Monday, February 26, 2018
Video - Has Boko Haram been defeated in Nigeria
The kidnapping of dozens more schoolgirls in Nigeria suggests Boko Haram hasn't been defeated, despite the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Video - The Battle Against Boko Haram
In 2009, Boko Haram began what would become one of the deadliest insurgencies in Nigeria. But according to authorities the militants have now been defeated.
Government confirms 110 girls still missing after Boko Haram attack another school in Nigeria
Nigeria's government acknowledged Sunday that 110 girls remain missing nearly a week after Boko Haram militants attacked their town. Frustrated family members already had compiled a list of missing girls after saying officials were being slow to respond.
The fate of the girls is not known, but witnesses said the Islamic extremists specifically asked where the girls' school was located. Some eyewitnesses reporting seeing young women taken away at gunpoint.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed made the announcement Sunday after meetings were held with family members and others, some of whom have criticized the government for taking days to make such an announcement.
Air Force spokesperson Olatokunbo Adesanya said in a statement Sunday that "the renewed efforts at locating the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other surface security forces."
Many fear the girls were abducted as brides for Boko Haram extremists. The group kidnapped 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok in 2014 and forced them to marry their captors. About 100 of the Chibok girls have never returned to their families in nearly four years.
The fate of the girls is not known, but witnesses said the Islamic extremists specifically asked where the girls' school was located. Some eyewitnesses reporting seeing young women taken away at gunpoint.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed made the announcement Sunday after meetings were held with family members and others, some of whom have criticized the government for taking days to make such an announcement.
Air Force spokesperson Olatokunbo Adesanya said in a statement Sunday that "the renewed efforts at locating the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other surface security forces."
Many fear the girls were abducted as brides for Boko Haram extremists. The group kidnapped 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok in 2014 and forced them to marry their captors. About 100 of the Chibok girls have never returned to their families in nearly four years.
'A national disaster'
The militants arrived last Monday evening in the town of Dapchi in Nigeria's Yobe state, sending many fleeing into the surrounding bush amid the hail of gunfire. While Nigeria's president has called the girls' disappearances "a national disaster," local officials at first falsely indicated that some of those abducted were rescued, while others were hiding and would return in the coming days.
Bashir Manzo, whose daughter Fatima is among the missing, said the chances the children are merely hiding in the bush are slim.
"All those that fled into the bush had been brought back to the school on Tuesday, and a roll call was taken after which they had all gone home to meet their parents," he said.
Nigeria's president said earlier that no effort will be spared to locate them.
"The entire country stands as one with the girls' families, the government and the people of Yobe state," President Muhammadu Buhari said earlier in the week.
"This is a national disaster. We are sorry that this could have happened and share your pain. We pray that our gallant armed forces will locate and safely return your missing family members."
The militants arrived last Monday evening in the town of Dapchi in Nigeria's Yobe state, sending many fleeing into the surrounding bush amid the hail of gunfire. While Nigeria's president has called the girls' disappearances "a national disaster," local officials at first falsely indicated that some of those abducted were rescued, while others were hiding and would return in the coming days.
Bashir Manzo, whose daughter Fatima is among the missing, said the chances the children are merely hiding in the bush are slim.
"All those that fled into the bush had been brought back to the school on Tuesday, and a roll call was taken after which they had all gone home to meet their parents," he said.
Nigeria's president said earlier that no effort will be spared to locate them.
"The entire country stands as one with the girls' families, the government and the people of Yobe state," President Muhammadu Buhari said earlier in the week.
"This is a national disaster. We are sorry that this could have happened and share your pain. We pray that our gallant armed forces will locate and safely return your missing family members."
Friday, February 23, 2018
Video - Government retracts statement that Nigerian schoolgirls were rescued
There's concern in north east Nigeria after the government retracted a statement claiming dozens of abducted schoolgirls had been rescued.
Outbreak of lassa fever kills 73 in Nigeria
Nigeria is grappling with an outbreak of Lassa fever, which has caused 73 deaths this year as the number of new confirmed cases surged in the past week, according to the country’s Center for Disease Control.
The acute viral hemorrhagic illness is endemic in several West African countries including Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization. The UN agency said earlier this month it was scaling up its response to the outbreak, which has spread to 17 of Nigeria’s 36 states.
The current outbreak “is more than what we have seen before, it is overwhelming,” Elsie Ilori, incident manager at the NCDC’s Lassa Fever Emergency Operations Centre, said by phone Thursday.
