# Nineteen Prisoners Escape Nabire Jail After Machete Attack on Guards, Indonesian Authorities Say
*Event date: 2025-06-03*
By IO Digest Desk
Nineteen prisoners escaped from Nabire prison in Central Papua on June 3, 2025 after attacking guards with a long machete during visiting hours, according to Indonesian officials cited by Tempo.
The report said 11 of the escapees were identified by authorities as members of the West Papua National Liberation Army movement that the Indonesian government classifies as an armed separatist group. The other eight were not listed by officials as affiliated with that organization.
Tempo reported that the escape began when a prisoner named Ardinus Kogoya suddenly attacked an officer with a long machete believed to have been hidden behind his back. Officials said the weapon likely came from inside the prison and was normally used to cut firewood. The assault took place at around 11 a.m. local time, when visitors were present.
Three prison staff members were injured in the attack. Tempo said the chief guard, Rahman, suffered a serious wound to his left index finger, while security official Yan Nawipa received a cut to his left hand and another guard, Jhosua, was injured on a finger of his right hand. Later in the day, Director General of Corrections Mashudi said two of the officers required surgery and a third was recovering as an outpatient.
After the assault, the prisoners fled through the rear area of the prison toward a government housing complex and nearby hills. Authorities said discarded prison clothing was later found and that the escapees were seen in parts of Nabire including Pasar Oyehe, Siriwini and Jalan Marthadinata.
Brig. Gen. Faizal Rahmadani of the Cartenz Peace Task Force said a joint team had been deployed to pursue the fugitives. He said the search was continuing intensively with support from regional police and other agencies, and he warned that all of the escaped inmates would be dealt with according to procedure.
The case immediately triggered wider concerns about prison security in Papua. Tempo reported that lawmakers called for a full review of security arrangements, arguing that the escape showed the need for stronger equipment, more rigorous oversight and clearer separation of high-risk inmates. The article also noted pressure for broader audits of prison conditions, including the use of surveillance technology and the physical state of cells, doors and perimeter defenses.
Those concerns were sharpened by the prison's operating conditions. Tempo said Nabire prison was holding 218 inmates despite a stated capacity of 150, while each security shift had only five officers. In that context, the jailbreak became not only a law enforcement issue but also a warning about staffing and overcrowding in a region where separatist violence already presents special risks.
Authorities said the situation inside the prison had stabilized by the time senior corrections and police officials visited the site. But the June 3 escape left behind immediate questions about how a bladed weapon could be used against staff inside the facility and how nearly 20 inmates were able to break out in the middle of the day. With the search still underway, the incident stood as one of the most serious recent security failures reported from a prison in Central Papua.
