More than 200 inmates escape from prison after heavy floods in Nigeria

At least 274 inmates have escaped from a prison in Nigeria’s Borno state after heavy flooding, the Nigerian Prisons Service said on Sunday.

“The floods caused the collapse of walls of correctional facilities, including the Maiduguri Medium Security Detention Centre (MSCC) as well as staff quarters in the city,” the service’s spokesman, Abubakar Umar, said in a statement.

Omar said that at least 281 prisoners managed to escape while being transferred to a “safe and secure facility”, and seven of them were later recaptured.

Omar said the service was aware of the fugitives’ identities, including their biometric data, and made that information “publicly available.”

He added that the search for the prisoners is still ongoing.

Weeks of flooding across Nigeria have killed 229 people and displaced more than 386,000, according to the latest data from the country’s disaster management agency, shared with CNN.

Data showed that northern Nigeria was the worst affected by the floods. Borno State is located in the north-east of the country.

Last month, the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) also announced to caution Water levels in the Niger River, one of the country’s largest rivers, have risen, prompting states to be on alert.

Heavy rainfall is expected to increase in frequency and intensity across almost all of Africa, including Nigeria, as the planet warms due to human-induced climate change. Expectations From the presentation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

On Wednesday, floodwaters from a dam in northern Nigeria swept away a zoo and Ruminants including crocodiles Snakes move to neighboring communities.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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