A cleverly devised trick took the Buimo jail officers by surprise, which saw the mass breakout occur with 94 prisoners escaping on Thursday Feb 25.
The clever but simple plan which completely fooled the guards saw two detainees carrying another sick inmate to the institutional clinic after gates were opened they were let through. It was at the outer fence that the sick detainee jumped up and attacked the guard who was overpowered, leaving the gate open.
A report by suspended Buimo Jail Superintendent Judy Tara to CS commissioner Bernard Nepo on Friday said: “The mass escape occurred when the gatekeeper had opened the second main gate to the high security compound to allow the two remand detainees to carry a sick prisoner to the institutional clinic.”
“ The guard with the compound keys had gone to open the inner fence to allow the detainees to carry the sick detainee and as the detainees approached the outer fence, the sick detainee jumped off and attacked the guard at the outer fence and forced him to leave the gate open.
“At the same time, the detainees from the remand section who were going to the mess, took advantage and charged at the guard at the inner fence and ran out through the outer gate which was already forced open.”
Tara’s report said: “ The Amourer who was stationed near the single barracks and also the arm post guard both fired warning shots at the detainees, but they kept on moving up to the end of the compound fence.”
As the Amourer was firing shots at the detainees, his gun got jammed and therefore allowed the detainees to continue running out to the married quarters and dispersed into all directions at the staff residence.
Off-duty guards in the single barracks were attacked with rocks and could nothing to stop the stampede of prisoners as they raced passed both the single and married quarters for freedom.
From the 94 who escaped, 30 have been recaptured while 64 are still at large, Tara’s report to CS Commissioner Nepo said.