A total of 17 inmates escaped from Torit prison last night after digging through a wall.
The deputy state governor Nartisio Manir Loluke told Emmanuel Radio that among the escapees there was only one convict on a capital offense.Mr. Manir added that the other inmates were serving sentences for minor crimes.
He said that the security organs were making efforts to re-arrest the fugitives.
Mr. Manir blamed the escape on the old prison structures built around 1940 and poor fencing of the prison perimeters.
Mr. Manir urged citizen to be on the alert and watch out for the convicts who are on the loose.
He added that they should be re-arrested to complete their prison sentences.