A search is on for the scores of prisoners who fled after rain brought down a perimeter fence. The incident happened close to the Nigerian capital.

At least 118 prisoners were able to escape a medium security facility in Nigeria on Wednesday night after heavy rains destroyed a perimeter fence.

The torrential downpour lasted for hours and "wrecked havoc" on the Suleja prison and some nearby buildings close to the capital, Abuja, prison service spokesperson Adamu Duza said on Thursday.

Hunt for escapees

Some 10 inmates had already been recaptured and authorities would continue searching until all the prisoners were back in custody, Duza added.

"The public is further enjoined to look out for the fleeing inmates and report any suspicious movement to the nearest security agency," he said.

He blamed the escape on the "colonial era" prisons that he called "old and weak," adding that authorities were working to replace "all aging facilities."

Prison breaks are fairly frequent in Nigeria due to poor infrastructure and lax security measures for its overcrowded facilities. But these escapes are usually due to human intervention rather than acts of nature.

Thousands of inmates have escaped in recent years, with around 600 managing to break out in a single incident in July 2022 when the so-called "Islamic State" carried out an attack on a high-security prison in Abuja.

ab/sms (Reuters, AFP)