30th March, 2014
An attempt by detained members of Nigeria’s terrorist group, the Boko Haram was foiled today at the headquarters of Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Security in Abuja.
“There was an attempted jail break by our inmates when the suspect handler went to feed them,” said spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar.
Ogar did not provide details on the number of inmates involved nor disclose why they were being held but said an official statement would be issued later.
The DSS headquarters in the capital Abuja is located near the presidential villa and nearby residents reported hearing gunfire on Sunday morning. Traffic was also diverted in the area.
A security source said the incident happened when inmates disarmed one of the guards, hitting him with their handcuffs before seizing his rifle and shooting him.
The condition of the guard was not immediately known.
“The sporadic gun shots heard after the incident were by the service personnel as a show of force,” the source added.
A number of Nigerian newspaper websites and users of social media claimed that the detainees were Boko Haram suspects but did not quote sources.
The DSS had on March 3 paraded seven suspected Boko Haram members arrested on suspicion of killing a prominent Muslim cleric who had criticised the group before the media at their headquarters.
The seven were held over the murder of Adam Albani in the northern city of Zaria on February 1.
But it was not known whether the men, including the alleged mastermind of the attack and one of the gunmen, were still at the facility.