Kuje Medium Prison came under heavy bombing and gun attack by unknown terrorists on Tuesday night, July 5, manifestly to free jailed criminals.
The terrorists were said to have fired gunshots and threw high-capacity bombs in the area in order to achieve their aim.
Reports say a source from the prison stated that the State Security Service (SSS) had “earlier today (Tuesday)” warned of an impending attack on Kuje prison. The source, however, could not describe the level of measures put in place to forestall the attack.
The attackers reportedly came in from the back of the prison facility.
The prison facility is in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), lying outside the Abuja city centre, 47 kilometres to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, and 24 kilometres to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Dangerous criminals, including apprehended Boko Haram terrorists, are held in the prison, which also houses high profile public officers standing trial or already convicted.
“Three weeks ago, several high profile terrorists were relocated to Kuje prison,” the prison source said, the earliest link officials are analysing to trace the motivation for the attack.