Nigeria "essential" to global future according to U.S. Secretary of state

Yusuf Tuggar tweeted Anthony Blinken's visit focused enhancing trade relations and deepening democracy in West Africa.

Nigerian president Bola Tinubu held discussions with the US secretary of state ahead of a press conference.

The US top diplomat said Nigeria had an essential part to play in how Africa could shape the global future.

"Nigeria as Africa's largest country, largest economy, largest democracy, is essential to that effort [Editor's note: referring to the role Africa has in shaping the future globally]."

"We are doing a lot of work together already to drive in a positive direction. We're we're we're driving climate action. As partners in the Global Methane Coalition, we're pushing for permanent representation for African voices in the U.N. Security Council, in other international organizations."

"The United States is committed to strengthening genuine partnerships on the continent, to work to solve shared challenges, and also to deliver on the promise and the fundamental aspirations of our peoples," Blinken said.

His trip is part of President Biden's attempt to tout the USA as Africa's key economic and security ally.

Nigeria is Blinken's third stop on his tour of African nations, following Cape Verde and Ivory Coast. He will travel next to Angola.

Africa News

Nigeria police did not free them, we paid ransom for the sisters, family says

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nabeeha, pictured second from left, was killed by the kidnappers 

 

Nigerian police had no role in rescuing four sisters and their cousin from kidnappers, an uncle of the girls has told the BBC.

They were taken from their home in Abuja earlier this month, along with another sister who was later killed.

The uncle said a ransom was paid and the kidnappers dropped the girls in a forest for them to be collected.

On Sunday, police said they had "successfully rescued the victims", reuniting them with relatives.

Sheriff Al-Kadriyar, the girls' uncle, said the family went to collect them after a ransom was paid.

"There's nothing like rescue on this matter, we paid ransom - even though I can't disclose how much for security reasons," he told BBC Yoruba.

The Nigerian police spokesperson has not responded to a BBC request for comment.

The case has shocked the country, with people donating to a crowdfunding initiative to help raise the money.

In total five sisters were taken hostage in the Abuja suburb of Bwari on 2 January, along with their father Mansoor Al-Kadriyar, who was later released to raise the ransom.

Sheriff Kadriyar clarified that contrary to earlier reports that six Al-Kadriyar sisters had been abducted, one of the girls was in fact their cousin who had been staying with them over the school holidays.

Twenty-one-year-old Nabeeha, a final-year university student, was killed a few days after her father's release as a warning that the ransom of $68,000 (£53,000) must be paid.

Nigeria's defence minister had urged the family not to pay the ransom, but the Al-Kadriyars said they had no choice.

A controversial law that criminalises ransom payments was passed in 2022 aimed at tackling the country's spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry.It carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years for anyone who pays a ransom, however no-one has been arrested, and a former minister is among those who said he had helped organise the payment to the kidnappers of the Al-Kadriyar sisters.

Sheriff Kadriyar, who said he was involved in negotiating with the kidnappers, explained that the money had been handed over to them on Wednesday.

His account backs up two others given by relatives to Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper.

They all say that the girls were released on Saturday. One of them then called the family in the early evening, giving their location.

"The kidnappers chose the day and the location we were to pick up the girls about four or five days after ransom payment," the uncle said.

A group of male relatives then headed to the Kajuru Forest in neighbouring Kaduna state to find them. Along the way they chanced upon an army unit and requested help.

These army officers escorted them to find the girls - afterwards taking them all home by around 23:30 local time (22:30 GMT).

"We are happy and we thank God that the girls were found alive," the uncle said.

His brother and nieces were now being treated at a medical facility, he said.

Kidnapping has become rife in Nigeria, with hundreds of people abducted in recent years, largely by criminal gangs who see it as an easy way to make money. It has been particularly bad in the north-west of the country.

There has been an outcry that the insecurity has reached the capital, prompting Abuja's police force to launch a special squad to tackle the kidnapping gangs last week.

The family did not want to discredit the police but wanted to make it clear how they had managed to free the girls, Sheriff Kadriyar said.

By Mansur Abubakar, BBC 

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Lagos state bans single-use plastics

Nigeria’s Lagos State has announced a ban on the usage and distribution of styrofoam and other single-use plastics with immediate effect.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab announced on Sunday, January 21 adding that the decision was reached, following the menace which the single-use plastics, especially the non-biodegradable Styrofoam, were causing on the environment.

He said most drainage channels in the state were daily clogged up by styrofoam through indiscriminate distribution and usage, despite the regular cleaning and evacuation of the drains.

Commissioner Wahab directed the State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, and the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, to immediately commence implementation of the ban.

He asked the two agencies to clamp down on all the production companies and distribution outlets for styrofoam in the state to prevent further distribution.

The commissioner advised producers, distributors, and end-users of styrofoam packs to take the ban seriously and find alternatives or risk heavy fines, and other penalties, including sealing of their premises.

He warned that they could also be made to bear the costs of the daily cleanup of their products from roads and drainage channels which runs into tens of millions of naira daily.

“Our state cannot be held hostage to the economic interests of a few wealthy business owners, compared to the millions of Lagosians suffering the consequences of indiscriminate dumping of single-use plastics and other types of waste,” he stated.

He advised consumers and residents to boycott styrofoam packs and single-use plastics and imbibe the practice of using reusable food containers and water bottles for their food and drinks. 

Africa News

Related story: Women in Nigeria lead drive to upcycle plastics

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Nigeria won 1-0 against Guinea-Bissau to secure their spot in the Round of 16 as the second team in Group A.

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Kidnapped sisters rescued in Nigeria

Nigerian police on Sunday said that five kidnapped sisters have been rescued after their abduction, and the death of another sister triggered a public outcry. The sisters were seized at the start of the year by armed men who burst into their home just 15 miles from Abuja city center, according to the family.

One of the victims, 21-year-old Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, lost her life when the ransom deadline passed.

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police and the army successfully rescued the remaining sisters on Saturday night in the Kajuru forest in Kaduna State, a neighboring area.

“The FCT Police has rescued the victims and reunited them with their families,” a police statement said.

The incident highlights the issue of kidnapping for ransom in Nigeria, where criminal groups target various locations, including highways, residences, and even schools, causing widespread concern.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the “recent spate of kidnappings and bandit attacks.” Since assuming office in May of the previous year, Tinubu has made addressing insecurity a major commitment.

(Story compiled with assistance from AFP) 

By Halligan Agade, CGTN

Related stories: President Tinubu says ‘massive education’ of youth will help end kidnappings threatening the capital

First lady of Nigeria 'devastated' by death of kidnapped student