Nigeria man indicted in sextortion scheme after South Carolina teen dies.
Monday, January 27, 2025
Nigeria man indicted in sextortion scheme after South Carolina teen dies
Nigeria man indicted in sextortion scheme after South Carolina teen dies.
At least 20 Nigerian soldiers killed in attack on remote army base
At least 20 Nigerian soldiers have been reportedly killed in a suspected attack by fighters from the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The attackers targeted an army base in the remote Malam-Fatori town in the northeastern Borno state on Friday, with a surviving soldier saying the attack lasted for more than three hours.
Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters mainly operate in Borno and have attacked both security forces and civilians, killing and displacing tens of thousands of people.
Reuters news agency, citing security sources and residents, on Sunday said a commanding officer was among those killed after ISWAP members arrived on gun trucks and attacked the Nigerian Army’s 149th Battalion in Malam-Fatori, gateway to the border with Niger.
“They rained bullets everywhere,” one of the surviving soldiers told Reuters by phone, adding that the troops were taken by surprise.
“We tried so much to repel the attacks and after more than three hours of gun duel, they overpowered us, killing our commanding officer, a lieutenant colonel,” the soldier said, declining to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
He said 20 soldiers died while several were injured.
Residents who left the town said some of the attackers were seen in Malam-Fatori as late as Saturday night.
Malakaka Bukar, a member of the local militia recruited to help the army, said the fighters also burned buildings, forcing some residents to flee the town.
“They preached to some of the residents,” said Bukar.
ISWAP split from the mainstream Boko Haram in 2016 to become the dominant armed faction in northeastern Nigeria.
Although weakened by military assaults and internal fighting over the years, Boko Haram and ISWAP have stepped up attacks in Borno since the turn of the year, killing dozens of farmers and fishermen in a series of raids.
The 15-year-old conflict has killed nearly 40,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast.
The violence spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, leading to the creation of a regional force to fight the armed groups.
The attackers targeted an army base in the remote Malam-Fatori town in the northeastern Borno state on Friday, with a surviving soldier saying the attack lasted for more than three hours.
Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters mainly operate in Borno and have attacked both security forces and civilians, killing and displacing tens of thousands of people.
Reuters news agency, citing security sources and residents, on Sunday said a commanding officer was among those killed after ISWAP members arrived on gun trucks and attacked the Nigerian Army’s 149th Battalion in Malam-Fatori, gateway to the border with Niger.
“They rained bullets everywhere,” one of the surviving soldiers told Reuters by phone, adding that the troops were taken by surprise.
“We tried so much to repel the attacks and after more than three hours of gun duel, they overpowered us, killing our commanding officer, a lieutenant colonel,” the soldier said, declining to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
He said 20 soldiers died while several were injured.
Residents who left the town said some of the attackers were seen in Malam-Fatori as late as Saturday night.
Malakaka Bukar, a member of the local militia recruited to help the army, said the fighters also burned buildings, forcing some residents to flee the town.
“They preached to some of the residents,” said Bukar.
ISWAP split from the mainstream Boko Haram in 2016 to become the dominant armed faction in northeastern Nigeria.
Although weakened by military assaults and internal fighting over the years, Boko Haram and ISWAP have stepped up attacks in Borno since the turn of the year, killing dozens of farmers and fishermen in a series of raids.
The 15-year-old conflict has killed nearly 40,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast.
The violence spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, leading to the creation of a regional force to fight the armed groups.
Friday, January 24, 2025
Visa invests in Nigeria's Moniepoint
Founded in 2015, Moniepoint initially focused on providing infrastructure and payments technology for banks and financial institutions.
It has since grown into Nigeria's leading business banking provider and is now the country's largest merchant acquirer, powering most of the country’s Point of Sale transactions. In 2023, it expanded beyond SMEs and entered the personal banking market through its subsidiary, Moniepoint Microfinance Bank.
The firm now claims some 10 million businesses and individual customers, helping them access payments, banking, credit, and business management tools and processing $22 billion monthly.
Visa's investment comes soon after a $110 million Series C investment led by Development Partners International’s African Development Partners III fund and joined by Google’s Africa Investment Fund and African VC Verod Capital.
Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO, Moniepoint, says: "Visa’s expertise in global payments and Moniepoint’s proven ability to serve African businesses make this partnership an exciting opportunity in shaping the continent’s economic future even as we pave the way for a more inclusive and dynamic financial ecosystem."
Andrew Torre, regional president, CEE and Middle East and Africa, Visa, adds: "By making financial services and digital payments more accessible and efficient, Moniepoint is helping transform how businesses operate in Nigeria and beyond. We are excited to support their next phase of growth and innovation."
It has since grown into Nigeria's leading business banking provider and is now the country's largest merchant acquirer, powering most of the country’s Point of Sale transactions. In 2023, it expanded beyond SMEs and entered the personal banking market through its subsidiary, Moniepoint Microfinance Bank.
