Three inmates have escaped from an Edo State prison. The breach happened on Friday, the 16th of January 2026, specifically at the Benin Custodial Centre located on Sapele Road, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Two of the escapees, Eseosa Omoregie and Abraham Idemudia, were convicted of fraud and were serving their sentences at the facility. The third escapee, Emmanuel Ogemudia, was arrested in connection with the 2020 EndSARS protests. At the time of the escape, he had not received any final conviction, judgment, or trial.
In a frantic effort to recapture them, the police have since launched a manhunt combing the nooks and crannies of Edo State and beyond and have had their faces splashed across the pages of newspapers alerting the public of their disappearance and the security risks they pose. In addition, while seeking the collaboration of remote communities, where they will possibly be taking cover, the police have placed a N250,000 bounty on each of them to facilitate their rearrest. Finally, border control services have been alerted and checks heightened to prevent their escape into neighboring states.
As yet, no clear explanations have been provided by the Edo State Prison – as is commonly called – regarding the circumstances surrounding how the three inmates managed to break jail. Worse still, all attempts to reach the Comptroller of Prisons in the state for comments have been futile.