An Islamic court has sentenced nine people to death for insulting the Prophet Mohammad in the northern Nigerian city of Kano.
The accused, who were all Muslims, had pleaded guilty, the head of Kano's religious police, Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, told the BBC.
The trial was speedily done in secret after a section of the court was burnt down by angry protesters last month.
It is not known if they will appeal against the sentence.
The alleged offence was committed last month at a religious gathering in honour of Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse, the Senegalese founder of the Tijaniya sect which has a large following across West Africa.
"There has been consensus among Muslims scholars that insulting the prophet carries a death sentence," Mr Daurawa told the BBC Hausa service.
"We quickly put them on trial to avoid bloodshed because people were very angry and trying to take law into their hands," he added.
Kano has a predominately Muslim population and Islamic courts operate alongside secular courts.
There was jubilation in some parts of the city as news of the judgement trickled in.
Several states in predominantly Muslims northern Nigeria have introduced Sharia law after the country returned to civilian rule in 1999.
BBC Nigeria analyst Naziru Mikailu says this is the first time a death sentence has been handed down for blasphemy in northern Nigeria.
The sentence has been delivered for other offences such as adultery but none has been carried out.
BBC
Friday, June 26, 2015
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Nigeria overtakes Saudi Arabia as top crude oil supplier to India
Nigeria has replaced Saudi Arabia as the largest crude oil supplier to India after its oil exports to India last month surged by nearly 200 percent, supplying some 745,000 barrels per day. It’s the first time in at least four years that Saudi Arabia, the world’s top crude exporter, has lost the top spot, according to Reuters.
The shift comes as more Indian refiners switch out their long-term contracts with Middle East suppliers in favor of African oil spot purchases. Saudi Arabia also fell behind Russia and Angola last month as the largest crude supplier to China. The petroleum kingpin struggles to maintain market share in Asia as the gap narrows between the Middle East price marker and the international crude oil benchmark Brent, Reuters reported.
India’s African oil imports rose to the highest in more than four years, from 15.5 percent in April to 26 percent in May with tankers mainly from Nigeria and Angola. Meanwhile, the share of Middle Eastern oil to India fell to 54 percent in May from 61 percent in April, with Saudi Arabia supplying some 732,400 barrels per day, according to Reuters.
Oil prices have dropped for Nigeria’s premium over Brent in recent months, which have made the former more attractive to importers. Over the weekend, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation reduced the prices of Nigeria’s crude oil grades to their lowest in over a decade as the West African nation fights for international market share. Nigeria’s exports to the United States have also shrunk from almost one million barrels per day in 2010 to just 30,000 this year, according to Vanguard news in Abuja.
The falling global oil prices have posed tough challenges for oil-dependent Nigeria. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and lead oil producer, generating about $70 billion in state revenue each year – more than two-thirds of which comes from exports in gas and oil.
International Business Times
The shift comes as more Indian refiners switch out their long-term contracts with Middle East suppliers in favor of African oil spot purchases. Saudi Arabia also fell behind Russia and Angola last month as the largest crude supplier to China. The petroleum kingpin struggles to maintain market share in Asia as the gap narrows between the Middle East price marker and the international crude oil benchmark Brent, Reuters reported.
India’s African oil imports rose to the highest in more than four years, from 15.5 percent in April to 26 percent in May with tankers mainly from Nigeria and Angola. Meanwhile, the share of Middle Eastern oil to India fell to 54 percent in May from 61 percent in April, with Saudi Arabia supplying some 732,400 barrels per day, according to Reuters.
Oil prices have dropped for Nigeria’s premium over Brent in recent months, which have made the former more attractive to importers. Over the weekend, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation reduced the prices of Nigeria’s crude oil grades to their lowest in over a decade as the West African nation fights for international market share. Nigeria’s exports to the United States have also shrunk from almost one million barrels per day in 2010 to just 30,000 this year, according to Vanguard news in Abuja.
The falling global oil prices have posed tough challenges for oil-dependent Nigeria. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and lead oil producer, generating about $70 billion in state revenue each year – more than two-thirds of which comes from exports in gas and oil.
International Business Times
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Video - Textile industry in Nigeria suffering from shaky economy
Nigeria's falling currency is having a major impact across the country. A slide in oil revenues triggered the decline and now the Central Bank is unable to stem the fall. Ahmed Idris reports from a textile market in Kano where many traders are closing their shops.
