Suspected Islamist attack frees hundreds of prisoners in Nigeria

A burnt-out prison bus after the attack at Kuje prison, near Abuja. Photograph: Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters

Hundreds of prisoners, including scores of terrorists, were on the run in Nigeria after suspected Islamist militants attacked a prison near the capital, Abuja.

Gunmen armed with explosives blasted into Kuje medium-security prison, on the outskirts of Abuja, at about 10pm on Tuesday, freeing nearly 900 of the prison’s 994 inmates, government officials said.