Several guards working at the Mogadishu Central Prison have been suspended while some were arrested for their involvement in the smuggling of weapons.
Last week, Al-Shabaab inmates at the prison tried to escape.
They killed several guards in the process using heavy weapons such as grenades, small guns, and rifles.
Hassan Hussein, the Minister of Justice, said a committee formed to investigate the deadly incident has returned a verdict showing that smuggling took place.
During the incident, 15 inmates were killed. Four guards lost their lives in the fracas.
Out of the 15 dead inmates, 14 were in prison after being found guilty for taking part in Al-Shabaab activities around the country.
According to Minister Hussein, the weapons were smuggled into the facility in two batches.
The first batch arrived on August 8, 2020 before the second was smuggled into the prison on August 10, 2020 only a few days before the deadly altercation.
Hussein said the weapons were delivered while hidden inside a package of meat and a sack full of oranges.
Consequently, after a week of investigations, 12 prison guards were arrested and suspended from work.
The arrested guards included the Commander and Deputy Commander of the Mogadishu Central Prison.
The committee said it recommended their arrest because they “facilitated and neglected” their responsibilities to guards and prisoners at the facility.