More than 1,800 prisoners have escaped from a prison in Nigeria after an attack by suspected militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.

Gunmen stormed the prison in the southeastern city of Owerri after blasting their way in with explosives.

It was among a series of coordinated assaults launched in the early hours of Monday, which also targeted police and military facilities in the capital of Imo state.

Nigerian police have blamed the attacks on the paramilitary wing of a banned separatist movement in the region called the Eastern Security Network.

However, the group has denied involvement.

A Nigeria prison spokesman said: “The Owerri Custodial Centre in Imo state has been attacked by unknown gunmen and forcefully released a total of 1,844 inmates in custody.”

He added: “Efforts are in top gear to re-arrest the fleeing detainees.”

A separate police statement said: “The attempt by the attackers to gain access to the police armoury at the headquarters was totally and appropriately resisted.”

The attacks come less than two weeks after a previous wave of violence in the southeastern part of the country, when at least a dozen security officers were killed during assaults on four police stations, military checkpoints and prison vehicles.

Large amounts of ammunition was stolen in the raids for which no group has claimed responsibility.

It is among a number of serious security challenges facing President Muhammadu Buhari, including a decade-long Islamist insurgency in the northeast, a spate of school kidnappings in the northwest and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

Related posts:

‘Terror motive’ investigated after eight hurt in stabbing attack in Sweden Security forces open fire as violence mars safe return of girls kidnapped from Nigerian school ‘Extermination’ of Navalny opposition group – 13,000 arrests and terrorist designation Why has No 10 had to defend PM’s meeting with Viktor Orban? Passenger ferry runs aground in Ibiza leaving 25 injured including boy aged 10 Social democrats beat Merkel’s party in German election – preliminary results China accuses British navy of ‘evil intentions’ as UK warship sails through Taiwan Strait Germany’s would-be Merkel successor sets Christmas target to strike coalition deal UEFA drops case against three clubs over European Super League Ukraine insists Nord Stream 2 pipeline linking Germany and Russia should never open ‘She is not suspended’: Beijing Olympics’ brightest star training as normal despite reports of failed drug test Brussels bans ‘freedom convoy’ of COVID protesters from entering Belgian capital