Nigeria - Islamist Sect Attacks Prison, Freeing 7 Followers and 112 Others - NYTimes.com Armed gunmen from a radical Islamist sect stormed a federal prison amid heavy gunfire and explosions, killing one guard and freeing 119 inmates in an assault marking its growing national ambitions, officials said on Thursday. The sect, Boko Haram, said it had freed seven followers in the attack on Wednesday evening in the town of Koton-Karifi in Kogi State, just south of the capital, Abuja. The government said it was investigating the attack and had not confirmed that Boko Haram was responsible. The authorities said they had recaptured 25 inmates by Thursday afternoon. Boko Haram orchestrated another major prison break in 2010.