A total of 913 suspected cases have been registered since the start of the year, with Nigeria’s southern Ondo and Edo states most affected, according NCDC data. The fatality rate in confirmed and probable cases is 21 percent, it showed.
The Lassa virus is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces, according to the WHO.
The acute viral hemorrhagic illness is endemic in several West African countries including Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization. The UN agency said earlier this month it was scaling up its response to the outbreak, which has spread to 17 of Nigeria’s 36 states.
The current outbreak “is more than what we have seen before, it is overwhelming,” Elsie Ilori, incident manager at the NCDC’s Lassa Fever Emergency Operations Centre, said by phone Thursday.
A total of 913 suspected cases have been registered since the start of the year, with Nigeria’s southern Ondo and Edo states most affected, according NCDC data. The fatality rate in confirmed and probable cases is 21 percent, it showed.
The Lassa virus is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces, according to the WHO.
Nigeria Super Eagles coach to stick with core squad for 2018 World Cup
The West Africans have been hit by a goalkeeping crisis; first choice Carl Ikeme was diagnosed with leukaemia, both Daniel Akpeyi and his replacement Ikechukwu Ezenwa have failed to impress while Francis Uzoho is inexperienced.
Rohr is not tempted to call up another goalkeeper, despite growing calls from a section of fans for him to recall the country's most capped player Vincent Enyeama from retirement.
"We have built a good environment for the team and I believe all the players gave everything to secure the ticket to Russia," Rohr told BBC Sport.
"It looks very impossible to get Carl Ikeme to play in Russia, but Ikechukwu Ezenwa showed in big matches so far that he can be in goal.
"The young boy Uzoho had a great game against Argentina so I've sent the goalkeeper trainer to continue to provide support for this boy in Spain.
"We are not limited as we also have other goalkeepers like Akpeyi, Ajiboye and Alampasu in the team, so I believe we are fine."
At the last tournament, Nigeria drafted in experienced Peter Odemwingie and Shola Ameobi, with the former scoring the only goal against debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina to give Nigeria their solitary victory in Brazil.
Many have cited a lack of experience in the current squad, but Rohr is confident he has the personnel to get the job done and will stick with his current group in Russia.
"You have to respect what the former players have done in the past but be careful that you don't try to bring them back because people think so," said Rohr.
"We have big experience in captain [John] Mikel Obi, Victor Moses and our left back Elderson who is now playing in Belgium.
"If we feel the need to strengthen this squad we know what to do because for nearly two years now we've had a good atmosphere so far. Another good news is that the young striker in Wolfsburg [Victor] Osimhen is also playing now.
"I will make the [provisional] squad based on this group and also give one of the CHAN boys a chance as well.
"We can't just keep bringing in player after player when you already have those who have proven that they can do the job," Rohr added.
The Super Eagles will be making a sixth appearance at the World Cup tournament in Russia wehere they will play Argentina, Iceland and Croatia in Group D.
The three-time African champions reached the round of 16 in 1994, 1998 and 2014 but exit the 2002 and 2010 tournaments in the group stages.
Nigerian schoolgirls still not accounted for after Boko Haram attack
Dozens of schoolgirls are still unaccounted for days after suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked their school in northeast Nigeria.
The Yobe state government issued a statement on Thursday that retracted an earlier one that some of the missing girls had been rescued by the military.
"We have now established that the information we relied on to make the statement was not credible. The Yobe state government apologises for that," said Abdullahi Bego, spokesman for Yobe Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.
Late on Wednesday, Bego had said some girls had been "rescued by gallant officers and men of the Nigerian army from the terorrists who abducted them".
Bego did not give a specific number of those saved.
Police said on Wednesday that 111 girls from the state-run boarding school in Dapchi, in Yobe state, were unaccounted for following an attack by the armed group on Monday night.
But exact figures have been difficult to confirm.
On Thursday, parents said 101 children were still missing, The Associated Press reported, while unidentified sources told Reuters 91 were gone.
The students were reported to have fled the attack with their teachers at the sound of gunfire.
More than 20,000 people have been killed and two million others forced to flee their homes in northeastern Nigeria since Boko Haram launched a campaign in 2009 aimed at forming a breakaway state.
Over the years, the armed group has kidnapped thousands of adults and children.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari recently said the era of Boko Haram violence "is gradually drawing to end".
