At least 281 inmates have escaped prison after heavy rains caused the walls of the prison in Maiduguri, northeastern Nigeria, to collapse.
Umar Abubakar, the Nigeria Correctional Services spokesperson, confirmed that seven escaped prisoners have been recaptured in security operations.
He noted that the floods damaged the Medium Security Custodial Centre and affected staff quarters in the area. Efforts to track down the remaining escaped inmates are ongoing.
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Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, recently experienced one of its most destructive floods in decades. Heavy rainfall caused a local dam to overflow, leading to widespread devastation.
Among the damages was the destruction of a state-owned zoo, which resulted in crocodiles and snakes being swept into nearby communities.
According to Nigeria's emergency management agency, the flood has claimed at least 30 lives and affected over one million residents, with hundreds of thousands displaced and forced into relief camps.
