Nigerian forces killed 17 militants and arrested 85 in anti-terror raids across Borno and Adamawa states. The operations also rescued 10 abductees and targeted Boko Haram informants, suppliers, and collaborators. The ongoing insurgency has killed over 40,000 and displaced 2 million people since the crisis began.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Video - Nigeria targets Boko Haram, 17 militants killed and dozens arrested in raids
Nigerian forces killed 17 militants and arrested 85 in anti-terror raids across Borno and Adamawa states. The operations also rescued 10 abductees and targeted Boko Haram informants, suppliers, and collaborators. The ongoing insurgency has killed over 40,000 and displaced 2 million people since the crisis began.
Dozens killed in Nigeria fuel tanker explosion
At least 39 people have been killed in an oil tanker explosion in Nigeria's central Niger state after the vehicle skidded off the road and crashed, spilling fuel, an aid worker has told the BBC.
Another 60 people with varying degrees of injuries are currently receiving treatment at a hospital, said Abdullahi Baba Ara, head of the Niger state emergency service.
Villagers rushed to collect fuel from the overturned tanker which suddenly exploded, setting off a massive fire that engulfed them.
Tanker explosions are a recurring tragedy in Nigeria, despite repeated warnings about the dangers of collecting spilled fuel.
The intense blaze burned many victims beyond recognition, and the injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The accident occurred near the Essan and Badeggi communities along the Bida-Agaie road in the Katcha Local Government Area of Niger state.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago sent his condolences to the people, describing the incident as "worrisome, unfortunate and pathetic".
"[It] is disheartening how people have continued to approach a fallen tanker to scoop its contents" despite several awareness campaigns, said a statement by his chief press secretary Bologi Ibrahim.
The tanker, carrying petroleum products from Lagos in southern Nigeria to the north, is said to have crashed due to the bad condition of the road.
Poor road conditions are a major contributor to road accidents in the country.
In October last year, a fuel tanker explosion killed 153 people in Jigawa state, north-west Nigeria.
In January this year, a truck carrying about 60,000 litres of petrol overturned near Suleja, also in Niger state, killing at least 86 people and injuring nearly 70 others.
Another 60 people with varying degrees of injuries are currently receiving treatment at a hospital, said Abdullahi Baba Ara, head of the Niger state emergency service.
Villagers rushed to collect fuel from the overturned tanker which suddenly exploded, setting off a massive fire that engulfed them.
Tanker explosions are a recurring tragedy in Nigeria, despite repeated warnings about the dangers of collecting spilled fuel.
The intense blaze burned many victims beyond recognition, and the injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The accident occurred near the Essan and Badeggi communities along the Bida-Agaie road in the Katcha Local Government Area of Niger state.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago sent his condolences to the people, describing the incident as "worrisome, unfortunate and pathetic".
"[It] is disheartening how people have continued to approach a fallen tanker to scoop its contents" despite several awareness campaigns, said a statement by his chief press secretary Bologi Ibrahim.
The tanker, carrying petroleum products from Lagos in southern Nigeria to the north, is said to have crashed due to the bad condition of the road.
Poor road conditions are a major contributor to road accidents in the country.
In October last year, a fuel tanker explosion killed 153 people in Jigawa state, north-west Nigeria.
In January this year, a truck carrying about 60,000 litres of petrol overturned near Suleja, also in Niger state, killing at least 86 people and injuring nearly 70 others.
By Chris Ewokor, BBC
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Nigeria cancel friendlies in USA due to World Cup playoffs
Nigeria will not be going ahead with planned friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia in the USA next month, after the Super Eagles qualified for the World Cup playoffs which take place in Morocco at the same time.
The NFF had announced the two games last month, with the Super Eagles scheduled to play Venezuela on November 14 at the Shell Energy Stadium in Houston and Colombia on November 18 at Citi Field in New York.
Tickets for both games were already on sale, but a top NFF official told ESPN at the time that the games were conditional on the team's World Cup fate, and would only proceed if Nigeria avoided being drawn into the CAF World Cup playoff round, either by qualifying directly for the World Cup, or failing to make it entirely.
Last week, the Super Eagles beat Benin Republic to qualify for the World Cup playoffs, which take place from November 13 to 16, and officials said that the friendlies had now been shelved.
