The gunmen attacked and set free 210 inmates of Mina Maximum Prisons on Sunday night and killed a warder and a commercial motorcycle operator.

Interior minister Abdulrahman Dambazau confirmed the escape of the inmates, but that 32 of them have been re-arrested.

During the jailbreak, he said that gunmen shot sporadically, paving way for the escape of the inmates.

The Minister, alongside Niger State Governor Abubakar Bello, visited the prison facility on Monday morning to ascertain the situation.

Dambazau lamented the inadequate manpower in the Nigerian Prisons and added that plans were on to recruit more workers to enable adequate security.

The spokesperson of the prison service in Niger State, Mr. Rabiu Shuaibu, had earlier confirmed the Sunday night attack on the prison which is located in Tunga area of Minna.

He said the incident was perpetrated after the armed criminals attacked the prison and gained access after an exchange of fire with prison officials.

In 2014, a similar jailbreak occurred at the Minna maximum prisons where hundreds of inmates were freed.

Bello on Monday refuted allegations that the attack was as a result of activities of some condemned criminals.

Bello also refuted claims that the attackers were suspected members of the Boko Haram or armed robbers who came to free some of their members in the prison.

He explained that since assumption of office in 2015, he has yet to see any paper on condemned criminals.

I have not seen anything so far on condemn criminals or anybody that was condemned. Only when I see anything on condemned criminals that is when I will do something on it.

Sometimes, people get desperate and do crazy things. Nobody is sure why the attack was carried out, saying the attackers were members of the Boko Haram is mere rumour, he said.

Bello, who described the incident as unfortunate, said that the state would work with the Federal government to address the challenges of infrastructures and shortage of manpower in the prison.

The governor appealed to the prison officers to discharge their duties diligently as investigation was ongoing to know the reason behind the attack.

At the state level here, we will look at the issue of infrastructure, operations and shortage of manpower. But, again, people should take their jobs seriously.

Even though investigation is ongoing, we need to do more in terms of taking care of our facilities especially prison.

Also, Mr Ahmed Jaafaru, Comptroller General of the Nigeria Prison Service, said that there was no suspected Boko Haram members in the prison.

He said that investigation would reveal the reason behind the attack and how the attackers gained access to the prison.

Source: NAN

Senate President Bukola Saraki said he will send a written response to the allegations made against him by the Nigerian Police, linking him with robbery in Offa on 5 April.

In a twist to the police invitation to the man who is officially the number three citizen in Nigeria, the police backpedaled and rather than asking Saraki to report at Guzape Police station in the Federal capital of Abuja, now asked him to send a written response.

Opinions were divided across Nigeria over the invitation, following police statement that some five ringleaders of the Offa robbery indicted the Senate President and the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed.

According to the police, the chief of staff to the governor and the personal assistant to the governor have been arrested in connection with the case.

Saraki had earlier tweeted that he had asked his aide-de-camp to collect the letter of invitation from the police in respect of the allegations, as he wanted to honour the alleged invitation.

But four hours later, the police changed their minds about the invitation.

Saraki broke the news on his Twitter handle:

Following my earlier tweet, I have received the letter from . They are no longer asking me to appear at any station, but to respond in writing to the allegations within 48 hours which I plan to do.

Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki)

On Sunday, the police announced they have invited Saraki over the 5 April multiple bank robberies in Offa, during which 33 persons, including nine policemen, were killed.

Police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood also announced the arrest of Mr. Yusuf Abdulwahab, the chief of staff to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Alabi Olalekan, his Personal Assistant, Political, as investigations over the gruesome robbery deepened.

The police claimed five of the bandits arrested and who have made confessions during interrogations indicted the senate president.

The police therefore wanted to interrogate the senator, who is Number 3 person, in the order of protocol in the country. The police did not give a specific time they wanted Saraki to report.

The Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki is being invited by the Nigeria Police Force to report to the Force Intelligence Response Team office at Guzape, Abuja to answer to the allegations levelled against him from the confessions of the Five (5) Gang Leaders, namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran and some of the other Seventeen (17) suspects arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa Bank Robbery and the gruesome killing of 33 innocent persons which include some pregnant women and nine Police personnel, Moshood said.

The police in the statement appeared to have dropped hints on what they wanted to ask Saraki about, as they claimed that the five men, who were the leaders of the bandits `admitted, confessed and volunteered statements that they were political thugs of the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed.

The other hints dropped were the recovery of one Toyota Prado Jeep with Reg. No. 19KWGH belonging to the Personal Assistant, Political to the Governor of Kwara State and a Sticker plate number with inscription SARAKI Kwara, State of Harmony.

