The 2017 Kidapawan jail siege occurred when about a hundred unidentified armed men attacked the North Cotabato Provincial Jail in

Kidapawan Kidapawan, officially the City of Kidapawan (; ; Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kidapawan''; Obo language, Obo Monuvu: ''Ingod to Kidapawan''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and the capital ...

, Philippines at around midnight freeing at least 158 inmates. Five inmates, a barangay official and a prison guard died in the siege. The jail break resulting from the attack is reportedly the biggest in the history of

North Cotabato Cotabato, formerly and still commonly referred to as North Cotabato and officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Kidapawan, the ...

Attack

At around 1:00 am armed men attacked the North Cotabato Provincial Jail in Barangay Amas of Kidapawan. This led to the escape of at least 158 inmates out of the 1,511 people detained in the prison. A power outage which put out the lights in the prison preceded the attack. The intent of the siege was to free certain inmates detained in two cells but nearby inmates were also freed by the gunmen who reportedly spoke in the

Maguindanao language Maguindanaon (, Jawi: ), or Magindanawn is an Austronesian language spoken by Maguindanaon people who form majority of the population of eponymous provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur in the Philippines. It is also spok ...

. According to a report by the

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP; ) is an attached agency of the Department of the Interior and Local Government mandated to direct, supervise and control the administration and operation of all district, city and municipal jai ...

(BJMP), the gunfight following the attack lasted around two hours. The prisoners reportedly escaped through a wooden ladder placed at the back portion of the prison. Earlier before the attack, the local police of Amas was warned of plans of a jail siege to free high-profile inmates. The barangay volunteer security group which was not armed warned the residents of the locality of the possible attack. Jail Officer 1 Excel Visido died during the attack as well as Barangay Patadon Councilor, Satar Manalundong who was shot after authorities suspected him of helping an inmate escape. 12 escapees were "recovered" by authorities while two surrendered to the city mayor.

Aftermath

Kidapawan Mayor Joseph Evangelista requested the 39th Infantry Battalion to help the Cotabato Police Provincial Office in securing the site of the incident and in conducting strict highway inspection. The Kidapawan City 911 Response Unit was also put on standby in the area. Classes were suspended in five public schools situated in Barangay Amas. BJMP's Special Tactics and Response team, the

Special Action Force The Special Action Force (SAF) is the elite unit of the Philippine National Police founded by Fidel V. Ramos, later the twelfth president of the Philippines. History Formed on May 12, 1983, by the now-defunct Philippine Constabulary (PC) as ...

, and the military conducted clearing operations within and around the vicinity of the prison. The police in

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...

were put into full alert following the jail siege.

Perpetrators

Initial reports suggested that the

Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ) is an Islamist group based in Mindanao, Philippines, which sought an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao, t ...

(MILF) were behind the attack with the armed group responsible for the attack allegedly led by MILF commander Satar Mandalondong. MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghadzali Jaafar denied that his group was involved in the attack and offered to share information regarding the attack if they manage to get them. The

Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), also known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement, is an Islamist jihadist militant organization based in Mindanao, in the southern Philippines. It is a smaller player in the overall Moro in ...

were also suspected to be behind the attack, but the group's spokesperson Abu Misry denied the involvement of his group in the attack. The local authorities of Amas has received feedback that the group was led by a certain Commander Derby, who is wanted for serious offenses, including armed robbery, drug trafficking, and extortion. Commander Derby was suspected to be bribed by a local drug lord to help him escape.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidapawan jail siege, 2017 Sieges of the Moro conflict 2017 crimes in the Philippines Attacks on prisons in the Philippines Prison escapes in Asia History of Cotabato Kidapawan jail siege January 2017 in the Philippines Kidapawan Attacks on buildings and structures in 2017 21st century in Soccsksargen 2020s sieges Crime in Mindanao