Nigeria is home to over 500 indigenous languages — but many are at risk of extinction. A new AI-powered platform, Indigenius Mobile, is working to change that. Created to help people speak, learn, and connect in their native tongues, this tech is bringing endangered languages back into everyday life.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Video - How AI is saving Nigeria’s endangered languages
Nigeria is home to over 500 indigenous languages — but many are at risk of extinction. A new AI-powered platform, Indigenius Mobile, is working to change that. Created to help people speak, learn, and connect in their native tongues, this tech is bringing endangered languages back into everyday life.
Video - Nigeria arraigns five accused in 2022 Catholic church massacre
Nigerian prosecutors arraigned five men accused of carrying out a deadly Islamist militant attack on a Catholic church in Owo, in the southwestern Ondo state, that killed at least 50 worshippers in 2022 and wounded over 100 others.
Nigeria Seeks Technical Advisor for Massive 90,000km Fiber Optic Network Project
The Federal Government of Nigeria, with financing from the World Bank, is initiating a major project to deploy a 90,000km fiber optic network across the country. The project, named ‘Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth – BRIDGE’, will be structured as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and managed through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company. The government is now seeking a Technical Advisor to provide expert consulting services for the planning, design, and implementation of this extensive digital infrastructure.
The selected consulting firm will be responsible for ensuring the efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable deployment of the network. This includes collaborating with legal and financial advisors to align all technical aspects with Nigerian laws and international best practices. The Technical Advisor’s key role will be to review and validate technical designs and specifications, ensuring the project’s long-term commercial viability and adherence to global market standards. The contract is for a duration of 12 months.
To be considered for the role, consulting firms must demonstrate a minimum of 10 years of experience in providing technical advisory services for large-scale digital infrastructure projects, with a specific focus on fiber optic networks. The government also requires proven expertise in conducting technical feasibility studies, due diligence, and network gap assessments, as well as a strong background in geospatial analysis and GIS-based assessments for broadband infrastructure in emerging markets. These qualifications must be demonstrated through experience on at least three similar projects. The selection will be made using the Quality and Cost Based Selection method, in line with World Bank procurement regulations.
By Kay-Lyne Wolfenden, Tech Africa News
The selected consulting firm will be responsible for ensuring the efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable deployment of the network. This includes collaborating with legal and financial advisors to align all technical aspects with Nigerian laws and international best practices. The Technical Advisor’s key role will be to review and validate technical designs and specifications, ensuring the project’s long-term commercial viability and adherence to global market standards. The contract is for a duration of 12 months.
To be considered for the role, consulting firms must demonstrate a minimum of 10 years of experience in providing technical advisory services for large-scale digital infrastructure projects, with a specific focus on fiber optic networks. The government also requires proven expertise in conducting technical feasibility studies, due diligence, and network gap assessments, as well as a strong background in geospatial analysis and GIS-based assessments for broadband infrastructure in emerging markets. These qualifications must be demonstrated through experience on at least three similar projects. The selection will be made using the Quality and Cost Based Selection method, in line with World Bank procurement regulations.
Nigeria military kills scores of gang members in air and ground raids
The Nigerian air force has killed scores of gunmen, known locally as "bandits", who were members of criminal gangs operating in Zamfara state, the military has said.
The air force said in a statement on Monday that it carried out a raid in Makakkari forest, north-west Nigeria, which was the hideout of the gunmen who were believed to be behind some high-profile kidnappings in the area.
It said it conducted the operation after surveillance detected more than 400 gang members preparing to attack a village.
Over the past two weeks, armed gangs have targeted nearby settlements, killing scores and kidnapping many more. At least 13 security personnel have also been killed.
The aerial strikes, in coordination with attacks on the ground, led to the deaths of "several notorious bandit kingpins and scores of their foot soldiers," air force spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said.
He added that the ground forces intercepted and killed others trying to flee the forest.
In parts of Nigeria, kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative business for some.
The bandits, motivated by financial gain, have also increased their cooperation with jihadist groups that have been waging a 16-year armed insurgency in the north-east.
In recent years, the military has launched a number of operations against the gangs, including last month when at least 95 gang members were killed - but the violence has persisted.
By Chris Ewokor, BBC
The air force said in a statement on Monday that it carried out a raid in Makakkari forest, north-west Nigeria, which was the hideout of the gunmen who were believed to be behind some high-profile kidnappings in the area.
It said it conducted the operation after surveillance detected more than 400 gang members preparing to attack a village.