The firm now claims some 10 million businesses and individual customers, helping them access payments, banking, credit, and business management tools and processing $22 billion monthly.
Visa's investment comes soon after a $110 million Series C investment led by Development Partners International’s African Development Partners III fund and joined by Google’s Africa Investment Fund and African VC Verod Capital.
Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO, Moniepoint, says: "Visa’s expertise in global payments and Moniepoint’s proven ability to serve African businesses make this partnership an exciting opportunity in shaping the continent’s economic future even as we pave the way for a more inclusive and dynamic financial ecosystem."
Andrew Torre, regional president, CEE and Middle East and Africa, Visa, adds: "By making financial services and digital payments more accessible and efficient, Moniepoint is helping transform how businesses operate in Nigeria and beyond. We are excited to support their next phase of growth and innovation."
New Nigerian jihadist group Lakurawa declared terrorists
Nigeria's authorities have officially declared the Lakurawa armed group - which flogs people for listening to music - a terrorist organisation and banned it across the country.
Lakurawa is a new militant group which carries out attacks, targeting local communities in north-western Nigeria and across the border with Niger.
Nigerian officials say Lakurawa is affiliated with jihadist factions in Mali and Niger, and its militants have for years settled in communities along the Nigeria-Niger border, marrying local women and recruiting youths.
This adds to Nigeria's security concerns, as it is already fighting against several armed groups, from Islamist militants Boko Haram to kidnapping gangs.
The Nigerian government submitted a document to a High Court in the capital, Abuja, on Thursday, detailing the activities of the group.
It said Lakurawa had been involved in acts of terrorism, including cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, hostage-taking and attacks on top government officials.
The group was also accused of spreading harmful ideology within local communities and encouraging locals to disregard authorities, "resulting in injuries, and loss of lives and property to innocent citizens of Nigeria".
An unnamed man told the BBC the group emerged few years ago in some villages in Sokoto and Kebbi states and people had notified authorities of its existence but nothing was done.
At first, Lakurawa members promised to tackle banditry and help protect local people from cattle thieves.
"But things escalated when they started asking to check people’s phones and would flog those that have music in them before deleting them," the man said.
In the court papers, Nigeria's Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi said the group's activities posed a serious threat to national security.
In a swift decision, Justice James Omotosho declared the group "a terrorist organisation and extended the ban to similar groups across Nigeria, with a specific focus on the North West and North Central regions".
This move will give the Nigerian government sweeping powers to take strong actions against the group.
Security agencies now have broad mandates to disrupt and dismantle the group's operations, including arrests, prosecution, asset freezes, and increased surveillance.
It could also lead to public stigma and isolation for individuals associated with the designated group.
Across the country, especially in northern Nigeria, people fear another scenario similar to when Boko Haram emerged in the late 2000s.
By Chris Ewokor & Mansur Abubakar, BBC
Lakurawa is a new militant group which carries out attacks, targeting local communities in north-western Nigeria and across the border with Niger.
Nigerian officials say Lakurawa is affiliated with jihadist factions in Mali and Niger, and its militants have for years settled in communities along the Nigeria-Niger border, marrying local women and recruiting youths.
This adds to Nigeria's security concerns, as it is already fighting against several armed groups, from Islamist militants Boko Haram to kidnapping gangs.
The Nigerian government submitted a document to a High Court in the capital, Abuja, on Thursday, detailing the activities of the group.
It said Lakurawa had been involved in acts of terrorism, including cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, hostage-taking and attacks on top government officials.
The group was also accused of spreading harmful ideology within local communities and encouraging locals to disregard authorities, "resulting in injuries, and loss of lives and property to innocent citizens of Nigeria".
An unnamed man told the BBC the group emerged few years ago in some villages in Sokoto and Kebbi states and people had notified authorities of its existence but nothing was done.
At first, Lakurawa members promised to tackle banditry and help protect local people from cattle thieves.
"But things escalated when they started asking to check people’s phones and would flog those that have music in them before deleting them," the man said.
In the court papers, Nigeria's Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi said the group's activities posed a serious threat to national security.
In a swift decision, Justice James Omotosho declared the group "a terrorist organisation and extended the ban to similar groups across Nigeria, with a specific focus on the North West and North Central regions".
This move will give the Nigerian government sweeping powers to take strong actions against the group.
Security agencies now have broad mandates to disrupt and dismantle the group's operations, including arrests, prosecution, asset freezes, and increased surveillance.
It could also lead to public stigma and isolation for individuals associated with the designated group.
Across the country, especially in northern Nigeria, people fear another scenario similar to when Boko Haram emerged in the late 2000s.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Video - Central Bank of Nigeria halts extensions for export proceeds repatriation
The bank says no extensions will be accorded anymore for the repatriation of exports proceeds, in compliance with Nigeria's foreign exchange regulations. Non-oil export proceeds have a 180-day window for repatriation while oil and gas proceeds have a 90-day deadline.
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