A gang of heavily armed gunmen stormed a state prison in Oyo state in southwestern Nigeria on Friday. During the attack more than 800 inmates were freed.

Its understood more than 200 escapees had been rearrested.

What happened in the jailbreak?

According to Nigeria's prison service a large group of gunmen launched an attack on the facility late on Friday.

The gunmen exchanged fire with prison officers and used dynamite to blast a hole in one of the facility's walls.

This gave the gang access to a prison yard. Around 575 prisoners who had been awaiting trial have been reported as missing while 262 had been recaptured.

"While all the awaiting trial detainees were forced out ofcustody, the cells housing the convicts and the female inmates were not vandalised," the prison service said in a statement.

Jailbreaks in Nigeria this year

Friday's attack is the third major incident this year. In April more than 1,800 inmates were freed in an attack on a facility in Imo state.

In that incident gunmen also used explosives to make their way into the Owerri prison before starting a gun battle with prison guards.

Last month 266 inmates were freed in Kogi state.

kb/rt (AP, AFP, Reuters)