Nigeria to get its first IMAX theater
IMAX Corp. (NYSE: IMAX) and Filmhouse Cinemas, Nigeria's largest chain of theatres, announced an agreement for an IMAX theatre to be located in a new construction project in Lagos, the nation's biggest city with a population of more than 20 million. The deal, announced at CineEurope, marks the first-ever IMAX agreement in Nigeria and West Africa. Nigeria now ranks as Africa's largest economy. Today's agreement also underscores the Company's continued expansion in Africa, where in the past year IMAX signed its first-ever deal in Angola and added four new theatres to its network in South Africa.
"Our mission is to establish the best movie-going experience in Nigeria. IMAX will help us realize this goal by delivering an immersive and differentiated experience previously unavailable to Nigerian moviegoers," said Kene Mkparu, CEO, Filmhouse Cinemas. "As we continue our aggressive expansion plans, IMAX will serve as an anchor attraction in our multiplex in Lagos, redefining the premium cinema experience in Nigeria. We are proud to be the first to introduce IMAX in the country and look forward to broadening its reach."
"We are delighted to join forces with Filmhouse Cinemas and enter Nigeria, which represents a key strategic move for our expansion in Africa. Recent reports project that Nigeria's entertainment and media revenues will reach an estimated $8.5 billion by 2018 - more than doubling from 2013," said Andrew Cripps, President, IMAX EMEA. "As the biggest economy on the continent and a market that is extremely under-screened, we believe that together with Filmhouse we can seize the mutual growth opportunities that exist in Nigeria and bring the world's most immersive cinematic experience to more audiences across the country."
Street Insider
"Our mission is to establish the best movie-going experience in Nigeria. IMAX will help us realize this goal by delivering an immersive and differentiated experience previously unavailable to Nigerian moviegoers," said Kene Mkparu, CEO, Filmhouse Cinemas. "As we continue our aggressive expansion plans, IMAX will serve as an anchor attraction in our multiplex in Lagos, redefining the premium cinema experience in Nigeria. We are proud to be the first to introduce IMAX in the country and look forward to broadening its reach."
"We are delighted to join forces with Filmhouse Cinemas and enter Nigeria, which represents a key strategic move for our expansion in Africa. Recent reports project that Nigeria's entertainment and media revenues will reach an estimated $8.5 billion by 2018 - more than doubling from 2013," said Andrew Cripps, President, IMAX EMEA. "As the biggest economy on the continent and a market that is extremely under-screened, we believe that together with Filmhouse we can seize the mutual growth opportunities that exist in Nigeria and bring the world's most immersive cinematic experience to more audiences across the country."
Street Insider
US and other countries to help retrieve money stolen from Nigerian government
The US and other countries have agreed to help Nigeria recover money stolen from the government, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.
The new president said on Tuesday that the country's treasury was "virtually empty".
He vowed to recover billions of dollars "stolen" under previous administrations.
The president won elections in March on a promise to tackle corruption, seen as one of the country's biggest problems.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer but much of the revenue is said to be stolen.
"The days of impunity and lack of accountability are over," he told a meeting of state governors on Tuesday.
He said Nigeria would get the "facts and the figures to help us recover our stolen funds in foreign countries,'' over the next three months.
He did not specify which other countries had agreed to help recover the money.
In an earlier briefing with journalists, he said it was a "disgrace" that some government workers had not been paid for months.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo estimates that Nigeria's debts stand at about $60bn (£38bn).
However, former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has rejected the claim, saying the debt was much lower, AFP news agency reports.
Mr Buhari's election victory ending 16 years of rule by the Peoples Democratic Party.
It was the first time an opposition candidate has won a presidential election in Nigeria.
BBC
The new president said on Tuesday that the country's treasury was "virtually empty".
He vowed to recover billions of dollars "stolen" under previous administrations.
The president won elections in March on a promise to tackle corruption, seen as one of the country's biggest problems.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer but much of the revenue is said to be stolen.
"The days of impunity and lack of accountability are over," he told a meeting of state governors on Tuesday.
He said Nigeria would get the "facts and the figures to help us recover our stolen funds in foreign countries,'' over the next three months.
He did not specify which other countries had agreed to help recover the money.
In an earlier briefing with journalists, he said it was a "disgrace" that some government workers had not been paid for months.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo estimates that Nigeria's debts stand at about $60bn (£38bn).
However, former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has rejected the claim, saying the debt was much lower, AFP news agency reports.
Mr Buhari's election victory ending 16 years of rule by the Peoples Democratic Party.
It was the first time an opposition candidate has won a presidential election in Nigeria.
BBC
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