The police chief in the Federal Capital Territory said officers conducted their latest raid in Gidan Dambe. More than 300 people were arrested.
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Armed men killed four people, including two policemen, and kidnapped at least 40 others in an attack on Kaura Namoda, in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state, police and residents said on Tuesday.
Africa's largest economy is grappling with a multifaceted security crisis, including kidnappings for ransom in the northwest, which has reached alarming proportions.
Zamfara police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar confirmed the attack and said reinforcements have been deployed to the Kasuwar Daji district of the town where the incident took place.
Residents, including some of the victims, told Reuters by phone about their ordeal which began with an attack on the local police station.
"Sporadic gunshots woke me up around 0100 GMT. They started with the uniformed men before they moved into our houses," Hussaini Mohammed said.
"They took more than 40 women and children, including some elderly men," added Mohammed, who managed to escape.
Hamisu Kasuwa Daji, who heads the town's transport union, told Reuters his son and two grandchildren were taken by the attackers.
"My house is adjacent to the police station. The bandits started attacking the police station, which they engaged for several minutes until they killed two policemen and two other civilians.
"Then they proceeded to my house, by which time I had already fled. After I returned home later, I realised they had taken my son and two grandsons," he said.
Gangs of heavily armed men referred to as bandits by locals have wreaked havoc across Nigeria's northwest in the past three years, kidnapping thousands of people, killing hundreds and making it unsafe to travel by road or to farm in some areas.
Widespread insecurity is exacerbating a cost-of-living crisis caused by the reforms of President Bola Tinubu who has not yet said how he plans to tackle the mounting problems.
By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters
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The action was in response to a barrage of hate speech on his social media accounts, as disappointed Nigeria supporters sought an outlet for outrage following the Super Eagles’ 1-2 loss to hosts Ivory Coast in Sunday’s final.
The Fulham midfielder started six of seven matches in the tournament and was instrumental to Nigeria’s unexpected run to the final despite playing a more withdrawn role than is natural to him.
He was similarly targeted online following his sending-off in the defeat to Tunisia that caused Nigeria’s round-of-16 exit in the 2021 edition of the tournament. Then, as now, he was forced to archive his social media posts; this time, however, there are reports that he may be set to retire from international football.
‘Let love lead’
Iwobi, who has won more than 70 caps for Nigeria since making his debut in 2015, is a nephew to legendary Nigeria midfielder Augustine “Jay-Jay” Okocha, widely regarded as one of the best dribblers in world football.
Throughout his career, 27-year-old Iwobi has been burdened by comparisons to his uncle, who won the AFCON in 1994, with many expecting similar flamboyant performances as the former Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton maestro.
While those are big shoes to fill, Iwobi has surpassed Okocha’s international appearances and enjoyed a solid career in the Premier League.
His versatility has also seen him play different roles, including at AFCON where, according to the player himself, he was tasked with safe circulation and helping the team keep its discipline without the ball. “I am meant to manage and work for the team,” he explained on the eve of Nigeria’s quarterfinal victory over Angola. “The role me and [midfield partner] Frank [Onyeka] have been told to do is to manage the game as best we can, but first and foremost to defend as a team.
“We have creative players upfront whether it is Samuel Chukwueze, Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon; there’s a lot of creativity in there,” he said. “I’m just trying to do my job for the team, and if there’s anything to help the team win, it’s what I’m prepared to do.”
Despite his explanation, he has been the subject of renewed abuse, ranging from criticism of a perceived lack of creativity and risk-taking to disrespectful, hateful comments about the legitimacy of his familial link to Okocha.
This even though Nigeria’s progress to the final was unexpected, with the likes of 2021 champions Senegal and 2022 World Cup semifinalists Morocco touted as favourites until they bowed out early.
In November, the Super Eagles began their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup with consecutive draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, not only imperilling their chances of qualification but casting doubt over their AFCON prospects and the competence of Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro.
