Deputy Superintendent Ibrahim Gambari said police recaptured at least 10 escapees from the medium security prison in central Niger state by Sunday morning.
Saturday’s attack was the third jailbreak in the past two months in the West African nation.
More than 300 inmates broke out of a prison bombed by gunmen in southwest Ekiti state on Dec. 1; 144 escaped from south-central Kogi state on Nov. 3 when gunmen bombed a prison wall.
The two earlier jailbreaks were blamed on the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group. It is not known how many hundreds of Boko Haram suspects are held in Nigerian jails.
Prison officials say 70 percent of inmates are awaiting trial, many for years.