Sixteen inmates escaped from a medium-security prison in Nasarawa State, northern Nigeria, on Tuesday after overpowering guards and breaching the facility, authorities confirmed. The incident at the Keffi Custodial Centre occurred in the early hours of August 12, 2025, according to an official statement by Umar Abubakar, spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service. Seven of the fleeing prisoners have since been recaptured, while nine remain at large.
During the escape attempt, five corrections officers sustained injuries, two of whom are in serious condition and receiving emergency care at a government hospital. Officials described the breach as a coordinated effort, with inmates attacking staff to create chaos. “The situation was swiftly contained, but the escape highlights vulnerabilities in our security protocols,” the statement read. Sylvester Nwakuche, Controller General of Corrections, visited the facility shortly after the incident and ordered a thorough investigation into the circumstances.
The jailbreak adds to a pattern of security failures at Nigerian detention centers in recent years. Last year, approximately 120 inmates fled the Suleja prison near Abuja after heavy rains collapsed parts of the structure. In July 2022, a brazen attack on Kuje prison—also near the capital—by suspected Islamist militants freed over 600 detainees, including individuals linked to extremist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State. Earlier in 2021, separate assaults on prisons in Imo and Oyo States resulted in the escape of more than 2,600 inmates combined, underscoring systemic challenges in facility management and emergency response.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the identities of the escaped inmates in Keffi or the charges they faced. The Nigerian Correctional Service has urged the public to report suspicious activity and assured citizens that efforts to locate the remaining fugitives are ongoing. With security concerns rising, the incident renews scrutiny on prison infrastructure and staffing adequacy in Africa’s most populous nation, where overcrowding and under-resourcing have long plagued the correctional system.