Over the past two weeks, armed gangs have targeted nearby settlements, killing scores and kidnapping many more. At least 13 security personnel have also been killed.
The aerial strikes, in coordination with attacks on the ground, led to the deaths of "several notorious bandit kingpins and scores of their foot soldiers," air force spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said.
He added that the ground forces intercepted and killed others trying to flee the forest.
In parts of Nigeria, kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative business for some.
The bandits, motivated by financial gain, have also increased their cooperation with jihadist groups that have been waging a 16-year armed insurgency in the north-east.
In recent years, the military has launched a number of operations against the gangs, including last month when at least 95 gang members were killed - but the violence has persisted.
Monday, August 11, 2025
Mars meteorite found in Niger, controversially sold in US
There are no indications that the Nigerien government got any proceeds from the sale of the meteorite.
The Nigerien government has now launched an investigation into how the Martian meteorite was moved out of the country to New York.
The meteorite, called NWA 16788, was, in July, auctioned in the Sotheby’s auction house, one of the world’s largest and oldest auction houses, founded in 1744.
The rare rock weighs more than 24.6 kilograms and is considered to be the largest known rock from Mars ever found on Earth.
The sale happened during the auction house’s “Geek Week,” which showcases items linked to natural history, science, and space.
Before the auction, the rock had been displayed by a private gallery in Tuscany, Italy, and by the Italian Space Agency.
An Italian academic article published last year revealed that it was discovered in the Agadez region of northern Niger by a meteorite hunter. It is believed to have travelled about 140 million miles from Mars after an asteroid impact before landing in the Sahara.
Meteorites, often caused by fragments of asteroids or comets entering Earth’s atmosphere, can fall anywhere on the planet. However, the dry climate and minimal human activity in the Sahara have made the desert a prime spot for finding them.
Meteorite hunters and researchers often scour the desert, especially in parts of Africa like Morocco, Algeria, and Niger, searching for rocks that have fallen to Earth.
For the recently discovered rock, neither the buyer nor the seller has been identified, and little is known about the hunter who found it.
Nigerien officials, however, have begun questioning how the rock left the country to go under the hammer 5,000 miles away.
In a recent statement, the government said it doubts the legality of the rock’s export and raised concerns about the likelihood of illicit international trafficking.
It said the export bears “all the hallmarks of illicit international trafficking.”
The Nigerien authorities also announced that they have launched an official investigation into the circumstances of the rock’s discovery, export and sale.
Auction house denies allegation
Experts and international cultural watchdogs are also questioning the legality and ethics of the meteorite’s export.
Some of them are even calling for its immediate return.
A palaeontologist from the University of Edinburgh, Steve Brusatte, told CNN last month that, “It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch.
“It belongs in a museum, where it can be studied, and where it can be enjoyed by children and families and the public at large.”
“It was discovered in Niger? How did it end up being sold in New York?” said Alia Baré, daughter of former Nigerien president Ibrahim Maïnassara, in an interview with Forbes Africa.
“This is a crucial matter of sovereignty. This is a national treasure that shouldn’t have been sold. Things have to change,” she added.
However, Sotheby’s has denied allegations that the rock might have been illegally transported to the US.
The auction house told the BBC that it complied with all international regulations.
“The NWA 16788 was exported from Niger and transported in line with all relevant international procedures,” it said.
“As with everything we sell, all relevant documentation was in order at each stage of its journey, in accordance with best practice and the requirements of the countries involved,” it added.
Experts and international cultural watchdogs are also questioning the legality and ethics of the meteorite’s export.
Some of them are even calling for its immediate return.
A palaeontologist from the University of Edinburgh, Steve Brusatte, told CNN last month that, “It would be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an oligarch.
“It belongs in a museum, where it can be studied, and where it can be enjoyed by children and families and the public at large.”
“It was discovered in Niger? How did it end up being sold in New York?” said Alia Baré, daughter of former Nigerien president Ibrahim Maïnassara, in an interview with Forbes Africa.
“This is a crucial matter of sovereignty. This is a national treasure that shouldn’t have been sold. Things have to change,” she added.
However, Sotheby’s has denied allegations that the rock might have been illegally transported to the US.
The auction house told the BBC that it complied with all international regulations.
“The NWA 16788 was exported from Niger and transported in line with all relevant international procedures,” it said.
“As with everything we sell, all relevant documentation was in order at each stage of its journey, in accordance with best practice and the requirements of the countries involved,” it added.
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