Four inmates were killed and 36 went missing on Wednesday when wardens shot at fleeing prisoners in a bid to thwart a jail break in southern Nigeria, police said.
"There was an attack on kitchen staff that were on duty at Ikot Ekpene prison in Akwa Ibom state by some prisoners," said state police spokesman Ogbajie Ogbajie in a statement.
"They seized an axe from a fellow inmate attached to the kitchen, inflicting a deep cut to the inmate's head in the process and immediately made for the rear entrance to the prison. They broke the door with the axe and engaged the staff that chased after them," he said.
"At the end of the scuffle, four of them that sustained gunshots lost their lives while seven were recaptured. Thirty-six are still at large and search parties have been activated to effect their recapture."
The police did not provide the number of inmates in the Ikot Ekpene prison at the time of the incident, but Nigeria's jails are usually overcrowded with prisoners living in poor conditions.
Local and international rights bodies have called on the authorities to improve the living conditions of inmates as well as giving prompt trials for suspects.
At about 1147hrs on Wednesday, 27 December 2017, there was an attack on kitchen staff that were on duty at Ikot Ekpene Prison in Akwa-Ibom State by some prisoners.
They seized an axe from fellow inmate attached to the kitchen, inflicting a deep cut to inmates’ head in the process and immediately made for the rear entrance to the prison. They broke the door with the axe and engaged the staff that chased after them in battle.
At the end of the scuffle, 4 of them that sustained gun shots lost their lives while 7 were recaptured. 36 are still at large and search parties have been activated to effect their recapture.
Meanwhile, the Controller of Prisons Akwa Ibom State Command, Alex Oditah has ordered an investigation into the circumstance surrounding the unfortunate incident.
The CP wishes to appeal to members of the public to assist the authority with useful intelligence that will aid arrest of feeling prisoners assuring that security has been strengthen in all prison formations in the State to forestall breach of security.
