Hundreds of Prisoners Escape Jail in Nigeria

Hundreds of prisoners escaped a prison in northern Nigeria on Tuesday. Authorities say 721 inmates were freed by an army of gunmen who attacked the prison.

“Before we got to the area, they succeeded in freeing 721 inmates,” said police spokesman Mohammed Barau. “They went there with sophisticated rifles, and they attacked the prison.”

Witnesses say the attack, which left one police officer dead and two prison officials wounded, lasted about an hour. Two bystanders were also wounded. Authorities believe the group of gunmen, who numbered around 200, are members of an Islamic sect called Boko Haram. The prison was holding 80 members of the sect.

Police captured 35 of the escaped prisoners. The prison is located in Bauchi.

Boko Haram is pushing for the Nigerian government to apply Islamic law, known as sharia, to the northern half of the country, which is predominantly Muslim.

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