Burundian Political dissident Hussein Radjabu has escaped from a prison where he was serving a 13-year term following the allegations of plotting against the government of President Nkurunziza.

Mr Radjabu, is considered to have been the real person wielding power of the ruling party CNDD-FDD, he was therefore a former head of the governing party and the reports of his escape with three prison officers has been received with mixed reactions.

As I have mentioned above he was widely regarded as Burundi’s most powerful man until his arrest in 2007, amid a rumoured rift with President Pierre Nkurunziza came as a shock for many Burundians and those who monitor Burundi politics very closely.

In Burundi tension has been growing over the president’s plans to seek a third term, with majority in Burundi protesting against the third term maneuver.

Apparently the governing CNDD-FDD party is said to be split between those who support Mr Nkurunziza’s intention to stay in office, and those who oppose it.

According to the sources from Burundi, Mr Radjabu’s escape was aided by at least three guards, including the chief warden in charge of the prison’s security, a police spokesman told the press.

They further reported that at least two other inmates escaped with him into vehicles that had been waiting outside the prison, the spokesman said. The escape reportedly took place before midnight on Sunday evening, at a time when many guards were asleep. However, the lawyer for Mr. Radjabu has doubted this escape of his client and has told VOA that he will only accept this story if Mr. Radjabu comes out and say that he is alive and tell the world where he is.

In 2005, President Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader, was elected by the parliament and became the first president to be chosen in democratic elections since the first democratically elected Burundi president Melchior Ndadaye  was assassinated in 1993 by the Burundi Military that sparked the Burundi’s civil war in 1994.

Mr Radjabu, who was also a rebel leader, became the head of the CNDD-FDD at the same time. He was regarded as the real power in the country. Many Burundians saw his arrest in 2006 – on charges of plotting against state security – as politically motivated. Mr Nkurunziza was re-elected in June 2010. However, the vote was boycotted by the opposition, which complained of fraud in the earlier local elections.

Opposition leaders and international observers have since complained of a growing crackdown on opposition parties and the media. In fact if it’s true that, Mr. Radjabu has escaped from the Burundi notorious prison of Mpimba, this would be a bitter pill to swallow by president Nkurunziza.