A huge uproar has eruped in the Kuje prison holding as some of the warders have claimed that the terrorists who had laid a massive siege on the premises on Tuesday night had stolen over ₦82 million, $36,000 cash which had belonged to some of the inmates in the holding.
Some of the inmates involved who are being held at Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja are also threatening a deadly riot after the officials announced to them that their finances have been carted away.
The money had been kept with at least five prison officials, including those manning the commissary, for several months, officials said.
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“One prison guard told 13 inmates this afternoon that all the money they kept with him had been stolen,” an official said.
“He bluntly told them that the ₦26 million is no longer in his possession.”
The prison, about 43 kilometres southwest of downtown Abuja, was breached at about 10:00 p.m. by suspected insurgents.
While some detainees refused to take advantage of the jailbreak, all prisoners affiliated with Boko Haram escaped, according to defence minister Bashir Magashi.
At least 84 Boko Haram assets were believed held at Kuje prior to the attack, which lasted about three hours without any consequential intervention from security forces. About 600 inmates escaped in total, although officials said some had voluntarily returned. Actual roll-call statistics remained unclear as of Wednesday evening, nearly 24 hours after the attack.
President Muhammadu Buhari visited the facility for a few minutes on his way to the airport on a foreign trip to Senegal Wednesday afternoon, inspecting the damage while assuring correctional managers of support. As the president departed the scene, prisoners began shouting that they’d lost money during the raid, while some threatened violence should officials fail to return their cash.
“Yes, that is the problem we’re confronting now,” an official said when asked for corroboration Wednesday evening. “Some people lost money in naira while some lost in dollars.”
The official said the money belong to wealthy individuals inside the prison.
“It’s those big men that are more enraged because they kept millions with the warders,” the official said. “About N82 million was declared missing and four people are looking for $36,000.”
“We don’t know what the prison management will do about the matter because the money was not kept with the warders officially,” our source added. The officials spoke under anonymity because they did not receive permission to comment on internal prison disputes.