LAGOS, Sept 16 (Bernama-dpa) -- In Nigeria, 281 inmates have escaped from a prison in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, reported German news agency dpa.
The prisoners were able to break out after a prison wall collapsed due to heavy flooding, prison spokesman Umar Abubakar said on Sunday.
The escaped inmates included members of the Islamist militia Boko Haram.
Maiduguri is the capital of Borno state, where Boko Haram has been carrying out attacks on civilians and soldiers since 2009.
Last Tuesday, heavy rainfall caused a dam to burst, flooding large parts of the city.
The entire Sahel region of northern Africa, where Nigeria is located, is currently affected by floods after heavy rains.
According to the United Nations, around half a million people in the region have been displaced and more than 300,000 homes destroyed as a result.
--BERNAMA-dpa