However, the group continues to launch attacks in the country's northeast, and its leader remains at large.
The Yobe state government issued a statement on Thursday that retracted an earlier one that some of the missing girls had been rescued by the military.
"We have now established that the information we relied on to make the statement was not credible. The Yobe state government apologises for that," said Abdullahi Bego, spokesman for Yobe Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.
Late on Wednesday, Bego had said some girls had been "rescued by gallant officers and men of the Nigerian army from the terorrists who abducted them".
Bego did not give a specific number of those saved.
Police said on Wednesday that 111 girls from the state-run boarding school in Dapchi, in Yobe state, were unaccounted for following an attack by the armed group on Monday night.
But exact figures have been difficult to confirm.
On Thursday, parents said 101 children were still missing, The Associated Press reported, while unidentified sources told Reuters 91 were gone.
The students were reported to have fled the attack with their teachers at the sound of gunfire.
More than 20,000 people have been killed and two million others forced to flee their homes in northeastern Nigeria since Boko Haram launched a campaign in 2009 aimed at forming a breakaway state.
Over the years, the armed group has kidnapped thousands of adults and children.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari recently said the era of Boko Haram violence "is gradually drawing to end".
However, the group continues to launch attacks in the country's northeast, and its leader remains at large.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Video - Pupils, teachers escape militant attack on school in Nigeria's Yobe State
Boko Haram insurgents have made unsuccessful attempt to kidnap school girls at a rural secondary school in Yobe state. The group that gained international notoriety for kidnapping hundreds of school girls from Chibok raided the school on Monday evening.
Video - Nigeria's electoral commission aims to register 80 million voters
Nigeria has started preparing for next year's elections. The country is due to go to the polls in February 2019. And the Independent National Electoral Commission has already started registering voters.
Some missing girls rescued after Boko Haram attack on school
Some of the schoolgirls missing after a militant attack on a boarding school in northern Nigeria have been rescued by the military, officials say.
About 100 children were believed to be missing after pupils and teachers fled into bush outside the town of Dapchi during the attack.
Parents told the BBC they had seen girls being taken away in trucks.
The attack comes four years after Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 girls from a school in the town of Chibok.
In a statement, the Yobe state government said an unspecified number of girls had been rescued from the "terrorists who abducted them" and were now with the army.
Reuters news agency quoted parents and a government official as saying that 76 girls had been rescued and at least 13 were still missing
Two girls had been found dead, Reuters said, without specifying how they had died.
Yobe state officials had previously said there was no information to suggest any of the girls had been kidnapped.
Dapchi is about 275km (170 miles) north-west of Chibok.
The jihadists entered the town firing guns and letting off explosives, causing students and teachers to flee into the surrounding bush.
Residents say that Nigeria's security forces - backed by military jets - later repelled the attack.
Locals living near the school told the BBC that many of the girls who had fled had been found after hiding in surrounding villages - some up to 30km away.
Yobe's police minister said that 815 of the school's 926 students had later returned to the school.
The minister was speaking before news that more girls had been rescued by the military.
About 100 children were believed to be missing after pupils and teachers fled into bush outside the town of Dapchi during the attack.
Parents told the BBC they had seen girls being taken away in trucks.
The attack comes four years after Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 girls from a school in the town of Chibok.
In a statement, the Yobe state government said an unspecified number of girls had been rescued from the "terrorists who abducted them" and were now with the army.
Reuters news agency quoted parents and a government official as saying that 76 girls had been rescued and at least 13 were still missing
Two girls had been found dead, Reuters said, without specifying how they had died.
Yobe state officials had previously said there was no information to suggest any of the girls had been kidnapped.
Dapchi is about 275km (170 miles) north-west of Chibok.
The jihadists entered the town firing guns and letting off explosives, causing students and teachers to flee into the surrounding bush.
Residents say that Nigeria's security forces - backed by military jets - later repelled the attack.
Locals living near the school told the BBC that many of the girls who had fled had been found after hiding in surrounding villages - some up to 30km away.
Yobe's police minister said that 815 of the school's 926 students had later returned to the school.
The minister was speaking before news that more girls had been rescued by the military.
What has happened to the Chibok girls?
Last September, a group of more than 100 of the Chibok girls were reunited with their families at a party in Abuja.
Most of the group were released in May as part of a controversial prisoner swap deal with the Nigerian government that saw five Boko Haram commanders released.
