283 inmates return after Nigeria prison break, though Muslim sect members at large

BAUCHI, Nigeria – BAUCHI, Nigeria (AP) — Authorities say 283 inmates have returned to a prison in northern Nigeria after a prison break orchestrated by a radical Muslim sect.

Prison official Mohammad Ahmad told reporters Wednesday that most of the men had nearly completed their prison terms.

However, Ahmad acknowledged the more than 120 members of the Boko Haram sect freed from the prison remained at large.

The sect launched a daring sunset raid against a federal prison Sept. 7 in Bauchi, freeing more than 750 prisoners.

Members of Boko Haram — which means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language — rioted and attacked police stations and private homes in July 2009, triggering a violent police and military crackdown during which more than 700 people died.