At least two security officials were killed in a jailbreak at the Abolongo Correctional Centre in Oyo State on Friday night.
Governor Seyi Makinde made the announcement in a Saturday evening state broadcast.
After highly armed individuals attacked the detention complex with explosives, 837 detainees are alleged to have escaped.
Olanrewaju Anjorin, a spokesman for the Nigeria Correctional Service’s Oyo State command, said earlier that 262 of the 836 escaped inmates had been caught.
Governor Makinde provided an update on the situation, saying that a Nigerian Army corporal assigned to Operation Burst and Tijani Sadiq Babatunde, an operator of the Oyo State Amotekun Corps, were slain while responding to the attack.
“Aside from the two lives lost, we had several operatives injured. I must mention that one of our Amotekun female volunteers, Shukurat Omoba, is presently in critical condition.
“I have visited her at the hospital, and we are deploying all state resources to ensure that she survives this. Please, let us all join in prayer for her speedy and complete recovery,” he said.
The governor added that, “Although some inmates have been recovered and taken back into custody, some are still at large. All security agencies have been placed on high alert to ensure that all that escaped are rearrested and returned to custody.”
Makinde encouraged citizens of the state to be on the lookout for unusual activities and to report it to the appropriate security agencies.
He said, “These criminals would want to go to areas where they will not be easily rearrested. If you spot any unexplained strangers in your community, please call the 615-security emergency number immediately, and make a report.
“I have directed the security agencies to deploy personnel to critical national assets within the state and to monitor all entrance and exit points across the state.
“I appeal to you, the good people of Oyo State, to remain calm. We are aware of the various speculations going round especially on social media regarding the reason for this attack. I urge you all to disregard any such rumours as the authorities are still investigating the matter.”
Rauf Aregbesola, the Minister of Interior, had earlier encouraged the detainees who had fled from the correctional complex to surrender.
Men from the Nigeria Correctional Service and other security agencies fought the assailants in a gunfight for around 20 minutes before being overwhelmed, according to Aregbesola.
“The attackers subsequently used grenades and other explosives to gain access into the awaiting trial section of the facility and set free many of the awaiting trial inmates. Other sections of the facilities were left untouched,” read a statement issued by his media adviser, Sola Fasure.