But more than 100 schoolgirls are still being held by Boko Haram, and their whereabouts are unknown.
Boko Haram militants have been fighting a long insurgency in their quest for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. The conflict is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of people.
The Chibok girls represent a fraction of the women captured by the militant group, which has kidnapped thousands during its eight-year insurgency in northern Nigeria.
Last September, a group of more than 100 of the Chibok girls were reunited with their families at a party in Abuja.
Most of the group were released in May as part of a controversial prisoner swap deal with the Nigerian government that saw five Boko Haram commanders released.
But more than 100 schoolgirls are still being held by Boko Haram, and their whereabouts are unknown.
Boko Haram militants have been fighting a long insurgency in their quest for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. The conflict is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of people.
The Chibok girls represent a fraction of the women captured by the militant group, which has kidnapped thousands during its eight-year insurgency in northern Nigeria.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Video - Nigeria women's bobsleigh team makes Olympic history
Nigeria’s women Bobsleigh team is making history by becoming the first ever African bobsled team to qualify for the Olympics.
205 Boko Haram suspects convicted in Nigeria
A Nigerian high court convicted 205 Boko Haram suspects for their involvement with the insurgent group, according to a Justice Ministry statement on Monday.
The suspects were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three to 60 years, the ministry said.
"Most of them were convicted for professing to belong to the terrorist group, concealing information about the group which they knew or believe to be of material assistance that could lead to the arrest, prosecution or conviction of Boko Haram members," the justice ministry statement said.
Since last week, hundreds of suspected Boko Haram members have appeared before a court at the Kainji military base in Niger, a central Nigerian state.
It also freed 526 suspects, including minors, for lack of evidence and ordered they be sent to their state governments for "proper rehabilitation."
Seventy-three cases were adjourned for another hearing.
Among those released was a young girl from Nigeria's Borno State with a 3-month-old baby. She was arrested in 2014 while escaping Sambisa forest, a Boko Haram enclave.
The court on Friday imposed a second 15-year sentence on Haruna Yahaya, who was involved in the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014.
The suspects were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three to 60 years, the ministry said.
"Most of them were convicted for professing to belong to the terrorist group, concealing information about the group which they knew or believe to be of material assistance that could lead to the arrest, prosecution or conviction of Boko Haram members," the justice ministry statement said.
Since last week, hundreds of suspected Boko Haram members have appeared before a court at the Kainji military base in Niger, a central Nigerian state.
It also freed 526 suspects, including minors, for lack of evidence and ordered they be sent to their state governments for "proper rehabilitation."
Seventy-three cases were adjourned for another hearing.
Among those released was a young girl from Nigeria's Borno State with a 3-month-old baby. She was arrested in 2014 while escaping Sambisa forest, a Boko Haram enclave.
The court on Friday imposed a second 15-year sentence on Haruna Yahaya, who was involved in the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Video - Nigeria's military claim Boko Haram is defeated
Nigeria's military has spent the past two years claiming Boko Haram is defeated.The claims were repeated even as the army is constantly battling Boko Haram. And the insurgents staged numerous suicide attacks on civilian targets.
Monday, February 19, 2018
Video - Armed men have killed 18 people over cattle dispute in Nigeria
In Nigeria, authorities are still tracking the situation in the North-west of the country. Recent clashes between local hunters and cattle rustlers saw at least 18 people killed in Zamfara State.
Nigerian military ordered to capture Boka Haram leader "dead or alive"
Buratai said on Sunday it has come to the end of the military operation aimed at clearing remnants of Boko Haram from their stronghold in the northeast region, except the capturing of Abubakar Shekau, who is both the spiritual head and supreme commander of the terror group.
"We must move across to wherever this criminal, Shekau, is and catch him red-handed. I want you to get him," the army chief charged the troops in Camp Zairo, previously the largest camp of Boko Haram in the northern state of Borno.
Last year, Buratai gave troops a 40-day ultimatum to capture Shekau but they failed in the bid.
Last Thursday, the army offered a bounty of 8,310 U.S. dollars on Shekau's head.
The military said it had chased the terrorist leader out of Camp Zairo since December 2016.
The Nigerian army said it has "reliable information" that Shekau now disguises as a woman in his attempt to escape from the theater of operation by troops.
Boko Haram has been trying since 2009 to establish an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria, killing some 20,000 people and forcing displacement of millions of others.
