The reign of terror by hoodlums across the country continued unabated on Thursday with reports of attacks on the police personnel, which resulted in some deaths, and burning of many police stations across the nation.
In some states, inmates of custodial centres were set free by the hoodlums, while in others, the inmates attempted to flee from custody, but their efforts were thwarted by security agents.
Many public buildings were also sent on fire by hoodlums across the country.
Police, army storm Ikoyi prison over attempted jail break
Some inmates of the Ikoyi Custodial Centre in Lagos State, on Thursday, attempted to escape after setting a section of the facility on fire.
Personnel of the centre, in collaboration with other security agencies, were said to have foiled the attempt.
The Public Relations Officer, Nigerian Correctional Service, Lagos Command, Rotimi Oladokun, noted that the inmates wanted to take advantage of the ongoing #EndSARS protests and the curfew in the state.
“However, the inmates met stiff resistance by the personnel at the centre. The inmates, in their attempted jailbreak, set a section of the custodial centre ablaze. There was no breach of the custodial centre’s security perimeter, as the combined deployment of military and other security agencies ensured the safety of the inmates and the custodial centre,” he added.
However, hoodlums took over major parts of Lagos on Thursday, extorting money from motorists, commercial motorcycle riders and passers-by.
Many parts of the state were barricaded by the thugs, who carried cutlasses, knives and stones.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement, said the hoodlums burnt the Ikotun Police Station and damaged the Ojodu Police Station.
He said exhibits at the Ojodu station were also burnt by the gang.
Adejobi explained that the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Research and Planning, Leye Oyebade, and the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, moved round some volatile areas within the state to clear obstructions on major roads.
“The areas where the police chiefs cleared barricades from included Falomo roundabout, Sura-Adeniji and Ilubinrin end of the Third Mainland Bridge, Iyana Oworo and Gbagada end of the Ikorodu Road, Ojuelegba (Surulere) and Apongbon Bridge, on the Lagos Island,” he added.
Hoodlums attack Ondo custodial facility, free inmates
Hoodlums, on Thursday, broke into the National Correctional Centre in Okitipupa, headquarters of the Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, and released the inmates.
It was gathered that no fewer than 58 inmates were released during the attack, while a vehicle was set ablaze and several items were destroyed on the premises.
The Public Relations Officer, Ondo State Command, NCS, Ogundare Babatunde, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone.
According to him, the hoodlums numbered over 1,000 and stormed the correctional centre around 10.30am and overwhelmed the security men outside before gaining entry onto the premises and wreaked havoc.
He said, “When they first came, the security agents around appealed to them not to carry out the attack, so they went back, but they later reinforced, over 1,000 of them, overwhelmed the soldiers and the NSCDC officers, who were trying to stop them.
“They broke the wall of the place; they broke into four out of the six cells and burnt them down. They set ablaze the van on the premises and some of our machines were destroyed. They also forcefully released all the 58 inmates.”
Babatunde, however, noted that the command had been making efforts to recapture the inmates.
Warder killed in Delta attempted jail break
In a similar development, a warder at the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Warri, Delta State, has been confirmed dead during Thursday’s attempted jail break by the inmates.
Hoodlums had earlier in the day set the main gate and administrative office of the correctional centre on fire in an attempt to facilitate the jailbreak.
Sources said the inmates, who seemed to have been in communication with the outside world in an effort to escape, snatched a rifle from one of the warders and allegedly shot him dead, and set the administrative building on fire.
The swift response of the men of the 3 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Effurun, to the distress call from the centre after the warders had been overpowered by the inmates, reportedly prevented the attempted jailbreak.
Our correspondent gathered that trouble started when some hoodlums, who claimed to be #EndSARS protesters, made their way to the centre and made attempts to free the inmates.
Efforts by the inmates to effect the jailbreak were, however, foiled as soldiers, led by Col. S. Ahmed, arrived on time and repelled the attack.
The soldiers were seen patrolling the facility just as all the 107 inmates were safely contained by the troop as of the time of filing this report.
