A total of 58 inmates were set free by inmates at the National Correctional Service centre in Okitipupa, headquarters of Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The hoodlums also torched local government secretariat, two police stations and INEC office in the area.
One vehicle within the correctional centre premises in was burnt while other items were destroyed.
Spokesman for the Ondo State Command of the NCS, Barr. Ogundare Babatunde who confirmed the incident said the hoodlums stormed the centre at about 10.30am.
He said they were overwhelmed.
His words, “When they first came, the security agencies around appealed to them not to carry out the attack, so they went back but later they reinforced, over a thousand of them, overwhelmed the soldiers and the NSCDC officer who are trying to stop them.
“They broke the wall of the place, they broke into four out of the six cells and burnt them down. They set ablaze the van on the premises and some of our machines were destroyed. They also forcefully released all the 58 inmates.”
He said the command has begun making efforts to capture the fleeing inmates.