"We had a clause in the contract for the games covering this eventuality, if we qualified for the playoffs," NFF match agent Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport told ESPN.
"So we will not be going ahead with the matches any more. However, Colombia still want to play an African team as part of their preparation for the World Cup so we are working on that for now."
An NFF official added: "Our goal is to concentrate on the playoffs now and qualify from Africa and then focus on the intercontinental playoffs."
Also qualified for the CAF playoffs are Cameroon, Congo DR and Gabon.
Nigeria, on 41, are the highest-ranked of the four teams in the Africa playoffs. They will play Gabon, who are the lowest-ranked team at 77. The winner of that encounter plays the winner of the other semifinal between Cameroon (ranked 54) and Congo DR (ranked 60) for Africa's sole ticket to the intercontinental playoffs in Mexico in March.
For Nigeria, the playoffs would also serve as early preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The Super Eagles, runners-up at the 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast, begin their Group C campaign against Tanzania on December 23 in Fez before facing Tunisia and Uganda.
The NFF had announced the two games last month, with the Super Eagles scheduled to play Venezuela on November 14 at the Shell Energy Stadium in Houston and Colombia on November 18 at Citi Field in New York.
Tickets for both games were already on sale, but a top NFF official told ESPN at the time that the games were conditional on the team's World Cup fate, and would only proceed if Nigeria avoided being drawn into the CAF World Cup playoff round, either by qualifying directly for the World Cup, or failing to make it entirely.
Last week, the Super Eagles beat Benin Republic to qualify for the World Cup playoffs, which take place from November 13 to 16, and officials said that the friendlies had now been shelved.
"We had a clause in the contract for the games covering this eventuality, if we qualified for the playoffs," NFF match agent Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport told ESPN.
"So we will not be going ahead with the matches any more. However, Colombia still want to play an African team as part of their preparation for the World Cup so we are working on that for now."
An NFF official added: "Our goal is to concentrate on the playoffs now and qualify from Africa and then focus on the intercontinental playoffs."
Also qualified for the CAF playoffs are Cameroon, Congo DR and Gabon.
Nigeria, on 41, are the highest-ranked of the four teams in the Africa playoffs. They will play Gabon, who are the lowest-ranked team at 77. The winner of that encounter plays the winner of the other semifinal between Cameroon (ranked 54) and Congo DR (ranked 60) for Africa's sole ticket to the intercontinental playoffs in Mexico in March.
For Nigeria, the playoffs would also serve as early preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The Super Eagles, runners-up at the 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast, begin their Group C campaign against Tanzania on December 23 in Fez before facing Tunisia and Uganda.
By Colin Udoh, ESPN
Monday, October 20, 2025
Video - Nigeria's push to revive silos and combat food insecurity
The Nigerian government's plan is to revamp these facilities to store millions of tonnes of grain, supporting farmers and stabilizing food prices. Nigeria has declared two food emergencies in two years.
Dangote reassures Nigerians of fuel supply amid market confusion and rising prices
The Dangote refinery is advising marketers to come and load fuel from the facility as energy prices continue to soar. The refinery asserts that it has over 310 million liters of premium motor spirit (petrol) in its ranks.
Devakumar Edwin, the vice president of the Dangote Group, made the announcement on Friday while giving a tour of the refinery.
Marketers are free to bring any trucks to the gantry for loading, he said, because the refinery has enough gasoline for both the local and export markets.
He noted that fuel prices in filling stations may have gone up due to the misinformation that the Dangote Refinery had halted the sale of petrol.
“So, this one is again a campaign to try to say the prices will go up. I can go and try to increase my filling station price; maybe Dangote is not supplying.
Bring your tankers. We will load. Any number of tankers you bring, we’ll load. It’s a challenge I’m throwing today. No one can come and tell me I’m not loading.
We can load any number of tankers you bring. So, you can see whether I have the capacity to produce or not. We have more than 310 million litres as of now,” he stated.
“When the prices are a bit low, we buy a lot. When our stocks are going down, we buy a lot.
But at the same time, if your inventory of crude is very high, nobody would like to lock so much money into their tanks, because it’s money locked in the form of crude oil. So, we reduce our inflow, which is what happened,” he added, explaining why the refinery reduced its fuel intake.