According to the police, the Five gang leaders further confessed during investigation that they are political thugs under the name Youth Liberation Movement a.k.a Good Boys admitted and confessed to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles by the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed.

Police explained why the Chief of Staff and the Personal Assistant to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed were also arrested:

A Lexus jeep GX-300 (Ash Colour) with a sticker plate number with inscription SARAKI Kwara, State of Harmony used by the gang leader (Ayoade Akinnibosun, during the bank robbery and the killing of the 33 innocent persons was taken to Government House, Ilorin on 16th May, 2018 where the sticker plate number with inscription SARAKI Kwara, State of Harmony was removed before another plate number (Reg. No. Kwara, KMA 143 RM) registered in the name of Ayoade AKinnibosun the Overall Commander of the Offa Bank Robbery was then attached to the vehicle to cover up the identity of the said vehicle.

The exhibit vehicle was subsequently recovered from the premises of the Min. of Environmental and Forestry in Ilorin, Kwara State. While the sticker plate number with inscription SARAKI Kwara, State of Harmony removed from the vehicle was recovered from one Adeola Omiyale who drove the said Lexus Jeep to Government House, Ilorin immediately after the Bank Robbery.

The Personal Assistant (Political) to the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Alabi Olalekan, who is privy to information that the Police is looking for the Lexus Jeep as an exhibit used in the Offa Bank Robbery directed one Adeola Omiyale to relocate the Lexus Jeep to Government House, Ilorin. The PA (Political) is currently in Police custody and has made useful statement assisting the Police in further investigation into the case.

A revolver pistol and pump action gun were recovered by the Police Investigation Team from the Personal Assistant (Political) to the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Alabi Olalekans Farm where he directed his brother to hide them after his arrest by the Police.

In order to conceal evidence, the Chief of Staff to the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Yusuf Abdulwahab who has been arrested and taken into Police custody, arranged the removal of the sticker plate number with inscription SARAKI Kwara, State of Harmony from the exhibit vehicle.

Saraki responded some hours later, asking Nigerians to disregard the police allegation.

Saraki, in a statement by his media adviser,Yusuph Olaniyonu, described the allegation as baseless and another ploy by the Police to implicate him by all means.

Let it be known that there is no way I could have been associated with armed robbery against my people, Saraki said.

This plot is concocted to embarrass me and, in the mind of the IGP, it is his own response after his refusal to honour the invitation by the National Assembly, headed me, for him to come and offer explanations on the rampant killings and violence across the country.

Like the earlier one, this frame-up will also fail as I hereby state categorically that I have no link with any band of criminals.

As a person who has utmost respect for the rule of law and all constitutional institutions, when the invitation from the Police is formally extended to me, I will be ready to honour it without any delay.

It is however sad that this abuse of the criminal investigation process aimed at intimidating and over-overawing the legislature, thereby obstructing it from doing its work, is a big threat to our democracy , the Senate President stated.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed doors with heads of security agencies and also broke Ramadan fast with governors of APC at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting with heads of security operatives which lasted for about one-and-a-half hours took place at the presidents office.

Those at the meeting included service chiefs, Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai.

The Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Idris Ibrahim, who was at the presidential villa, was not part of the meeting with the president but later attended another security meeting which was presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

The Director-General of the DSS, Lawal Daura, also joined the IGP, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, at the meeting with Osinbajo.

The outcomes of the two meetings are still being awaited as at the time of filing this report.

Buhari also in evening broke the Ramadan fast with state governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his official residence at Aso Rock.

The Iftar with the governors, unlike the previous ones, held with leadership of the National Assembly, Judiciary and others, was not open for full media coverage.

Traditional rulers across the country are billed to be hosted by the President for the breaking of fast this week. (NAN)

Source: NAN

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), has called on the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) to enhance its technical support for the Sierra Leonean Meteorological Agency to deliver efficient service.

Mr Bernard Gomez, WMO Representative for North, Central and West Africa, made the call during a Technical Exchange Visit of Sierra Leone Mission on Weather and Climate Service to NiMet on Monday in Abuja.

Gomez said that WMO was aware of Nigerias supportive role to the cause of meteorology globally and particularly at the regional level.

He explained that the visit was to enable the delegation to talk with NiMet to see what could be done to help Sierra Leone to improve on its Meteorological services.

According to him, WMO knows that NiMet is supporting Sierra Leone in the area of weather forecast but it still needs to do more.

Those of us who fly in the sub-region know what it means for Meteorological services not functioning well or not effective.

I think it is our duty to see what can be done to help strengthen a sister country in our sub-region.

And I am confident that at the end of this mission, you would have collected a lot of information that would help boost your weather services.

It is a good thing for NiMet and Sierra Leone to work together to ensure better met service delivery in the sub region.