Amokachi wants his twin sons to play for Nigeria
Former Super Eagles striker, Daniel Amokachi who declared himself Super Eagles number one fan still has that patriotic zeal running in his veins like in the days he played for Nigeria.
The USA ’94, France ’98 and Korea-Japan 2002 World Cup star has said he would want to see his twin sons follow the path he has threaded, by playing for Nigeria, instead of Tunisia, the country of their mother. Amokachi, fondly called Da Bull in his active days said, “Definitely, that would be my dream, their mother’s dream, even their dream because their heart is with Nigeria.”
He informed that the boys had turned down the opportunity to be capped by Tunisia, but remains hopeful that call will come up for them to play for Nigeria. “They are doing pretty well in Besiktas, they are with the U23 team, we are trying to see if they can play the professional angle of it because, in Turkey, they leave the foreign slot for professionals.
Right now, however, they are working very hard and we hope that soon, they will get the opportunity to play in a place where they can give a good account of themselves,” Amokachi said. He prayed that Super Eagles players who are World Cup bound should remain injury free in order to find themselves in good form before the tournament.
“Qualifying for the World Cup is one thing but the World Cup proper is a different ball game. The most important thing is that our players should be healthy and have enough playing time in their respective clubs because that will definitely tell when it comes to the World Cup. “I have confidence that this team can take us to the next level, like the quarter-final or even win the World Cup”.
BBC launches services in Igbo and Yoruba
Two new language services have been launched by the BBC World Service for Igbo and Yoruba speakers in Nigeria and West and Central Africa.
Their digital content is mainly aimed at audiences who use mobile phones.
Igbo is primarily spoken in south-east Nigeria and Yoruba in the south-west, as well as in Benin and Togo.
The new services are part of the World Service's biggest expansion since the 1940s, following a government-funding boost announced in 2016.
In total, 12 services are being launched by the BBC in Africa and Asia.
. Best-known Igbo speaker was Chinua Achebe, regarded as the founding father of African literature
Their digital content is mainly aimed at audiences who use mobile phones.
Igbo is primarily spoken in south-east Nigeria and Yoruba in the south-west, as well as in Benin and Togo.
The new services are part of the World Service's biggest expansion since the 1940s, following a government-funding boost announced in 2016.
In total, 12 services are being launched by the BBC in Africa and Asia.
Igbo - seven things
. Best-known Igbo speaker was Chinua Achebe, regarded as the founding father of African literature
. Estimated to have more than 30 million speakers, mainly in south-eastern Nigeria
. A word with the same spelling can have different meanings, for example "akwa" is bed, egg, cloth or burial rights - depending on its tone
. An Igbo secessionist movement sparked a brutal civil war in 1967
. The caffeine-rich kola nut is all important in Igbo culture - always offered to welcome guests
. A famous proverb: "Onye wetara ọjị, wetara ndụ" meaning: "He who brings kola, brings life"
. bbc.com/igbo is also on Facebook and Instagram
The BBC's expansion in Nigeria - Africa's most populous country where more than 200 languages are spoken - began last year with BBC Pidgin, which targets those who use the regional English-based lingua franca.
It is primarily an oral language, without a standard agreed written form.
The BBC Igbo and Yoruba teams have also faced challenges to standardise their written languages for modern audiences - and have sought advice from academics.
"Yoruba can be very confusing for younger readers because it has so many inflections, so we using a less complex system to appeal to them," says Yoruba service editor Temidayo Olofinsawo.
Yoruba - seven things
. Best-known Yoruba speaker is Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize-winning playwright and poet
The BBC's expansion in Nigeria - Africa's most populous country where more than 200 languages are spoken - began last year with BBC Pidgin, which targets those who use the regional English-based lingua franca.
It is primarily an oral language, without a standard agreed written form.
The BBC Igbo and Yoruba teams have also faced challenges to standardise their written languages for modern audiences - and have sought advice from academics.
"Yoruba can be very confusing for younger readers because it has so many inflections, so we using a less complex system to appeal to them," says Yoruba service editor Temidayo Olofinsawo.
Yoruba - seven things
. Best-known Yoruba speaker is Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize-winning playwright and poet
. More than 40 million speakers, mainly in south-western Nigeria
. A word with the same spelling can have different meanings, for example "owo" is money, honour, hand or broom - depending on the tone
. More people practise the traditional Yoruba religion in South America and the Caribbean than in
. Nigeria - as a result of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
. A thriving Yoruba film and music industry powers Nollywood
. A famous proverb: "Ile laawo k'a to s'ọmọ lorukọ" meaning: "You should name your child to reflect your family background".
