By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Twelve inmates escaped in an early morning jailbreak at the Federal Correctional Centre in Kotonkarfe, Kogi State, on Monday.

Kogi State Information Commissioner, Kingsley Fanwo, described the incident as “unfortunate” and assured citizens that the government, working with security agencies, would take steps to prevent a recurrence.

According to him, “law enforcement agencies have re-arrested one of the escapees”.

He said that “the theory that the inmates escaped through the tower without causing any structural damage raises serious concerns.

“This calls for a thorough investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the escape, arrest the fleeing inmates, and identify possible saboteurs within the system.”

The commissioner said Governor Usman Ododo had asked security agencies to “ensure such security breaches do not happen again.”

“We call on the public to report any suspicious individuals in their communities.

“Anyone found harbouring an escaped inmate will be held accountable,” he warned.

Fanwo said: “There is no cause for panic. We encourage citizens to go about their daily activities as normal, knowing that the security of lives and property remains our top priority.”

By Francesca Hangeior

The head of the United Kingdom national grid has said there was “enough power” to keep Heathrow Airport running on Friday, after an electrical substation fire shuttered Europe’s busiest air hub.

The shutdown — which lasted most of the day — affected thousands of passengers around the world and raised questions about the reliability of one of the UK’s key pieces of infrastructure.

National Grid chief executive John Pettigrew told the Financial Times on Sunday that power had remained available to the airport in west London through two other substations.

“There was no lack of capacity from the substations,” he said. “Each substation individually can provide enough power to Heathrow.”

“Losing a substation is a unique event — but there were two others available.”

Airport officials said the closure was due to the time it took to switch to the other substations and make safety checks.

“Hundreds of critical systems across the airport were required to be safely powered down and then safely and systematically rebooted,” a Heathrow Airport spokesperson said.

“Given Heathrow’s size and operational complexity, safely restarting operations after a disruption of this magnitude was a significant challenge.”

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye had said a back-up transformer failed, meaning systems had to be closed so power supplies could be restructured from the two other substations.

The government has ordered a six-week investigation into the shutdown.

About 1,350 flights were affected by Friday’s closure, according to the Flightradar24 tracking website. Around 120 Heathrow-bound planes were in the air when the closure was announced and had to be diverted.

Fire officials have said the blaze, which broke out on Thursday night, was “believed to be non-suspicious” and that enquiries would “focus on the electrical distribution equipment”.

Asked on Monday about the way airport bosses handled the events, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “I’m not going to justify decisions that Heathrow leadership did or didn’t take.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

In an attempt to clarify, the Chairman of the House Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has denied that the funds were bribes to secure support for the emergency rule.

Investigative journalist Jaafar Jaafar disclosed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Betara reached out to clarify that the $5,000 given to lawmakers was merely a “Sallah Gesture” and not an inducement.

According to the journalist, Betara said it was part of a long-standing tradition and had nothing to do with the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.

“The chairman of the House Committee on FCT, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has clarified to me that he only shared $5,000 to each member of his committee as a ‘Sallah Gesture’ not an inducement to support emergency rule in Rivers State. According to him, he maintains the tradition – like Santa Claus – every year. As we say in Hausa, not thigh but hind leg,” Jaafar posted.

However, this explanation corroborates SaharaReporters’ previous exclusive findings, which revealed that substantial sums were handed out at Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s guest house in Maitama, Abuja, to sway lawmakers in favour of the emergency rule.

Multiple sources confirmed to the media that Akpabio’s guest house at No. 22, Yedeseram Street was the epicentre of the cash distribution. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, senators were discreetly handed stacks of dollars, allegedly as a reward for supporting Tinubu’s controversial move.

“The venue was the Senate President’s guest house at No. 22, Yedeseram Street, Maitama, where 42 senators were given $10,000 each last Wednesday night, and 45 senators received $5,000 each on Tuesday night, March 18, to pass the controversial Rivers State emergency rule,” a top source confirmed.

Adding fuel to the scandal, SaharaReporters also learned that Labour Party senators Victor Umeh and Neda Imasuen played key roles in facilitating the payout despite their party’s opposition stance.

“They were the only Labour Party senators present at both events on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and participated in collecting the money,” a source disclosed.

This comes amid earlier reports that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike allegedly provided over $3 million to Akpabio to ensure the Senate backed the emergency rule declaration. Sources told SaharaReporters that Wike and Akpabio met following Tinubu’s directive to “do the groundwork” for the emergency declaration.

The cash reportedly flowed during an Iftar dinner attended by selected senators, where varying amounts of dollars were allegedly distributed based on lawmakers’ seniority.

Despite the massive cash incentives, some prominent senators, including former governors Seriake Dickson and Aminu Tambuwal, reportedly snubbed the event.

Further intrigue unfolded last Wednesday when Senate deliberations on the emergency rule were postponed to 3 p.m., allegedly to prevent a full house from voting on the matter. According to insiders, Senate President Akpabio orchestrated the delay to ensure that opposition voices were absent when the motion was pushed forward.

“The senators requested an open vote, but Akpabio postponed it until 3 p.m. when most senators would have left the chamber,” a source told SaharaReporters.

“At least 72 senators are required to sign, but fewer than 60 were present today. The House of Representatives also needs a minimum of 240 votes. Meanwhile, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas was not informed, which explains the chaos in the House of Representatives today.”

President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing political instability and security threats, including recent oil pipeline vandalism.

However, the revelations of cash-for-support allegations raise serious questions about the move’s legitimacy and the extent of the political manoeuvring behind it.

The chairman of the House Committee on FCT, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has clarified to me that he only shared $5,000 to each member of his committee as “Sallah Gesture” not an inducement to support emergency rule in Rivers State.

According to him, he maintains the tradition – like… pic.twitter.com/o18kOkURKa

— Jaafar Jaafar (@JaafarSJaafar) March 23, 2025