NiMet is very supportive to the coursework of meteorology globally and particularly at the regional level.

I am very happy that today we are here with the permanent secretary at the ministry of transport as well as the Director General of Met Agency and the African Development Bank.

We are here to talk with NiMet to see what can be done to help this country in our sub region, he said.

The Director-general of NiMet, Prof. Sani Mashi, represented by Mr Mailadi Yusuf, Director of Applied Meteorological Services, assured that the agency was ready to ensure a successful tour by the delegation.

Mashi said NiMet, being an agency mandated with the responsibility of advising government in all areas of meteorology, had always carried out its functions in a more professional and satisfactory manner.

He said that NiMet products and services had always been used by professionals and policy makers to guide their decisions and support national development.

The principal product is the Seasonal Rainfall Predictions (SRP), which advised on the onset and cessation of rainfall in every part of the country and we just issued the 2018 edition.

I believe your visit and tour of NiMet facility would help you to discover areas to improve your operations especially in hazard monitoring and early warning processes that could help mitigate effects of such occurrences.

You will therefore be guided through our facilities such as the weather forecasting studio, standard observatory and ICT and data management laboratory.

It is my belief that undertaking periodic review will help improve the operations of the agencies especially those that deliver essential public services, he said.

The Sierra Leonean delegation was led by Mr Usman Binya, Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Aviation of Sierra Leone.

On the delegation are the Director-general of Sierra Leone Meteorological Agency and Mr James Kinyangi, Chief Climate and Policy Development Fund, African Development Bank (AfDB).

Source: NAN

Members of the Kyamajaka village, Muhorro town council, Uganda, on Sunday rescued a five-month-old baby girl, Rachael Karungi, who was kidnapped by a troupe of chimpanzees.

According to the mother of the little girl, Oliver Kemigisa, who spoke to New Vision, the incident happened a few minutes after 5pm on Sunday when she was preparing dinner at their home.

Kemigisa said she had left the baby with another baby in the verandah, while she moved a few meters away to cook.

She said she heard the babies crying and when she turned around, she saw over 20 chimpanzees surrounding the babies. One had already picked Karungi and the others also aiming at the three-year-old boy as he cried.

She said that she wrestled with the chimpanzees for the boy as she raised an alarm. She managed to save the boy, but the primates ran away with Karungi.

“When I saw that they (chimpanzees) wanted to take my other child, I became firm and fought them. That is how I saved the boy,” said Kemigisa.

She said that Karungi was taken into the nearby bush, but residents turned up immediately and began chasing them. The animals had hidden the baby in the grass after removing the skirt she was wearing.

When the baby was discovered, she was unconscious and was immediately rushed to Muhorro Health centre III, where she is currently admitted.

She said that on a daily basis, these chimpanzees traverse the area in search of food and they usually chase people.

Source: Punch NG

Senate President Bukola Saraki would no longer need to appear before the police for questioning, the top lawmaker said on Monday.

In a post on Twitter, Mr Saraki said he now has a formal communication from the police, but it was not for him to appear but rather to answer questions bordering on the robbery in Offa, Kwara State, in April.

“Following my earlier tweet, I have received the letter from @PoliceNG. They are no longer asking me to appear at any station, but to respond in writing to the allegations within 48 hours — which I plan to do,” Mr Saraki said.

The announcement comes minutes after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo met behind closed-doors with Mr Saraki and police chief, Ibrahim Idris, as well as the head of State Security Service, Lawal Daura, at the State House.

It also comes about four hours after Mr Saraki announced he was yet to get a police invite. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the senate president said he dispatched his security detail to the Force Headquarters in Abuja to ask the police for an invite when none came.

The police say some of the suspects in the Offa robbery confessed to being sponsored by Mr Saraki.

Source: Premium Times

Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has spoken on Nigeria’s chances at the 2018 World Cup.

He stated that if Nigeria failed to go pass the group stage, it would be that the other teams in the group performed better.

The tournament will take place in Russia from June 14, 2018 until July 15, 2018.

SPORT2018 World Cup: Rohr speaks on Super Eagles’ chancesPublished on June 4, 2018 By Wale Odunsi

Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has spoken on Nigeria’s chances at the 2018 World Cup.

He stated that if Nigeria failed to go pass the group stage, it would be that the other teams in the group performed better.

The tournament will take place in Russia from June 14, 2018 until July 15, 2018.

In an interview conducted by Philipp Barth of DW, Rohr also spoke on discipline in the team.

He said: “The African style of football is all about improvisation and creativity, but also sometimes involves forgetting about discipline and defensive organization.

“I’m German and French, so I think that discipline is part of my mentality, and I can try to teach that especially to the young players: Being on time and not being too late to bed, for example. Simple things.

