ABUJA, Nigeria

Some 107 inmates who were among 1,844 convicts who escaped during an attack on their prison in Owerri city in Nigeria’s Imo state surrendered Monday. 

James Maduba, the spokesperson for Owerri Prison, said the hunt for other inmates who escaped from the prison on April 5 continues.

Nigerian Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola said earlier that the escaped convicts would not be punished further if they voluntarily returned.

Gunmen used explosives to force open the prison gate and stormed the prison.

During the incident, 35 inmates refused to escape while six others have voluntarily returned.

Officials announced that an inquiry into the jailbreak had been launched.