Bauchi prison break

The Bauchi prison break was an attack on the federal prison in the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi, in which members of the Boko Haram militant sect released 721 prisoners.[1] The attack occurred on 7 September 2010, and was carried out by approximately 50 gunmen.[2] Of the 721 prisoners who escaped, as many as 150 were affiliated with Boko Haram.[1] The Bauchi prison break was part of a broader escalation of Boko Haram activity that served as retaliation for the death of one of the group's primary leaders.[3] Boko Haram has staged multiple subsequent attacks on government and religious targets in Bauchi state.[3][4]

Bauchi prison break
Part of Nigerian Sharia conflict
LocationBauchi State, northern Nigeria
Date7 September 2010
TargetBauchi prison
Attack type
Prison break
Deaths5
Injured6
PerpetratorsBoko Haram
No. of participants
50
Defenders721 prisoners escaped

Background

Nigeria is largely split between a Christian south and Muslim north, and tensions have built between the two groups. There has been sectarian violence since 1999.[5] The prisoners in Bauchi were largely awaiting trial for sectarian violence committed in the country in 2009.[6] The group which conducted the prison raid, Boko Haram, was involved in this sectarian violence.[7] The group opposes non-Islamic education in Nigeria.[7][6] The attack came on the same day that the 2011 presidential election was announced.[8]

Members of Boko Haram previously staged an attack on a police station in Bauchi state on 26 July 2009 in which 150 people were killed.[1] This was followed by a spurt of coordinated attacks across multiple states, including in neighboring Borno state.[9] During an aggressive government response, Boko Haram's leader Mohammed Yusuf was arrested on 30 July 2009.[1] He was killed extrajudicially by the police after interrogation, although some sources claim that he was killed while being taken into custody.[1][9] Officials both believed and announced that Yusuf's death would lead to the group's collapse, but it instead resulted in increased recruitment and expansion, and escalation of the group's activities.[3] The killing of Yusuf while in custody has been characterized as one of the group's primary grievances against the Nigerian government.[4] Yusuf's second-in-command, Abubakar Shekau, subsequently threatened retaliation against the government for the deaths of Boko Haram members.[1]

Incident

Boko Haram planned the attack on Bauchi prison in the evening, anticipating that Muslim prison guards would be attending evening prayer during Ramadan.[1] Out of a total of 759 prisoners, 721 were freed by the members of Boko Haram.[10] While accounts vary, it is estimated that between 105 and 150 of the escaped prisoners were affiliated with Boko Haram.[1][2] Over thirty prisoners returned to the prison to serve out their short sentences.[6] Additionally thirty-five prisoners were re-arrested.[8] Parts of the jail were set on fire and five people were killed; a further six people were sent to a local hospital.[11][12] At least one police officer was killed, along with bystanders.[13] Boko Haram also used the attack on the federal prison as an opportunity to distribute recruitment and propaganda materials.[1] The attackers left leaflets around the prison, detailing the group's background and manifesto, and exhorting readers to also take up arms for their cause.[1] The language in these leaflets served as the group's formal "declaration of war" on the government.[1]

Aftermath

The state governor, Isa Yuguda, announced on 8 September 2010 that members of Boko Haram should leave the state or be flushed out forcefully.[7] The government response to Boko Haram activity has relied heavily on military and police resources.[4] The city temporarily added military-manned checkpoints on major roads.[6] According to state police commissioner, Danlami Yar'Adua, eleven suspected members of Boko Haram were arrested during this campaign.[8] The Nigerian government also pledged to tighten security at other prisons, especially those thought to be vulnerable to attack.[8] The minister for the interior, Emmanuel Iheanacho, stated that the "[Nigerian people's] safety and security remain paramount to us."[12]

Since the attack on the prison in 2010, Boko Haram has also launched attacks on a police station and army barracks in Bauchi.[3] In 2012, the group carried out a suicide bombing at a church in Bauchi.[4] The prison break in Bauchi is not the only such attack coordinated by Boko Haram. The 2012 Kogi Prison break, which released 119 inmates, was attributed to the group as well.[14] Boko Haram later escalated its presence in the Lake Chad Basin, which countries in the region including Nigeria and Chad have addressed with the Multinational Joint Force.[15]

See also

References
  1. Kendhammer, Brandon; McCain (2018). Boko Haram. Athens: Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780821423516.
  2. "Nigerian gunmen free 800 in prison break". The Independent. 9 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  3. Ajayi, A.I. (29 June 2012). "'Boko Haram' and terrorism in Nigeria: Exploratory and explanatory notes". Global Advanced Research Journal of History, Political Science and International Relations. 1: 103–107.
  4. Maiangwa, Benjamin; Uzodike (31 July 2012). "The Changing Dynamics of Boko Haram Terrorism". Al Jazeera Center for Studies.
  5. "Africa's troubled giant". The Economist. 8 February 2002. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  6. "Gunmen Stage Massive Prison Break in Northern Nigeria". Voice of America. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  7. "721 inmates freed in Nigeria's prison break". Xinhua News Agency. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  8. "Manhunt begins after prison break". Independent Online. 9 September 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  9. Murray, Sean; Nossiter (3 August 2009). "In Nigeria, an Insurgency Leaves a Heavy Toll". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  10. Sani, Sani Muh'd. "Attack On Bauchi Prison – Boko Haram Frees 721 Inmates." allAfrica.com. 8 September 2010. Retrieved on 14 September 2010.
  11. "'Boko Haram attack' frees hundreds of prisoners". BBC News. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  12. "Bauchi: 5 confirmed dead after Boko Haram attack •759 inmates escape from prison •FG warns trouble makers". Nigerian Tribune. 9 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  13. Nossiter, Adam (8 September 2010). "Prison Raid in Nigeria Releases Hundreds". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  14. "Militants claim Nigeria jailbreak". BBC News. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  15. "92 Chad soldiers killed in 'deadliest' Boko Haram attack". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 11 May 2020.

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