The Police Command in Sokoto State on Wednesday confirmed that two persons died and one other hospitalised, following a confrontation between hoodlums and Prison Service officials in Sokoto.
The Spokesperson of the command, ASP Cordelia Nwewe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto that some miscreants attacked a prison van while conveying awaiting trial inmates to court.
Nwewe said the hoodlums succeeded in stopping the vehicle on Sultan Abubakar road and attempted to set the inmates free.
She said two of the attackers lost their lives while one sustained injury in the ensuing fracas, and some weapons were recovered from the scene of the incident.
She said a Deputy Commissioner of Police had been detailed by the Commissioner of Police in the state to investigate the matter and that the command would provide details of the incident later.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) in Sokoto, Mr Umar Faruk, said the inmates had been successfully taken back to prison custody.
“The 18 awaiting trail inmates were successfully escorted back to safe custody in the prison and security beefed up in and around the facility,” Faruk said.
He said the Prison Command appreciated the continued support from sister security agencies in the state and assured the public of adequate safety in custody of all prisoners under the command. (NAN)