. bbc.com/yoruba is also on Facebook and Instagram
There are very few news publications in Igbo and Yoruba in Nigeria, so it is hoped the new BBC services will be popular with Nigerians at home - and in the diaspora.
"This is the first time the Igbo language will be written and broadcast for international consumption," says Adline Okere, editor of the Igbo service.
"Igbos are known for their entrepreneurial spirit - and they are spread all over the world," she says.
What is on offer?
The teams will produce a twice daily bulletin of BBC Minute - an audio round-up of stories as well as news, analysis, explainers and features on the web and social media.
The BBC's head of West Africa, Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye, says the focus will be on original journalism.
"Delivering content and engaging with the Igbo and Yoruba audiences in their mother tongues is authentic, exciting and refreshing," she says.
"We have had BBC Hausa [mainly spoken in northern Nigeria] for decades and we've seen the impact it had with its audience.
"When we look at Nigeria we have a multicultural society and the BBC felt that it was very important to give all the cultures a platform to communicate, a platform to interact."
There are very few news publications in Igbo and Yoruba in Nigeria, so it is hoped the new BBC services will be popular with Nigerians at home - and in the diaspora.
"This is the first time the Igbo language will be written and broadcast for international consumption," says Adline Okere, editor of the Igbo service.
"Igbos are known for their entrepreneurial spirit - and they are spread all over the world," she says.
What is on offer?
The teams will produce a twice daily bulletin of BBC Minute - an audio round-up of stories as well as news, analysis, explainers and features on the web and social media.
The BBC's head of West Africa, Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye, says the focus will be on original journalism.
"Delivering content and engaging with the Igbo and Yoruba audiences in their mother tongues is authentic, exciting and refreshing," she says.
"We have had BBC Hausa [mainly spoken in northern Nigeria] for decades and we've seen the impact it had with its audience.
"When we look at Nigeria we have a multicultural society and the BBC felt that it was very important to give all the cultures a platform to communicate, a platform to interact."
Nigerian court frees 475 Boko Haram suspects
When mechanics Taye and Kehinde Hamza agreed to service a vehicle at their workshop in Nigeria's Bauchi State in 2010, they could never have imagined the years of hell which would follow.
The car, it turned out, belonged to a Boko Haram fighter, and the job was enough to get the twins arrested.
It would be another eight years until they were free again, cleared along with 473 others of terrorism charges.
Theirs is one tale among many emerging from a mass trial currently under way.
Four judges have been hearing cases since last Monday in the town of Kainji, in the central Niger State. So far, those released for lack of evidence far outweigh those convicted of being members of Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
The car, it turned out, belonged to a Boko Haram fighter, and the job was enough to get the twins arrested.
It would be another eight years until they were free again, cleared along with 473 others of terrorism charges.
Theirs is one tale among many emerging from a mass trial currently under way.
Four judges have been hearing cases since last Monday in the town of Kainji, in the central Niger State. So far, those released for lack of evidence far outweigh those convicted of being members of Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
Married to a militant at 11
Among those cleared of all charges last week were children and the elderly. Some, like the Hamza twins, had been detained since 2010.
Mariam Mohammed, a Shua Arab from Borno State, was caught by soldiers as she tried to flee the Sambisa Forest - Boko Haram's base - back in 2014.
She had been lured into the forest and married off to a fighter at the age of 11, an official statement from the Nigerian Justice Ministry said.
Last week, she turned up in court cradling a three-month-old baby.
The long term impact of their imprisonment is not yet known. According to the Justice Ministry, some are suffering from mental illnesses - although whether the conditions existed before their arrests was unclear.
At a previous mass trial, held in October, more than 400 suspects were released, with just 45 jailed for their roles in the Boko Haram insurgency which has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced millions of others.
Among those cleared of all charges last week were children and the elderly. Some, like the Hamza twins, had been detained since 2010.
Mariam Mohammed, a Shua Arab from Borno State, was caught by soldiers as she tried to flee the Sambisa Forest - Boko Haram's base - back in 2014.
She had been lured into the forest and married off to a fighter at the age of 11, an official statement from the Nigerian Justice Ministry said.
