25 inmates caught after Nigeria mass prison break

Feb 16, 2012, 16:17 GMT

Abuja - Twenty-five inmates, who escaped from a prison in central Nigeria, have been recaptured, prison officials told dpa Thursday.

Late Wednesday, 119 prisoners were released by gunmen who stormed the Koton Karfe prison in Kogi state, shooting dead a security guard.

Security officers launched a round-up operation in the area Thursday. Among those recaptured was a felon who was reportedly stealing from a nearby shop hours after breaking free.

The gunmen who stormed the prison claimed to have links to radical Islamist group Boko Haram, but this was denied Thursday by prison officials.

'Not every jailbreak is perpetrated by the sect. Criminals are now keying into the nation's security challenge to cause havoc,' said a prison officer, who asked to remain anonymous.

Witnesses said the gunmen shot randomly into the air to scare away guards. 'They opened fire on one of the security men at the entrance of the prison and killed him on the spot,' said witness Mariamu Bello.

Boko Haram has attacked prisons on several occasions to free its members, and also managed to help Kabiru Sokoto - the main suspect in a Christmas Day church bombing - escape police custody, although he has also since been rearrested.