In a confusing market shift, fuel prices in Nigeria had gone from around N865 per litre to almost N1,000, especially considering that crude prices and the country’s currency have been stable.
“But here, as I was explaining, I have more than 310 million litres of PMS as of today inside my tanks, apart from the production which is coming out every day,” he emphasised.
Filling stations in states such as Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja increased their pump prices as reported by the Punch.
On Thursday, it was reported that the Dangote oil refinery was reducing crude purchases, signaling ongoing operational issues that could keep global gasoline prices high until 2026.
This was addressed by the group’s vice president during the tour as he stated, “They said we have problems. No factory works 100 per cent every day without a problem. But if there is a problem, whether it is going to affect your final production or not is a key issue. So, normally, all these major businesses have what we call turnaround maintenance.”
However, analysts and tanker-tracking data revealed that the Lagos-based facility is purchasing fewer than 300,000 barrels of oil per day this month, a more than 50% decrease from its July peak and less than half of its projected capacity.
Bloomberg's figures show that both domestic and imported barrels are declining.
Since operations began, the refinery has been plagued by unanticipated outages, workforce interruptions, and equipment maintenance, resulting in frequent output slowdowns.
According to intelligence firm IIR Energy, the refinery's gasoline-making facility, Africa's largest of its kind, has been shut down numerous times this year and may shut down again early next year for extensive repairs.
This month, Dangote will get around 150,000 barrels per day of crude feedstock from a new supply agreement with the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
The balance is normally derived from the United States, although statistics reveal that no West Texas Intermediate cargoes were acquired in November.
Devakumar Edwin, the vice president of the Dangote Group, made the announcement on Friday while giving a tour of the refinery.
Marketers are free to bring any trucks to the gantry for loading, he said, because the refinery has enough gasoline for both the local and export markets.
He noted that fuel prices in filling stations may have gone up due to the misinformation that the Dangote Refinery had halted the sale of petrol.
“So, this one is again a campaign to try to say the prices will go up. I can go and try to increase my filling station price; maybe Dangote is not supplying.
Bring your tankers. We will load. Any number of tankers you bring, we’ll load. It’s a challenge I’m throwing today. No one can come and tell me I’m not loading.
We can load any number of tankers you bring. So, you can see whether I have the capacity to produce or not. We have more than 310 million litres as of now,” he stated.
“When the prices are a bit low, we buy a lot. When our stocks are going down, we buy a lot.
But at the same time, if your inventory of crude is very high, nobody would like to lock so much money into their tanks, because it’s money locked in the form of crude oil. So, we reduce our inflow, which is what happened,” he added, explaining why the refinery reduced its fuel intake.
In a confusing market shift, fuel prices in Nigeria had gone from around N865 per litre to almost N1,000, especially considering that crude prices and the country’s currency have been stable.
“But here, as I was explaining, I have more than 310 million litres of PMS as of today inside my tanks, apart from the production which is coming out every day,” he emphasised.
Filling stations in states such as Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja increased their pump prices as reported by the Punch.
On Thursday, it was reported that the Dangote oil refinery was reducing crude purchases, signaling ongoing operational issues that could keep global gasoline prices high until 2026.
This was addressed by the group’s vice president during the tour as he stated, “They said we have problems. No factory works 100 per cent every day without a problem. But if there is a problem, whether it is going to affect your final production or not is a key issue. So, normally, all these major businesses have what we call turnaround maintenance.”
However, analysts and tanker-tracking data revealed that the Lagos-based facility is purchasing fewer than 300,000 barrels of oil per day this month, a more than 50% decrease from its July peak and less than half of its projected capacity.
Bloomberg's figures show that both domestic and imported barrels are declining.
Since operations began, the refinery has been plagued by unanticipated outages, workforce interruptions, and equipment maintenance, resulting in frequent output slowdowns.
According to intelligence firm IIR Energy, the refinery's gasoline-making facility, Africa's largest of its kind, has been shut down numerous times this year and may shut down again early next year for extensive repairs.
This month, Dangote will get around 150,000 barrels per day of crude feedstock from a new supply agreement with the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
The balance is normally derived from the United States, although statistics reveal that no West Texas Intermediate cargoes were acquired in November.
By Chinedu Okafor, Business Insider Africa
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