Hundreds of prisoners, including scores of terrorists, were on the run in Nigeria after suspected Islamist militants attacked a prison near the capital, Abuja.

Gunmen armed with explosives blasted into Kuje medium-security prison, on the outskirts of Abuja, at about 10pm on Tuesday, freeing nearly 900 of the prison’s 994 inmates, government officials said.

At least 443 of the 879 escapers were still missing late on Wednesday, said Umar Abubakar, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service.

One prison guard was killed in the attack and three others injured.

“They came in numbers, they gained entrance into the prison and they released some of the inmates,” Nigeria’s defence minister, Bashir Magashi, said at a press briefing near the prison on Wednesday morning.

Magashi speculated that the gunmen belonged to Boko Haram, but the attack was later claimed by Islamic State. He added: “The situation is under control.”

Later on Wednesday, the president, Muhammadu Buhari, visited the prison where senior officials showed him around the facility. He then tweeted that he was “saddened” by the attack and “disappointed” with Nigeria’s intelligence system.

“How can terrorists organise, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it?” Buhari asked.



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