Last week, she turned up in court cradling a three-month-old baby.
The long term impact of their imprisonment is not yet known. According to the Justice Ministry, some are suffering from mental illnesses - although whether the conditions existed before their arrests was unclear.
At a previous mass trial, held in October, more than 400 suspects were released, with just 45 jailed for their roles in the Boko Haram insurgency which has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced millions of others.
Chibok 'mastermind'
Justice Minister Abubakar Malami told the BBC that the released suspects would be rehabilitated before being allowed to return to their families.
But while these judges are making headway into the backlog of people awaiting trial, there are still another 5,000 people are still waiting for their own dates to be set.
The judges have found 205 people guilty of terror-related offences - including the "mastermind" behind the abduction of the Chibok girls.
Judges had originally found Haruna Yahaya, 35, guilty of taking part in the 2014 kidnapping - despite his arguments he was an unwilling participant. On Friday, they handed him an additional sentence for planning the mass kidnapping.
In total, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
But while convictions like this offer the hope of justice for Boko Haram's many victims, campaign group Amnesty International has questioned the method of the trial.
"Mass trials of this nature provide insufficient guarantees for fair trial and risk failing to realize justice," Amnesty's Nigeria's director, Osai Ojigho, said.
"This is particularly so in this case, given that Amnesty International has previously documented how the security forces routinely rounded up and detained hundreds of young men as 'Boko Haram suspects' with no evidence."
The Nigerian authorities always insist that the suspects are being given fair hearing at the trials with lawyers provided to defend them through the Nigeria Legal Aid Council, according to the Justice Ministry.
Justice Minister Abubakar Malami told the BBC that the released suspects would be rehabilitated before being allowed to return to their families.
But while these judges are making headway into the backlog of people awaiting trial, there are still another 5,000 people are still waiting for their own dates to be set.
The judges have found 205 people guilty of terror-related offences - including the "mastermind" behind the abduction of the Chibok girls.
Judges had originally found Haruna Yahaya, 35, guilty of taking part in the 2014 kidnapping - despite his arguments he was an unwilling participant. On Friday, they handed him an additional sentence for planning the mass kidnapping.
In total, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
But while convictions like this offer the hope of justice for Boko Haram's many victims, campaign group Amnesty International has questioned the method of the trial.
"Mass trials of this nature provide insufficient guarantees for fair trial and risk failing to realize justice," Amnesty's Nigeria's director, Osai Ojigho, said.
"This is particularly so in this case, given that Amnesty International has previously documented how the security forces routinely rounded up and detained hundreds of young men as 'Boko Haram suspects' with no evidence."
The Nigerian authorities always insist that the suspects are being given fair hearing at the trials with lawyers provided to defend them through the Nigeria Legal Aid Council, according to the Justice Ministry.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Video - Man involved in 2014 Chibok kidnappings in Nigeria jailed for 15 years
A senior member of Boko Haram has been convicted in connection with the abduction of hundreds of girls from Chibok. The young women were kidnapped back in 2014 and many are still missing.
Video - Nigerians closely watching political events in South Africa
People around the world but especially in Africa are watching the political developments in South Africa closely. One of the country's biggest allies is Nigeria. And the two economies are the strongest in Africa.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Video - Nigerian visual artist wins international acclaim
Nigerian artist, Laolu Senbanjo, has won international acclaim by turning the human body into a canvas. Just a few years ago, he was working as a lawyer but he can now add music star Beyoncé to a list of people who have commissioned his work. Now he's set to open his first major exhibition in New York.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Video - Nigeria's US$1 billion Ogoniland clean-up project grinds to a halt
More than a year after the Nigerian government launched a billion-dollar Ogoniland clean-up project, the region remains severely polluted. It turns out the initial clean-up activities didn't last long, reportedly due to a lack of funds.
Mass trial of hundreds of Boko Haram suspects resumes
Hundreds of people suspected of links to Boko Haram stood trial in a detention center in central Nigeria on Monday in a resumption of the country’s biggest legal investigation of the militant Islamist insurgency, authorities said.
More than 20,000 people have been killed and two million forced to flee their homes in northeastern Nigeria since Boko Haram began an insurgency in 2009 aimed at creating an Islamic state.
The justice ministry said the suspects appeared in open court, after rights groups criticized earlier hearings in which more than 1,000 people stood trial in secret.
On Monday four judges presided over the trial of another several hundred people accused of links to the group, the justice ministry said.