“We are lucky that half the team has grown up in Europe so they’ve already had an education when it comes to defending set pieces. They’ve also learned about tactical discipline and how to play for the team instead of themselves.”

Rohr also reacted to the verdict by Otto Pfister, the former coach of Cameroon, Togo and Ivory Coast, that the Super Eagles were “too hot blooded” to make it far in the World Cup.

“What does hot-blooded even mean”, he queried rhetorically.

“We have players coming to us from different countries. From Turkey, from Italy, from Spain, from England, from Germany and from Nigeria so they bring with them very different mentalities.

“We have nothing to lose. If we don’t get out of the group, it is not because we are too hot-blooded, but because the other teams are playing better football. For me it makes no sense to look for other reasons.”

Reminded of his comment that there are no stars in the Super Eagles’ squad and what he would give to have a Nigerian Mohamed Salah, Rohr responded: “I think it’s fantastic for Egypt to have such a player, just as Argentina have (Lionel) Messi or Croatia have (Luka) Modric.”

“But we have a good team spirit instead. It is not the individual quality, even if that quality is huge, that will make the difference, but the best team spirit. This is more important than having one Mohamed Salah.”

Source: Daily Post NG

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Monday said over 110 people could have died when a migrant boat sank off the Tunisian coast at the weekend.

“In addition to 48 bodies which have already been found, there are maybe more than 64 missing,’’ Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the IOM, said.

Di Giacomo added that over 70 migrants survived the accident near the Kerkennah Islands, off the coast of the city of Sfax, on Sunday.

According to the Tunisian Defence Ministry, the victims were mostly Tunisians, but there were also eight foreigners, including from neighbouring Morocco.

“Six foreigners, two from the Ivory Coast, two from Cameroon and two from Morocco, were among those rescued,’’ the ministry said.

It added that the boat likely sank because it was overloaded.

Meanwhile, rescue operations were suspended when night fell.

The Tunisian coast has turned into a launch pad for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Italy after controls were tightened in neighbouring Libya.

Many migrants crossing the Mediterranean head for the Italian island of Sicily.

Source: NAN

On Sunday, June 3, 2018, at 8:00p.m., there was a jailbreak at Minna Medium Security Prison located at Tunga area of Minna metropolis.

The unfortunate incident was perpetrated by armed criminals who attacked the prison and gained access after exchange of gunfire with armed prison men.

The incident led to the death of a prison officer and a motorcyclist, who conveyed a prison officer on night duty,’’

Shuaibu said. He said that efforts of security agencies in the state led to re-arrest of seven prisoners. According to the spokesman, the re-arrested prisoners have been returned to the prison.

He said that normalcy had returned in and around the prison, giving the assurance that security agencies were on top of the situation and working together to ensure re-capture of fleeing inmates.

Shuaibu assured members of the public of their safety, and advised them to go about their lawful businesses without fear.

We will like to urge all law-abiding citizens to support security agencies in maintaining law and order, as security is a collective responsibility.

We also advise citizens to report any suspicious persons or group,” he said.

UPDATE

The Police in Niger, said on Monday it had taken measures to ensure the arrest of the 200 prisoners that escaped from Minna Medium Security Prison on Sunday.

Mr Dibal Yakadi, the Commissioner of Police in Niger said in an interview in Minna that only 19 out of the 219 prisoners that escaped were arrested.

We are working in collaboration with other security agencies in Niger state to make sure that we re-arrest the runaway inmates.

“The police has embarked on stop and search for all vehicles and also engaged personnel on motor and foot patrol to ensure that we apprehend these inmates,’’ he said.

Yakadi also said that the command has deployed its personnel to motor parks across the state to track the escaped prisoners and appealed to the general public to assist security agencies in tracking and apprehending the escaped prisoners.

The international footballing community is in shock over the surprise omission of Manchester City winger Leroy Sane from Germany’s 2018 World Cup list.

The surprise was due to the 22-year-old’s impressive club season, having contributed 14 goals and 17 assists to City’s record-breaking campaign that yielded the English Premier League and Carabao Cup double.

However, instead of Sane, Germany Coach Joachim Löw opted for the likes of Julian Draxler, Marco Reus, Julian Brandt and Sebastian Rudy.

The reigning champions also included Manuel Neuer, who has only played one game since injuring himself in September 2017, on the train.

Also omitted are Bayer Leverkusen duo Bernd Leno and Jonathan, as well as Freiburg striker Nils Petersen. However, theirs has not generated any furore, with many on social media branding Sane’s exclusion “insane”.

FULL GERMANY WORLD CUP SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (PSG)

Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jonas Hector (Koln), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin)

Midfielders: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (PSG), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)

Forwards: Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig).

Source: Sahara Reporters