Gunmen men have stolen weapons, kidnapped five wardens in an attack on a prison in Kajo-Keji County, Yei River State.

Officials say the attackers also set free more than 35 inmates.

County Commissioner Julius Lokong’a told Eye Radio that the incident happened at over the weekend, when the guards were asleep, but the incident had never been reported.

“Some people came broke into the prison cells and took some of the inmates,” Mr Lokong’a confirmed the incident.

“We exactly don’t know who these people were and we are still going on with investigations.”

However, the SPLA says the gunmen were relatives of some convicts who were in the prison.

The SPLA spokesperson says the inmates included those who were convicted for murder.

Last month, a similar incident occurred in Morobo County, where more than 40 guns were stolen and three soldiers kidnapped in an attack at a base for wildlife officers.