Gunmen have attacked a mosque in the northern Nigerian state of Kano, killing three worshippers and wounding 12 others, police say.
The attackers sprayed bullets into the mosque in the home village of Kano governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
His elderly father was in the mosque, but escaped unhurt, witnesses said.
No group has said it carried out the attack but one of Mr Kwankwaso's aides said it was punishment for his recent defection from the governing party.
Islamist group Boko Haram has also staged several attacks in Kano and elsewhere in northern Nigeria.
The run-up to elections in oil-rich Nigeria is often marred by violence between rival political groups.
Mr Kwankwaso was among five influential governors who defected from President Goodluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in November.
Heshimu Suleiman, a special assistant to the governor, said the attack was politically motivated to punish Mr Kwankwaso for defecting, reports the AP news agency.
The PDP has not yet commented on the allegation.
In December, Nigeria's ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo said it would be "morally flawed" for Mr Jonathan to seek re-election next year.
He said Mr Jonathan had failed to tackle Nigeria's many problems, including corruption and an insurgency led by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
Mr Jonathan defended his record in government, but has not yet declared his candidature.
BBC
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
1600 Nigerians repatriated from Central African Republic
Nigeria is repatriating more than 1,600 citizens who have gathered in its embassy in the Central African Republic’s capital Bangui, as the violence continues in the country.
“The Federal Government has ... arranged several chartered flights to bring home over 1,620 Nigerians who took refuge at the Nigerian Embassy in Bangui,” Chris Olukolade, a spokesman for the Nigerian army, said in a statement issued on Sunday.
The statement added that evacuation operation started on Friday and half of the Nigerian nationals have been brought home.
The government of Mali was scheduled to evacuate some 500 of its citizens by two flights on Sunday.
Over 100 of Niger's citizens left the restive country for the capital Niamey, on Friday night.
The Central African Republic’s immediate northern neighbor, Chad, has already sent 12,000 of its citizens home through land and air while Senegal repatriated over 200 of its nationals earlier this week.
The Central African Republic spiraled into chaos in March last year when Seleka fighters overthrew President Francois Bozizé and brought Michel Djotodia to power. Bozizé fled the country after his ouster.
On September 13, 2013, Djotodia dissolved the Seleka coalition. Some of the rebels later joined the country’s regular army while some defied.
France invaded the Central African Republic on December 5, 2013, after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution giving the African Union and Paris the go-ahead to send troops to the country.
France has currently 1,600 troops in the African country, claiming that the aim of the mission is to create stability in the Central African Republic in order to allow humanitarian aid to reach violence-hit areas.
There are many mineral resources, including gold and diamond, in the Central African Republic.
PressTV
“The Federal Government has ... arranged several chartered flights to bring home over 1,620 Nigerians who took refuge at the Nigerian Embassy in Bangui,” Chris Olukolade, a spokesman for the Nigerian army, said in a statement issued on Sunday.
The statement added that evacuation operation started on Friday and half of the Nigerian nationals have been brought home.
The government of Mali was scheduled to evacuate some 500 of its citizens by two flights on Sunday.
Over 100 of Niger's citizens left the restive country for the capital Niamey, on Friday night.
The Central African Republic’s immediate northern neighbor, Chad, has already sent 12,000 of its citizens home through land and air while Senegal repatriated over 200 of its nationals earlier this week.
The Central African Republic spiraled into chaos in March last year when Seleka fighters overthrew President Francois Bozizé and brought Michel Djotodia to power. Bozizé fled the country after his ouster.
On September 13, 2013, Djotodia dissolved the Seleka coalition. Some of the rebels later joined the country’s regular army while some defied.
France invaded the Central African Republic on December 5, 2013, after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution giving the African Union and Paris the go-ahead to send troops to the country.
France has currently 1,600 troops in the African country, claiming that the aim of the mission is to create stability in the Central African Republic in order to allow humanitarian aid to reach violence-hit areas.
There are many mineral resources, including gold and diamond, in the Central African Republic.
PressTV
Friday, January 3, 2014
Video - Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan wants to transcend Nollywood
Nigeria's film industry, known as Nollywood, started just over 20 years ago and is now the third largest in the world. Many of its low-budget films follow well-tried formulas with huge doses of love, betrayal and, often, witchcraft. However, some Nigerian filmmakers are working outside the Nollywood genre, hoping to succeed internationally. Kunle Afolayan is one of them. He studied film in New York and October 1 is his first big budget movie.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Video - BBC documentary on Boko Haram
The BBC covers the ongoing battle between Boko Haram and the Nigerian military that threatens to destabilize Nigeria.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Boko Haram kill 12 in Christian villages
Witnesses say suspected Islamic militants killed 12 civilians in weekend attacks on two Christian villages in Muslim-dominated northeast Nigeria. One attack targeted a wedding party.
The witnesses said eight victims died when extremists attacked a wedding reception at Tashan-Alede village in Borno state late Saturday night, and four in neighboring Kwajffa village on Sunday.
A security official confirmed the attacks but said they did not yet have casualty figures. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The leader of a 4-year-old Islamic uprising that has killed thousands in northeast Nigeria recently threatened to target Christians. Village attacks have become common with many more Muslims than Christians killed this year.
The attacks have continued despite a state of emergency and the deployment of thousands of troops since May.
AP
The witnesses said eight victims died when extremists attacked a wedding reception at Tashan-Alede village in Borno state late Saturday night, and four in neighboring Kwajffa village on Sunday.
A security official confirmed the attacks but said they did not yet have casualty figures. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The leader of a 4-year-old Islamic uprising that has killed thousands in northeast Nigeria recently threatened to target Christians. Village attacks have become common with many more Muslims than Christians killed this year.
The attacks have continued despite a state of emergency and the deployment of thousands of troops since May.
AP
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