They blamed the assault on Islamic extremist rebels.
No less than 443 of the 879 escapees are nonetheless lacking, Umar Abubakar, a spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service mentioned.
Almost 900 inmates escaped in a jail break in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital metropolis, officers mentioned.
A whole lot of others have both been recaptured or turned themselves in at police stations.
Officers will “observe all fleeing inmates and return them to custody”, mentioned Mr Abubakar.
The “very decided” rebels attacked the Kuje most jail in Abuja on Tuesday evening with “very high-grade explosives”, killing one guard on obligation, in accordance with Shuaib Belgore, everlasting secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Inside.
Explosions and gunfire have been heard at about 10pm within the Kuje space when the attackers arrived and compelled their method into the jail by a gap blasted in a wall.
The Islamic extremist rebels who attacked the jail have waged an insurgency within the nation’s north-east for over a decade.
Their assault on the detention facility freed a lot of their members who’re inmates, jail officers mentioned.
“We perceive they’re Boko Haram. They got here particularly for his or her co-conspirators,” mentioned Mr Belgore.
The Kuje most safety jail had almost 1,000 inmates, together with 64 suspects of the Boko Haram extremist group, all of whom have escaped, mentioned Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi, Nigeria’s minister of defence.
He advised reporters safety officers on the bottom did “their finest” to forestall the jail break.
“We are attempting to see what we are able to do to make sure that all escapees are introduced again,” he mentioned.
As of Wednesday morning, bullet shells lay scattered across the jail premises, whereas helicopters hovered over the Kuje space as safety brokers combed close by bushes looking for escapees.
A variety of automobiles have been razed throughout the late-night shootout.
