Two soldiers were reportedly killed after gunmen attacked the Kabba Correctional Centre in Kogi state.
The gunmen were said to have freed many prisoners in the facility.
The attack occurred in the wee hours of Monday.
The gunmen were said to have attacked a military checkpoint located a few metres away from the correctional centre with heavy gunfire before descending on the prison.
Another soldier was said to be have been injured in the attack.
Confirming the incident, Francis Enobore, spokesman of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), said the gunmen were “heavily armed” and immediately engaged the guards in a fierce gun duel.
Enobore said Haliru Nababa, the comptroller-general, has ordered the recapture of the escaped inmates and an investigation into the incident.
Over 230 inmates were said to have escaped from the Kabba prison facility.
Many of those reportedly held at the correctional centre have not been arraigned in court.
The development is coming about five years after a jailbreak in Koton Karfe prison in Kogi.
Thirteen prisoners escaped from the facility. Koton Karfe prison recorded jailbreaks in 2010 and 2013.
