The Federal Government said it has recaptured five of 12 inmates who escaped from lawful custody during Monday’s jailbreak at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Koton Karfe, Kogi state.

Spokesman of the Nigerian Correctional Service NCoS, DCC Abubakar Umar in a statement said the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday 24th March 2024.

He said during the unfortunate incident, some inmates in a section of the facility manipulated the padlocks, leading to the escape of 12 inmates.

“Upon receiving reports of the attack, the Acting Controller General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche MFR, mni, in collaboration with heads of sister security agencies including the SSA to the Governor of Kogi State immediately mobilized to the facility, and personnel were deployed to secure the facility, restore order, and initiate a manhunt for the escapees.

“As of this moment, 5 of the fleeing inmates have been recaptured, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining inmates and bring them to justice”, he stated.

According to him, the Acting Controller General of Corrections has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escapes.

“Additionally, a security audit is being conducted across all correctional facilities nationwide to prevent future occurrences.

“The Service urges members of the public to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies by providing any useful information that may assist in the recapture of those still at large. Citizens are encouraged to report any suspicious activities to the nearest security agency.

“The Service assures Nigerians that the safety of custodial centres remains a top priority, and measures are being reinforced to strengthen security across all facilities. The NCoS remains committed to ensuring that correctional facilities fulfil their mandate of safe custody, rehabilitation, and reintegration of inmates”, the service added.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently reported a decline in Nigeria’s inflation rate to 23.18 percent in February, down from 24.48 percent in January.

Naija News reports that despite this positive news, many analysts have raised questions about the accuracy of the figures and the methodology used in the report.

Shortly after the report’s release, it was quietly removed from the NBS website, raising concerns about data transparency.

Upon checking on Monday, TheCable Index found that the report had been re-uploaded, but with notable alterations.

The updated version omitted historical data, which traditionally dates back to 1995, leaving only the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for January and February 2025.

This incident is not the first of its kind. On January 15, 2025, the NBS website was restored after being down for 29 days due to a cyberattack, which occurred just 24 hours after the bureau released a controversial crime experience and security perception survey. When the site was brought back online, the crime and security perception report was no longer available.

Agora Policy, an Abuja-based think tank, has voiced concerns about unusual trends in the NBS inflation computations.

In its report titled “Questions and Insights from the February 2025 Inflation Data,” the think tank pointed out a sharp and unprecedented decline in the month-on-month inflation rate for December 2024, which stood at -12.3 percent.

The report notes, “According to the newly rebased CPI series, inflation slowed to 23.18% in February 2025 from 24.8% in January 2025, with a moderate month-on-month change of 2.04%. However, using the rebased computations, NBS reported 15.4% as the headline inflation rate for December 2024 and an unprecedented -12.3% as the month-on-month rate for December 2024.”

The think tank expressed concern over the volatility in the data, which is rare in Nigeria’s inflation records, as month-on-month changes are usually more gradual.

The report highlighted that from February to November 2024, monthly inflation changes were stable, ranging from 2.14% to 3.12%.

After the drastic decline in December, the February 2025 figures returned to a more typical pattern with a 2.04% month-on-month change.

Agora Policy also emphasized that the steep drop in December 2024, followed by a sharp rebound in January 2025 with a 10.7 percent month-on-month increase, raises questions about the accuracy of the data and the factors influencing such dramatic shifts.

Former Governor of Jigawa State and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sule Lamido, has blamed the ongoing challenges in the country on Nigerians.

Speaking at his residence in Bamaina during a Ramadan fast-breaking event on Sunday, Lamido asserted that Nigerians voted PDP out of power without considering the grave consequences of their decision.

He argued that Nigerians do not know much about President Bola Tinubu, and described him as an expert in deceit and selfishness.

“As I have been saying, Nigerians don’t know much about Tinubu. He is an expert in deceit and selfishness,” Lamido said.

His comments followed a call by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, urging opposition leaders to unite under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to rescue Nigeria from the current administration.

Lamido, however, dismissed the idea, arguing that only the ideals of truth and nationalism can confront Tinubu.

“You cannot challenge Tinubu with rage, greed, hate, envy, or wickedness. He is a master of all that.

“Only the ideals of truth and nationalism can confront him effectively,” Lamido said.

Meanwhile, Lamido, has asserted that the PDP remains the only political force capable of unseating Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.

He also called on former PDP members who defected to the APC, including Rotimi Amaechi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Aliyu Wamakko, to return to the party and strengthen the opposition’s chances of success.

