Manhunt on for 1,800 inmates after brazen Nigeria prison attack

Assailants were heavily armed with assault weapons, rocket-propelled grenades, and improvised explosive devices.

Attackers armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades have launched a series of coordinated attacks in southeastern Nigeria, freeing more than 1,800 inmates from a prison. The attacks began at approximately 2am Monday in Owerri, a town in the state of Imo, and lasted for about two hours, according to local resident Uche Okafor. Gunmen also assaulted other police and military buildings, authorities said. “Efforts are in top gear to re-arrest the fleeing detainees,” said Nigeria prison spokesman Francis Enobore, adding that 35 other inmates stayed behind during the prison break.