Nigeria, Aug. 12 -- At least 16 inmates escaped from a correctional facility in Nasarawa, north-central Nigeria, in the early hours of Tuesday, an official has said.

The spokesperson of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), Umar Abubakar, in a Tuesday statement, said seven of the escaped inmates have been recaptured.

"Some inmates breached the security of the facility and attacked personnel on duty to compromise the situation, enabling sixteen (16) inmates to escape custody," he wrote.

Mr Abubakar said, "Five personnel of the Custodial Centre sustained varying degrees of injury, with two currently serious and receiving urgent medical attention."

The latest prison escape adds to a string of escapes from correctional facilities acros...