The announcement comes as the Dangote refinery intensifies moves to start pumping out refined products. The facility is targeting an initial processing rate of 350,000 barrels a day before ramping up toward its full capacity.
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For much of the last decade, Nigeria's northern region has been plagued by abductions and attacks on schools. These kidnappings leave victims and their families with physical and psychological scars, as well as financial turmoil due to hefty ransom demands.
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In Nigeria, the demand for charcoal is up. While that's good news for charcoal producers, others worry about the charcoal industry's impact on the environment. They want the government to prioritize the supply of liquified petroleum gas to Nigerian households to help curb the destructive environmental and health effects of the charcoal trade.
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Authorities in Nigeria's Kaduna State, are determined to address the increasing number of abductions. Armed groups have been wreaking havoc in the area for years. They target villagers, motorists on highways, and students from schools, demanding ransom in return.
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Men in army uniform ransacked and burned homes in Nigeria's oil-producing Delta state days after youths killed 16 soldiers sent there to resolve a land dispute, residents said, but the defence chief denied military involvement.
Residents said soldiers attacked the riverside Okuoma community of a few hundred people on Sunday while looking for those responsible for Thursday's killings.
Tam Oburumu, who fled from his home, said uniformed men were going around looking for weapons and ransacked houses before torching them.
"The damage for now is huge, a lot of houses were burned,"
Oburumu said by phone from a nearby village where he has sought refuge.
Government-owned properties, including a primary school and hospital, were spared, residents said.
President Bola Tinubu said he had given the military full authority to hunt down those responsible for killing the soldiers, which he described as an "unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people".
But defence chief General Christopher Musa denied that soldiers had attacked the community.
"No reprisals by the army. We are searching for the murderers and their weapon cache," Musa said in a text message to Reuters.
There are frequent, sometimes deadly, clashes over land or over compensation for oil spills by energy companies in many Delta state communities.
Friday Addy, a trader in Okuoma, said she and her mother had left their home when soldiers arrived.
"The people have fled for their lives, and many are missing and we cannot locate them. We are helpless," said Addy.
By Tife Owolabi and Ope Adetayo, Reuters