Still, Nigeria went through the group stage unbeaten, scored in every match and conceded only one goal from open play leading up to the final on Sunday. The backlash following the defeat on Sunday has, however, centred upon the standard of the Super Eagles’ performance, which many deemed lethargic. Iwobi, who was substituted in the 79th minute with the score tied at 1-1, has become something of a lightning rod for fan ire.
The hate has been so vehement that members of the Nigeria squad have taken to social media to post messages condemning it and supporting Iwobi.
Midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, who missed the tournament due to injury, posted on Instagram, saying, “It’s very sad the way we troll. The difference between our jobs is that our mistakes are televised; we all make mistakes but only few people see your bad days at work.”
“Some troll for vibes, social media engagements, increase of followers and so on, not even minding the mental state of the victim,” he said. “But when something happens to the victim, we come back to social media to ask hypocritically why the victim didn’t speak up. Let love lead.”
Team captain Ahmed Musa posted on X that “cyberbullying is not only a violation of decency but a huge crime” and called for a show of “genuine love and support to our players”. Striker Victor Osimhen told Al Jazeera that “this unnecessary aggressive behaviour is unacceptable”. “We all fought for the colours of our country, win or lose we are together,” he said.
Okocha, who has often denounced the unfair criticism directed towards his nephew, had this to say to the online trolls and abusers: “I pray for my country Nigeria and the people that can only hate and see nothing good in others; when effort counts for nothing. Treat people the way you want them to treat you, all we have in this life is each other.”
While there has been no official confirmation of the reports of Iwobi quitting the national team, there are concerns that the cycle of abuse could affect Nigeria’s chances when it comes to courting the interest of players in the diaspora.
Over the last decade, more foreign-born players have been integrated into the team; five of the starting 11 in Sunday’s game, including Iwobi, were born overseas.
Following the team’s AFCON elimination in 2021, goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, who was born in Germany, was inundated with so much hatred online – including threats to his life and family – that he not only deactivated his social media accounts but has excused himself from international selection ever since.
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Building railways and bridges in Africa are a key focus for Beijing, after senior diplomat for African affairs Wu Peng announced that China will support infrastructure development in Nigeria, while on a trip to the West African nation last month.
It is a sign that China is still committed to enhancing ties and financially backing growth in African nations. But observers have also said that a change in banks financing a major rail project in Nigeria points to China's desire to commercialise its overseas lending.
Wu, the Chinese foreign ministry's director general of African affairs, previously announced the signing of a finance agreement for the Kaduna-Kano railway, a landmark project in the Belt and Road Initiative in Nigeria.
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It came after a promise in October by Chinese President Xi Jinping to finance and complete the Abuja-Kano and Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway projects during a meeting with Nigerian Vice-President Kashim Shettima on the sidelines of the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.
China had agreed to provide 85 per cent financing for the construction of the two railway projects, while Nigeria was to pay the remaining 15 per cent. This money has since been earmarked by Nigeria for the project, according to Shettima's office.
The funding was originally meant to come from state-owned policy bank China Eximbank, but it pulled the plug back in 2020, citing the Covid-19 pandemic and concerns about Nigeria's ability to repay the loan.
But now the money is being provided by another state-owned policy bank, the China Development Bank (CDB). According to observers, this illustrates China's wish for the commercialisation of overseas loan financing.
And it is not an insignificant sum. For example, with the 203km (126-mile) Kaduna-Kano railway section, after China Eximbank stopped its funding in 2020, Nigeria courted CDB last year.
Previous estimates had put the total cost of the Kaduna-Kano section of the line at US$1.2 billion. The Nigerian government committed US$380 million, with the revised cost to be borrowed set at US$973 million.
Documents put before Nigeria's parliament in April 2023 showed that the Chinese lender would advance a 15-year loan at an interest rate of 2.7 per cent plus the six-month Euro Interbank Offered Rate.
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has been responsible for most of the project, which will connect the northern city of Kano with the capital Abuja.
