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Yaoundé - At least 80 inmates in Cameroon's restive English-speaking northwest escaped after gunmen stormed their prison overnight, an informed source told AFP Wednesday. "There were about a hundred people in the prison and at least 80 have gone," said a source close to security forces in the town of Wum, more than 70 kilometres (45 miles) north of the regional centre Bamenda.

"The gunmen attacked under cover of darkness," the source said, using a ladder to scale the rear wall before battering down the prisoners' cell doors.

English-speaking separatists want to create an independent state, Ambazonia and vow that a presidential election slated for October 7 will not go ahead in their regions.

Eight candidates are running against 85-year-old incumbent Paul Biya, who has ruled the country for 35 years and is seeking a seventh straight term in office.

Separatists say they have suffered years of discrimination at the hands of the French-speaking majority in Cameroon, and two years of violence in western English-speaking regions have killed hundreds of people and displaced about 200,000.

According to International Crisis Group, 170 members of the security forces and "at least 400 civilians" have died in the conflict. Separatists have not issued a reliable toll.

AFP </s> Some unknown gunmen invaded Minna Medium Security Prison on Sunday night, killing a prison officer and a commercial motorcyclist who conveyed him to night duty.

It was learnt that the gunmen came to the prison premises at about 8-9pm, shooting for over one hour to scare away residents living around the area.

Our correspondent gathered that the gunmen attacked the prison and gained access after exchange of fire with prison armed men, which led to the death of prison officer and the commercial motorcyclist.

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One of the residents of Kafin-Teller where the prison is situated, Mohammed Umaru, told our correspondent that most of the prisoners that escaped during the incident came back on their own.

Umaru alleged that the prison premises is “porous,” and made it possible for the gunmen to gain access .

“I saw them coming out from one Hilux van, Honda Civic and Golf cars ordering everybody in our community to go inside our houses, threatening to shoot us,” he stated.

When contacted, the Nigerian Prison Service Public Relations Officer, Raibu Shuaibu, confirmed the incident, saying that through the combined efforts of all security agencies in the state, seven prisoners who attempted to escape have been captured and returned to the prison.

The prison authority in Minna also said it was profiling the number of fleeing inmates to ascertain the escaped prisoners.

Meanwhile, normalcy has returned and security agencies are working together to ensure that fleeing inmates are recaptured.

It may be recalled that in December 2014 in the same prison, 270 inmates reportedly escaped from custody. </s> Gunmen from a Christian sect have stormed a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, freeing their leader and about 50 other inmates, a government spokesman says.

Shots were fired and vehicles torched as Ne Muanda Nsemi was freed from the jail in Kinshasa, witnesses said.

Police are suspected to have shot dead several prisoners, witnesses added.

Mr Nsemi is a self-styled prophet and the leader of an outlawed group seeking to revive the ancient Kongo kingdom.

He was arrested, along with his three wives and son, in March following clashes between his supporters and police.

Mr Nsemi leads the Bundu dia Kongo movement, which is campaigning to restore a monarchy in parts of DR Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Angola and Gabon.

He was an MP when he was arrested in Kinshasa after police accused him of inciting violence.

“Followers of the Bundu Dia Kongo attacked Makala prison at dawn and broke out around 50 prisoners including their guru, Ne Muanda Nsemi,” government spokesman Lambert Mende said, AFP news agency reports.

A major operation is underway in Kinshasa to recapture the prisoners, reports the BBC’s Mbelechi Msoshi from the city.

He saw Red Cross officials loading the bodies of several prisoners into vehicles and and transporting them to the morgue.

In January 2016, every prisoner except one escaped from a jail in eastern DR Congo. They included murder and rape convicts.

Rights groups say prisons in the country are over-crowded and badly guarded. BBC News </s> 182 out of the 210 prisoners in the Minna Medium Security Prison are at large following the attack on the facility, the Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau, disclosed on Monday.

Gunmen had on Sunday night invaded the Minna Medium Security Prison killing one prison officer and an okada rider that conveyed him to the facility.

It was learnt that the gunmen came to the prison premises about 9pm, shooting sporadically for over one hour to scare away residents.

Our correspondent gathered that they attacked the prison and gained access after an exchange of fire with armed prison officials.

A resident of Kafin-Teller where the prison is situated, Mohammed Umaru, told our correspondent that some of the prisoners that escaped during the incident came back on their own.

According to him, most of them have almost concluded their jail terms and have to come back to avoid extension.

Addressing journalists after assessing the prison in Minna, Dambazau said that two prisoners whose death warrants were to be signed by Governor Abubakar Bello were among the escapees.

“Among the escapees were two condemned criminals whose death warrants were supposed to have been signed by the governor of Niger State today. That is probably part of the motivation for this prison break. However, the investigation will bring out most of these.”

The minister blamed the jailbreak on security gaps, saying, “The visit revealed some security gaps which must be tackled to prevent reoccurrence.”

He said a committee had been set up to investigate the incident, adding that the ministry would work with the committee’s report.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller General of Nigerian Prisons Service, Ja’afaru Ahmed, has debunked the rumour that the prison was attacked because it had Boko Haram inmates.

“There is no Boko Haram suspect in the Minna prison facility. We do not know who attacked the prison yet but investigations will reveal it.”

Ahmed did not disclose how the gunmen gained access into the prison, the number of officials on duty and those injured.

The state Governor, Abubakar Bello, described the incident as unfortunate, adding that the state was set to partner with the Federal Government towards forestalling reoccurrence.

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Gunmen storm a prison in Cameroon, releasing up to 80 prisoners.