JAIL BREAKS: NIGERIA PRISONS

The Nigerian police have reported a third jail break within two months released more than 200 prisoners from their cells. Al Jazeera reports on Monday that armed men attacked a jail in the central city of Minna on Saturday. By Sunday morning, only 10 of the escaped prisoners were recaptured.

For now, authorities suspect Boko Haram. Hundreds of people suspected of having ties to Boko Haram have been held in Nigeria jails and it is thought that these prison breaks are the group’s way of getting those individuals back on the outside. If this is the case, Boko Haram isn’t likely to have acted alone. A former U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs stated that this prison break likely required the help of corrupt officials and involved payouts. He notes that the prison break is outside of the area the group usually operates. A government that doesn’t pay its police force or military members well has contributed to the rise in corrupt officials.

However, a security source told Reuters that Boko Haram’s involvement isn’t being highly considered. The source said, “I doubt there were many high profile Boko Haram suspects being held in Minna.”

The previous jailbreaks freed more than 300 inmates earlier this month and 144 inmates back on Nov. 3, when the jailbreakers bombed a wall allowing them to escape