The Islamic State in West Africa Province, ISWAP, has claimed responsibility for the attack on Kuje Prison in Abuja.
The daredevil terrorists on Tuesday night attacked the prison and released over 800 inmates, including high-profile Boko Haram suspects.
A short video released on Wednesday night by the Islamic State’s A’maq Agency shows chanting war incantations, firing shots, and setting vehicles on fire.
An expert on the crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, Tomasz Rolbecki, shared the video on his Twitter handle with the caption: “Fighters of Islamic State attacked Kuje prison in Abuja yesterday and succeeded in freeing dozens of prisoners.”
Speaking after inspecting the scene of the attack, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed disappointment with the intelligence system and its utilization.
He said: “I am disappointed with the intelligence system. How can terrorists organize, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it?”
The president, who, like most Nigerians was shocked by both the scale and audacity of the attack queried: “How did the defences at the prison fail to prevent the attack? How many inmates were in the facility? How many of them can you account for? How many personnel did you have on duty? How many of them were armed? Were there guards on the watchtower? What did they do? Does the CCTV work?”
The president, who was on his way to Senegal, was also informed that the security forces had recaptured 350 of the escapees while about 450 others are still unaccounted for, and that rapid work is underway to recapture the rest.