THE crisis in Onitsha, Anambra State, yesterday took a dramatic twist as youths still protesting the killings of their kinsmen in the North set ablaze Onitsha prisons and freed 585 inmates.

Also, casualty figure in the crisis which started Tuesday is said to have risen to 100. But in a bid to curtail its spread to other cities, the state government yesterday extended the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on Onitsha to Awka and Nnewi.

Federal Government has however, appealed for calm, even as it claimed that security agencies have brought the situation in Borno, Katsina and Bauchi under control.

This is even as Lagos State government also yesterday raised alarm over plans by some people to exploit the religious tension in the country to cause violence in the state.

The Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, has, however, condemned the burning of churches and killing of innocent persons by some Moslems in Borno State.

In Delta State, hundreds of Hausas are now taking refuge in police stations in Asaba, the state capital, for fear of further reprisal attacks by youths from the neighbouring Onitsha.

The Deputy Comptroller of Prisons , Onitsha, Mr. Columbus Omenuko, who confirmed the attack, said that out of 585 inmates in the prison, only nine came back on their own.

The offices in the prisons, including the Deputy Comptroller's office, the gate lodge, welfare office, computer sets and mattresses numbering over 200, were also set ablaze.

Omenuko added that the mob numbering about 4, 000 attacked the prisons alleging that some Hausas were hiding in the cells.

The Comptroller said the youths insisted on entering the prison, in spite of efforts to convince them that what they had inside the cells were inmates who were all Southerners.

He, said that, despite explanations the mob went round the cells, opened them including the female cells and asked the inmates to escape.

On Tuesday, five people were reported dead while street kiosks belonging to Hausa petty traders scattered in different parts of Onitsha were destroyed.

The crisis escalated yesterday following widespread rumour that some Hausas taking refuge at Onitsha Army Barracks had colluded with uniformed moslem men to kill school children at a primary school in Awada, a suburb of Onitsha, very close to the barracks.

Consequently, all the markets in and around the commercial city including multi-billion naira Onitsha Main Market, the Bridgehead, the market which was the centre of the riot and where the Northern traders have the highest concentration, Old Spare, Ugwagba, Obosi and other markets were closed down.

Pandemonium then ensued as parents rushed to withdraw their children from schools while youths clutching cutlasses, sticks and other dangerous weapons spontaneously started commandeering vehicles and motorbikes which took them to Awada, where the children were said to have been killed.

But efforts to confirm the alleged killing of school children in Awada were unsuccessful as both the Police Commissioner of Anambra State, Mr. Moses Anegbode and the Commander of 302 Artillary Regiment Onitsha, Col. Lucas Logagowoma denied the rumour.

Onitsha yesterday was like a theatre of war with vehicles, commercial motorcycle riders off the road, while street shops and business centres closed down.

Awada the centre of yesterday's riot was something else as youths from different parts of Onitsha and environs trooped to the place, apparently to revenge the alleged killing of the school children by the Hausas and their uniformed Moslem brothers.

The youths who commandeered commercial vehicles and motorbikes to the area, clutching dangerous weapons were singing anti-Hausa and Military songs in Igbo "Army people will kill us today, they will be tired of killing us".

By yesterday morning, death toll in the Onitsha mayhem had increased with about 100 people feared killed even as soldiers had been drafted to safeguard the Onitsha Bridge.

Corpses littered between Bridgehead and Ogbefere Market Expressway, early yesterday morning. There were corpses at Oduwani Street, between Port-Harcourt Road and St. Jude, Kala, Arewa quarters, Atani Road, and other places.

As at yesterday morning, a large army of youths, took over the major streets of Onitsha, including the bridge through New Parks, Nkpor, Old Market Road, Awka Road, New Market Road searching every vehicle to know if there are Hausas inside, but that was before the rumour which literally shut down Onitsha.

However, the Commander of 302, Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, Col. Lucas Logagowoma, said in a telephone interview said that he has no comment to make now as the picture is not clear. "Please, I have no reaction for the press for now".

The Anambra State Police Commissioner of Police, Mr. Moses Anegbode denied the rumour of the killing of school children in Awada, saying "it is a lie". He said that the police cannot give the casualty figure in the crisis, but assured that the police was in control of the situation even as the youths were still parading the streets as at the time of this report.

Anegbode however said he was in Onitsha Wednesday morning to assess the situation, stating that the town was peaceful and his men were in control.

There was re-inforcement from Asaba Police Command as Anti-Riot Mobile Policemen from Delta State mounted guard at the Asaba end of the Bridge with Amoured Car to avoid further infiltration by rioters into the state.

A statement by senior special assistant on media and publicity to Anambra State governor, Mr Fred Chukwulobe, however, said that Governor Chris Ngige had extended the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on Onitsha to Awka and Nnewi. The curfew starts from 7pm to 7am.

The statement warned members of the public to desist from spreading rumour mongering as it could escalate the violence, even as it added that the rumour of killing of school children was being investigated.

Information and National Orientation Minister, Mr. Frank Nweke while speaking on the spate of civil unrests stated that government was not expecting any more of such incidence.

Nweke while giving update on the disturbances in Borno, Katsina, Bauchi and Anambra States and the situation in the Niger Delta, appealed for calm and understanding and urged the citizenry to engage in dialogue rather than resort to violence.

"We should not allow matters which could be discussed amicably to move into violence and panic. When you see the details of Federal Government intervention in the Niger Delta area from 1958, you will see that from 1999, everything that has been done in the last six years, has increased to about 300 per cent more above everything the Government did in the preceeding 40 years.

"Frankly speaking one believes that a lot has been done in this area, a lot still needs to be done. The President acknowledges this and that is why he has shown the political will. He has provided the political leadership and the support needed to bring these things about", he noted.

The minister also disclosed that "information available to us is that the states where these disturbances occurred are quiet at the moment. Borno State Governor has shown tremendous leadership there and he has calmed the situation significantly. The same thing with Bauchi and Katsina. Only yesterday (Tuesday) it was Onitsha where the situation has been calmed. The security agencies have of course brought the situation under control and we do not expect any further skirmishes from these places".

Nweke however, appealed "to our people, our compatriots, that the Government of Nigeria has great respect for the faiths professed by different religious groups. However, Government's position is that even as you profess your faith, you should shun violence and rather embrace peaceful co-existence.

"We believe that this is the way that it should be done. It is not in anybody's interest that this violence should take place because it is being attended by loss of lives, by destruction of property and it has socio-economic implications. Let us not forget who we are. We are members of one family and in the course of our lives today, we have made friends and built relationships that transcends our various and individual ethnic, cultural and language groups", he added.

Lagos State government said security reports revealed that enemies of peace in the state intend to "aggravate the strong emotions generated by the negative cartoons of Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper to further provoke religious groups and set them against one another.

A statement by the state's Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dele Alake, however, noted that in order to further strengthen the existing interreligious harmony and understanding in the state, Governor Bola Tinubu will meet with religious leaders of all persuasions from all local governments of the state today (Thursday) at state auditorium at 11am.

Addressing newsmen in Sokoto, the Sultan of Sokoto said the burning of churches by some muslims was uncalled for because the Nigerian christians just as their muslim counterparts condemned the blasphemous publication against Prophet Mohammed.

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