Maiduguri flood: Escaped inmate, Abubakar Mohammed re-arrested

Abubakar Mohammed, a convict who escaped during the recent collapse of the Nigerian Correctional Service facility due to flooding in Maiduguri, has been re-arrested.

The Borno State Police Command confirmed his re-arrest in a statement issued on Tuesday.

IDOMA VOICE recalls that severe flooding that struck the state, leading to the submersion of many homes and structures, and causing wild animals to escape from a local livestock park. The flood also resulted in the collapse of the prison’s perimeter fence, allowing several inmates to flee.

Initially, prison officials denied any escapes, but later revealed that 274 inmates were unaccounted for.

In the statement, Police Public Relations Officer for Borno, SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, announced that Abubakar Mohammed, 27, who was serving a sentence for culpable homicide, had been recaptured.

“On September 15, 2024, around 3:00 PM, a resident of Bulakara Ward in Gubio LGA reported seeing Abubakar in Gubio town. Following his escape from the Medium Security Custodial Center in Maiduguri due to the flood-caused collapse of the prison fence, a police patrol team responded swiftly and apprehended him,” Wakil said.

“Abubakar will be handed over to the Nigerian Correctional Service. We are also continuing efforts to locate any other escaped convicts in the area,” he added.