“Unlike the first phase which was restricted, this phase is opened with some civil society groups, including human rights organizations and journalists invited to witness the proceedings,” the ministry added in a statement.
There were no immediate reports from journalists or rights activists said by the ministry to have been invited to attend.
Kainji detention facility is about eight hours’ drive from Minna, the main town in Nigeria’s Niger state, itself about three hours’ drive from the capital Abuja, along roads often plagued by kidnapping gangs.
In October, the ministry of justice said 45 suspects suspected of Boko Haram links had been convicted and jailed. A further 468 suspects were discharged and 28 suspects were remanded for trial in Abuja or Minna.
The other trials were adjourned.
More than 20,000 people have been killed and two million forced to flee their homes in northeastern Nigeria since Boko Haram began an insurgency in 2009 aimed at creating an Islamic state.
The justice ministry said the suspects appeared in open court, after rights groups criticized earlier hearings in which more than 1,000 people stood trial in secret.
On Monday four judges presided over the trial of another several hundred people accused of links to the group, the justice ministry said.
“Unlike the first phase which was restricted, this phase is opened with some civil society groups, including human rights organizations and journalists invited to witness the proceedings,” the ministry added in a statement.
There were no immediate reports from journalists or rights activists said by the ministry to have been invited to attend.
Kainji detention facility is about eight hours’ drive from Minna, the main town in Nigeria’s Niger state, itself about three hours’ drive from the capital Abuja, along roads often plagued by kidnapping gangs.
In October, the ministry of justice said 45 suspects suspected of Boko Haram links had been convicted and jailed. A further 468 suspects were discharged and 28 suspects were remanded for trial in Abuja or Minna.
The other trials were adjourned.
Chibok schoolgirl kidnapper jailed in Nigeria
A Nigerian court has jailed a Boko Haram militant involved in the 2014 kidnapping of the Chibok girls.
Haruna Yahaya, 35, is the first member of the group to be sentenced for playing a part in the mass abduction.
The former trader, who confessed to his role in taking the 276 schoolgirls, argued he was made to act under duress.
But judges sitting at a military court in Kanji, who are hearing the cases of more than 1,000 suspected Boko Haram militants, dismissed his excuse.
They were also unmoved by his pleas for leniency on the grounds of his disability, which has left him with a paralysed arm and deformed leg, BBC News' Ishaq Khalid reports.
Justice ministry spokesman Salihu Isah confirmed to news agency AFP that Yahaya was given a 15-year jail sentence.
Yahaya, who came from Potiskum, in Yobe state, north-east Nigeria, was captured by a vigilante group called Civilian JTF in 2015 - a year after the girls were snatched from Government Girls Secondary School in Borno state.
Of the 276 girls taken in April 2014, 112 are still in captivity.
This week, some 700 of the suspected militants are due to appear before the judges in Kanji, according to sources at the court.
On Monday, 20 were found guilty of crimes associated with Boko Haram, while two were discharged for lack of evidence.
Haruna Yahaya, 35, is the first member of the group to be sentenced for playing a part in the mass abduction.
The former trader, who confessed to his role in taking the 276 schoolgirls, argued he was made to act under duress.
But judges sitting at a military court in Kanji, who are hearing the cases of more than 1,000 suspected Boko Haram militants, dismissed his excuse.
They were also unmoved by his pleas for leniency on the grounds of his disability, which has left him with a paralysed arm and deformed leg, BBC News' Ishaq Khalid reports.
Justice ministry spokesman Salihu Isah confirmed to news agency AFP that Yahaya was given a 15-year jail sentence.
Yahaya, who came from Potiskum, in Yobe state, north-east Nigeria, was captured by a vigilante group called Civilian JTF in 2015 - a year after the girls were snatched from Government Girls Secondary School in Borno state.
Of the 276 girls taken in April 2014, 112 are still in captivity.
This week, some 700 of the suspected militants are due to appear before the judges in Kanji, according to sources at the court.
On Monday, 20 were found guilty of crimes associated with Boko Haram, while two were discharged for lack of evidence.
Monday, February 12, 2018
Video - U.N. seeks $1 billion for humanitarian aid in Nigeria in 2018
The United Nations says it requires more than a billion dollars to help Nigerians affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. While launching the world body's 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan, the U.N. country representative - Edward Kallon - says the initiative identifies more than 6.1 million people in need of assistance.
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