of the escapees, though 274 remain at large. Among those who escaped are members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Borno state Governor Babagana Zulum told the BBC.
Abubakar said the search remains ongoing and confirmed that officers are aware of the missing prisoners’ identities and biometrics.
Per the BBC, Abubakar also said that photos of the missing men have been circulated. He urged people to remain calm and insisted that the prison break didn’t affect public safety.
As for the other escapees, officials told CNN earlier this month that flood waters killed “more than 80 percent” of wildlife at a state-run zoo and washed deadly reptiles and other areas into Borno.
“I believe the zoo managers are not resting,” NEMA spokesperson Manzo Ezekiel told the outlet. “They will be doing their best to recover some of the animals that they can recover because the animals going out there will pose danger to the people.”
The floods were the worst Borno has experienced in two decades, Reuters reported. More than one million people have been impacted by the waters and at least 30 have died.
Ezekiel noted that the “very intense” flood was “beyond what was forecasted,” adding, “We didn’t envisage this volume of water rushing into the town.”
Governor Zulum agreed, telling the BBC that the damage from the flood is “beyond human imagination.”
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The post Flooding in Nigeria Destroys Prison, Frees Boko Haram Militants appeared first on VICE.
