Daniel Otera
The Medium Security Custodial Centre in Keffi, Nasarawa State on Tuesday, became the epicentre of a significant security breach when 16 inmates escaped after overpowering personnel on duty. This incident, which left five officers injured and two in critical condition, has reignited concerns about the state of Nigeria’s correctional facilities.
With seven of the escapees recaptured, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) is under scrutiny as it grapples with systemic challenges that have long plagued the nation’s prison system.
According to the Nigerian Correctional Service, the escape occurred in the early hours of 12 August 2025, when inmates breached the security of the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Keffi.
The NCoS spokesperson, Umar Abubakar, confirmed that the inmates attacked personnel on duty, enabling 16 of them to flee.
“Some inmates breached the security of the facility and attacked personnel on duty to compromise the situation, enabling 16 inmates to escape custody,” Abubakar stated in an official release. Five officers sustained injuries, with two requiring urgent medical attention at a government hospital. By the end of the day, seven of the escapees had been recaptured, leaving nine still at large.
The Controller General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, visited the facility shortly after the incident and ordered a comprehensive investigation.
“No staff will be spared if found culpable,” Nwakuche declared, emphasising accountability. He also directed a coordinated manhunt involving other security agencies to apprehend the remaining fugitives.
The NCoS urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities, assuring Nigerians of its commitment to public
Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the number of escapees. While the NCoS confirmed 16 inmates escaped, some sources, including SaharaReporters and Naija News, reported 14 escapees, citing prison sources.
The Keffi jailbreak is not an isolated incident. On 15 August 2019, the same facility witnessed a disturbance when approximately 50 inmates reportedly attempted a mass breakout, citing inadequate food and poor medical care. The then-Controller of the Nasarawa State Command, Emmanuel Okoro, downplayed the event, attributing it to inmates’ frustration over a ban on smoking cigarettes, a claim that raised questions about the facility’s management and transparency. The 2025 escape, occurring nearly six years later, suggests that underlying issues at Keffi have not been adequately addressed
The Keffi incident underscores broader systemic challenges in Nigeria’s correctional system. According to a 2023 report by the NCoS, Nigeria’s custodial centres housed 76,081 inmates against a combined capacity of 50,000, resulting in an overcrowding rate of 52%.
The Medium Security Custodial Centre in Keffi, designed to hold 340 inmates, was reported to house 750 inmates as of 2024, an overcrowding rate of over 120%. Overcrowding exacerbates security risks, strains infrastructure, and compromises the welfare of both inmates and staff.
Data from the World Prison Brief indicates that Nigeria’s prison population has grown by 14% between 2018 and 2023, driven by high rates of pre-trial detention. Approximately 68% of inmates in Nigerian prisons are awaiting trial, a figure that ranks among the highest globally. This backlog contributes to unrest, as inmates languish for years without conviction, often in poor conditions. A 2022 report by Human Rights Watch noted that inadequate funding, outdated infrastructure, and insufficient staffing are persistent barriers to effective prison management in Nigeria.
The Keffi facility’s vulnerabilities were evident in the 2025 jailbreak. Eyewitnesses reported that inmates exploited a weak section of the prison wall to escape, a claim corroborated by Nasarawa State Controller of Corrections, Haruna Isa.
“They broke through a section of the facility and fled before our officers could contain the situation,” Isa told journalists. This points to infrastructural deficiencies, a common issue across Nigeria’s 244 custodial centres, many of which were built decades ago and lack modern security features.
Historical data on jailbreaks in Nigeria paints a worrying picture. A 2021 report by the NCoS documented 12 jailbreaks between 2015 and 2020, resulting in over 5,000 escapes. Only 40% of escapees were recaptured, highlighting the difficulty of manhunts in Nigeria’s complex terrain. The Keffi jailbreak’s recapture rate of 43.75% (7 out of 16) aligns with this trend, underscoring the need for improved coordination among security agencies.
Human rights advocates have seized on the Keffi incident to renew calls for prison reform. Overcrowding, poor infrastructure, and inadequate funding are frequently cited as root causes of jailbreaks.
“The state of our prisons is a ticking time bomb,” said Chidi Odinkalu, a prominent human rights lawyer, in a 2023 interview with Channels Television. “Without significant investment in infrastructure and personnel, we will continue to see these breaches.”
Odinkalu’s sentiments echo findings from a 2022 Amnesty International report, which called for increased budgetary allocation to the NCoS and expedited judicial processes to reduce pre-trial detention.
Efforts to decongest prisons have shown some progress. In 2024, the Federal Capital Territory Chief Judge, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, facilitated the release of 30 awaiting-trial inmates from Keffi’s custodial centres, in collaboration with the Public and Private Development Centre. Similarly, the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria secured the release of 36 inmates in Nasarawa State, aiming to alleviate overcrowding. Despite these initiatives, systemic challenges persist, as the Keffi jailbreak demonstrates.
Beyond the immediate security concerns, the Keffi jailbreak highlights the human cost of Nigeria’s prison crisis. The five injured officers, two of whom remain in critical condition, are a stark reminder of the risks faced by correctional staff. Poor staff welfare remains a persistent challenge within the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS). In January 2024, PRNigeria reported that an NCoS officer, speaking anonymously, described staff welfare as “nothing to write home about,” linking it to rising corruption and contraband smuggling in facilities.
Inmates, meanwhile, continue to endure harsh conditions. A February 2024 inspection by the Independent Investigative Panel chaired by Dr. Uju Agomoh revealed severe underfeeding, with meals falling below the Service’s approved standards, contributing to inmate deaths. ThisDay Live and BusinessDay have also documented chronic overcrowding, poor sanitation, and the fact that a large proportion of inmates are still awaiting trial conditions that fuel unrest and desperation behind bars.
The incident also raises questions about accountability. Nwakuche’s promise to investigate and punish complicit staff is a step in the right direction, but previous jailbreaks have rarely resulted in transparent outcomes. A 2020 report by the Centre for Democracy and Development noted that internal investigations into prison breaches often lack public disclosure, eroding trust in the system.
The escape of 16 inmates from Keffi’s Medium Security Custodial Centre is a symptom of deeper systemic failures in Nigeria’s correctional system. Overcrowding, dilapidated infrastructure, and inadequate staffing create a volatile environment ripe for breaches.
While the NCoS’s swift response in recapturing seven inmates and launching a manhunt is commendable, it does not address the root causes. Comprehensive reform encompassing increased funding, judicial efficiency, and modern security measures is urgently needed to prevent future incidents and ensure public safety.