Nigeria recaptures 27 inmates after jail attack claimed by Islamic State

A burnt vehicle stands in front of the entrance of the medium-security prison after the attack by several gunmen in Kuje, near Abuja, Nigeria July 6, 2022. REUTERS/Taiwo Aina

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's security forces on Thursday recaptured 27 inmates who fled from a prison in the capital in Abuja following an attack claimed by Islamic State, the correctional service said.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for Tuesday's raid on the Kuje prison, which freed around 440 inmates, among them Islamist militants, raising fears that insurgents are venturing from their enclaves in the northeast.