Gunmen stormed their way into Kogi prison before opening fire on the wardens and emptying the jail of all but one of its 200 inmates, on Wednesday night.
The attack in the central Kogi state left one warden dead, and while there was no official confirmation of the raiders' identity, local residents suspected the Boko Haram Islamist sect that has been wreaking havoc in Nigeria.
"There was a jail break last night [Wednesday]. From reports available to us, a large number of gunmen attacked the Koton Karfe prison around 7:00pm [local time] and threw explosives at the gate and opened fire on our wardens," prison spokeswoman Hadiza Aminu said.
She said a shootout then erupted.
"One of our men was killed and the gunmen overpowered the wardens and broke into the cells, freeing inmates -- 199 inmates all awaiting trial escaped, leaving only one inmate," she said.
A police officer, who requested anonymity, told Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper that about 20 gunmen on motorbikes stormed the jail in Koton-Karifi, about 160km (100 miles) south of the capital Abuja.
Meanwhile, Islamist militant group Boko Haram later claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group has carried out similar jailbreaks before, including a massive 2010 attack on a prison further north in Bauchi state.
In that incident Boko Haram freed about 700 prisoners, many of whom were members of the group.
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