Armed men stormed a Nigerian prison on Monday and released several prisoners before setting the prison on fire, Nigerian police said.
The gunmen also destroyed the headquarters of the state police in Owerri, the state capital, and burned down nearly 50 vehicles parked at the headquarters, a witness told Anadolu Agency.
The Nigerian penitentiary, a government agency in Nigeria that operates prisons, confirmed the attack but refused to provide figures for accidents.
James Madugba, a spokesman for the prison department, told reporters that authorities were still trying to get accurate information about prisoners who fled and the level of devastation caused.
“There was an attack on the Nigerian Correctional Center very early this morning around 02:15 (1:15 GMT) and some of the vehicles were burned. The fire service came to limit the fire. We have not yet confirmed exactly what happened,” he said.
He confirmed a firefight between police and armed men and said details would be released soon.
No group has so far taken responsibility for the attack.
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