The rubber-stamping of the rail project, according to observers, points to a predicted rise in Chinese lending to Africa in 2024 - a year, they noted, in which Beijing is expected to host the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
Tim Zajontz, a research fellow at the Centre for International and Comparative Politics at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said the financing agreement shows that Nigeria's infrastructure sector remains important for China.
Not only are Chinese contractors widely mobilised across the Nigerian market, "one must also not forget that Abuja has actively sought funding from non-Chinese sources after China Eximbank had pulled out," he said.
"Considering the intensifying geopolitical competition over African infrastructure, President Xi's recent commitment to continue to fund Nigeria's 'railway renaissance' is not surprising," said Zajontz, who is also a lecturer in global political economy at the University of Freiburg.
Although China Eximbank and CDB are both state-owned policy banks, the switchover is "an example of China Eximbank's more restrictive lending policy and indicates a further commercialisation of Chinese overseas loan financing", he said.
Zajontz, who is author of the book, The Political Economy of China's Infrastructure Development in Africa: Capital, State Agency, Debt, also talked of a wider shift in China's overseas development finance.
"Chinese funding is now more restrictive and the focus has shifted from concessional to commercial lending," he said.
Yunnan Chen, a senior research officer at the London-based Overseas Development Institute think tank, said the CCECC is hugely dominant in Nigeria, so it makes sense that they would be the natural contractor for the project.
"CDB loans will likely be more costly and less favourable in terms," she added.
Eximbank also withdrew funding for a section of a railway in Kenya. It had previously financed the US$5 billion leg from the coastal port city of Mombasa to capital Nairobi, with an extension to the central Rift Valley town of Naivasha.
But the bank declined to fund the next section to Malaba, a town on the border with Uganda due to concerns over the project's commercial viability.
However, Kenya is in a much weaker bargaining position than Nigeria, Chen said. "Nigeria is always in a more comfortable position to borrow, at least for the time being, because it has the oil revenues, which make it creditworthy."
According to Chen, Kenya is trying to negotiate the terms of its existing Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) loans, while also trying to ask for new financing for the extension to Uganda. "It's a difficult bargaining position to be in."
Mark Bohlund, a senior credit research analyst at REDD Intelligence, said that Nigeria - similar to Tanzania - is one of the major African economies with a relatively low level of Chinese borrowing. "And it is in this perspective that I view this new loan," he said.
"My assumption is that China Eximbank will be more active than CDB in Africa over the medium term but I think Nigeria might be an exception to the rule in this regard as their oil export revenue allows them, in theory, to take on more debt at commercial terms, which is the majority of CDB's lending, than other African countries."
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Two missionary priests who were abducted from a parish rectory in Nigeria earlier this month have been released and admitted to the hospital for examination.
Father Kenneth Kanwa and Father Jude Nwachukwu were taken from the rectory at St. Vincent de Paul Fier Parish in the Diocese of Pankshin in Plateau state on Feb. 1.
In an interview with Channels TV, Father Polycarp Lubo, the chairman of the Plateau state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), confirmed the release of the two members of the Congregation of Missionaries Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (CMF), also known as the Claretians.
Lubo said that Kanwa, the parish priest, and his assistant, Nwachukwu, “were released in the early hours” of Thursday, Feb. 8.
The CAN chairman could not disclose “whether ransom was paid to secure the release of the priests” but said they “had been taken to the hospital for medical checkups.”
The public relations officer for Plateau State Security Command, Alfred Alabo, also confirmed the release of the two priests.
“No suspects are in police custody yet as those apprehended by the local vigilantes [said] to have committed the crime were never handed over to the police,” he said.
The provincial secretary of the Claretians, Father Dominic Ukpong, had announced the abduction of his two confreres in a statement on Feb. 2. He had appealed for “prayers at this challenging time for their safety and quick release from captivity.”
The West African nation has been battling a surge of violence orchestrated by gangs, whose members carry out indiscriminate attacks, kidnapping for ransom, and in some cases, killing.
Insurgency by Boko Haram, a group that allegedly aims to turn Africa’s most populous nation into an Islamic nation, has been a major challenge in the country since 2009.
By Jude Atemanke, CNA
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