The former governor expressed deep concern over the deteriorating state of the nation, citing widespread poverty, hunger, insecurity, and general apprehension among Nigerians as consequences of APC’s poor governance.

He stated: “Everyone in Nigeria is now confused because the leadership has lost focus. However, in the struggle to find a way out, politicians must remain focused and avoid personal prejudices; otherwise, it will be difficult to defeat Tinubu.”

He further emphasized the importance of a collective approach, saying: “You shall not think of fighting state institutions on the basis of personal disappointment and succeed, but you can only succeed when you put the collective national interest and make sure everyone around is bound by that philosophy.”

Call For Former PDP Members To Return

Lamido urged former PDP members who had defected to the APC—only to face persecution and marginalization—to return to their original party.

“There is no shame in coming back to the party that glorified you and gave you all opportunities to excel in the Nigerian political arena. You must learn how to eschew political bitterness. Leadership cannot go with anger,” he added.

Lamido specifically called on former governors and political figures, including Rotimi Amaechi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Aliyu Wamakko, to reunite under the PDP and work towards what he described as the liberation of Nigeria from APC’s atrocities.

Dismissing the potential of alternative parties such as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) or the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to challenge Tinubu’s government, Lamido insisted that only the PDP had the structure and strength to mount a formidable opposition.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has decried the direct involvement of the federal government in the appointment of Vice Chancellors for public universities in the country.

ASUU argued that the responsibility should fall directly on the governing councils of the respective institutions.

The ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, who made the fresh call, pointed at the political interference that often accompanies the government appointment of such Vice Chancellors.

Osodeke, who outlined what should be the process of appointment of a university VC according to the law, said the final candidate chosen by the governing council should only be sent to the President, who is the visitor through the Minister of Education for ratification.

The ASUU president noted that if the process is adhered to, it will remove the crisis that usually accompanies the emergence of Vice Chancellors across public universities in the country and there will be an assurance that such a person is not simply the Minister of President’s candidate.

Explaining the process in a chat with Nigerian Tribune, he said, “The procedure to appoint a new VC for a public university in Nigeria is very clear and backed by the law.

“It is the governing council that has a sole responsibility to appoint a new vice- chancellor whenever there is a vacancy.

“The council will meet and constitute a committee, which will be made up of the university Senate and Council.

“The selection committee will conduct interviews for shortlisted candidates and the interviews may be in stages to arrive at the best three and recommend them to the larger Council to pick one for the position.

“The Council will then do thorough review of the entire process against each of the recommended candidate with the criteria used for selecting them.

“At this stage, the Council has the rights to pick anyone from the three and the person may not necessarily be the candidate with the highest marks based on their review and findings.

“And if there is an argument on who to pick among them, they will subject the process to voting with candidate that has the highest votes becomes the new VC and that ought to end the process before sending the name to the President, who is the visitor through the minister of education for ratification.

“So, it is not compulsory to pick number one on the list as the other two have equal chance of becoming the VC, but the council must have to put up a clear and convincing reason or reasons for rejecting the number one.”

Based on the explanation, Osodeke called on the government to hands off the picking of Vice Chancellors.

He said, “What we are seeing nowadays like the recent case of Admiralty University of Nigeria is about external interference from the government that somebody cannot be picked or that this or that person is the candidate of Mr. President or the Minister, which is supposed not to be so.

“If the system is allowed to work as it should, there won’t be any problem in this matter and that is why I will ask government to hands-off completely in the appointment of a new VC for public university in the country.”

Channel For Addressing Grievances

Further speaking, the ASUU president said in order to ensure merit and fairness, any person who feels unsatisfied with the selection process can approach the courts.

He said this would make the process transparent instead of running to the President or Minister when such issues come up.

“At this stage, court has the power to upturn the council’s decision if found to be unfair and the ruling will stand, especially if it is by the Supreme Court.

“So, neither the ministry nor presidency has the constitutional power to force any candidate on the council. It was those old days that the Council would send names of the best three candidates to the President to pick from and that is no longer the practice today.

“And that is why running to the president or minister to resolve appointment crisis instead of court is improper.

“After all, candidates in political elections in the country run to court when they feel cheated and whatever court says stands, especially if the ruling comes from the supreme court.

“That is the same procedure provided for by the in the appointment of a new vice-chancellor for a public university in Nigeria,” Osodeke submitted.