Monday, September 4, 2017
Video - Former NBA player Oyedeji helping to groom new talent in Nigeria
One of Nigeria's basketball greats and long time former captain of the country's national basketball team, Olumide Oyedeji has just concluded his annual basketball camp for young and aspiring basketball players. Over 150 young boys and girls, as well as several coaches took part in the training camp.
Vigilantes fighting Boko Haram in Nigeria
They helped tackle Boko Haram but could vigilantes turn into Nigeria's next security threat?
With his homemade rifle resting on the sandbags of the checkpoint, Mustapha Musa scans the red-mud road and the lush green fields surrounding his small village of Molai Kiliyari on the outskirts of the north-eastern city of Maiduguri.
For now, the only sound is bird-song. But Mr Musa, 24, and three other vigilantes on duty are tense - they know danger is just down the road.
This is a place where strangers are treated with suspicion for good reason.
A few weeks ago, in the dead of night, several suicide bombers blew up their explosives bringing carnage to the village. Eight vigilantes were killed.
"We don't know when they'll come and whether they'll come with guns or bombs," says Mr Musa, his trigger-finger resting on the wooden barrel of his rifle.
"But I'm not scared of anything. There are soldiers nearby if we needed reinforcements.
The only problem we face is that the enemy is well-armed - and my gun only fires one round."
The young men are among the estimated 26,000 members of vigilante groups defending their communities from attacks by militants from the Boko Haram Islamist group.
The eight-year insurgency has devastated north-eastern Nigeria and spilled over into neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
The vigilantes first came to prominence in Maiduguri in 2013. With the Nigerian army in disarray, there were fears that the city would fall.
"Initially, the youth in Maiduguri were caught up between the brutality of Boko Haram and the harsh reprisals of the Nigerian military," says Nnamdi Obasi, one of the authors of a recent International Crisis Group report on vigilante groups in the region.
"They formed vigilante groups so they could isolate and eliminate Boko Haram members and also demonstrate they were not complicit in the group's attacks and atrocities."
The overstretched Nigerian military quickly realised the value of extra manpower and the local knowledge the vigilantes possessed.
It joined up with them in order to flush out the insurgents.
Unofficially, the vigilantes are now called the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), working alongside and liaising with the military.
More than 650 have been killed in the violence.
It is here that I meet Lawan Jaafar, 39, the chairman of the Civilian JTF.
He still works as a leather merchant and cattle trader when not leading the organisation.
He's a man of quiet intensity and purpose - he commands the respect of the thousands of vigilantes he heads.
Earlier this year, he was detained by the Nigerian security forces on suspicion of selling cattle to Boko Haram militants. He was later released without being charged.
But it shows how Mr Jaafar is now a powerful player in this part of the country - and some other actors want to clip his wings.
He carefully weighs his words: "I'm appealing to the government to provide jobs to the vigilantes and to take care of the poor families of those who lost their lives for the cause."
He has this warning if nothing happens:
"We're going to have problems with armed robbery and kidnapping - because if a man has no job, he will do anything to survive."
No-one in north-east Nigeria doubts the bravery of the vigilantes. They have helped immensely in putting Boko Haram on the back foot.
But unless their sacrifices are recognised, they could end up presenting a new security threat.
With his homemade rifle resting on the sandbags of the checkpoint, Mustapha Musa scans the red-mud road and the lush green fields surrounding his small village of Molai Kiliyari on the outskirts of the north-eastern city of Maiduguri.
For now, the only sound is bird-song. But Mr Musa, 24, and three other vigilantes on duty are tense - they know danger is just down the road.
This is a place where strangers are treated with suspicion for good reason.
A few weeks ago, in the dead of night, several suicide bombers blew up their explosives bringing carnage to the village. Eight vigilantes were killed.
"We don't know when they'll come and whether they'll come with guns or bombs," says Mr Musa, his trigger-finger resting on the wooden barrel of his rifle.
"But I'm not scared of anything. There are soldiers nearby if we needed reinforcements.
The only problem we face is that the enemy is well-armed - and my gun only fires one round."
The young men are among the estimated 26,000 members of vigilante groups defending their communities from attacks by militants from the Boko Haram Islamist group.
The eight-year insurgency has devastated north-eastern Nigeria and spilled over into neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
The vigilantes first came to prominence in Maiduguri in 2013. With the Nigerian army in disarray, there were fears that the city would fall.
"Initially, the youth in Maiduguri were caught up between the brutality of Boko Haram and the harsh reprisals of the Nigerian military," says Nnamdi Obasi, one of the authors of a recent International Crisis Group report on vigilante groups in the region.
"They formed vigilante groups so they could isolate and eliminate Boko Haram members and also demonstrate they were not complicit in the group's attacks and atrocities."
The overstretched Nigerian military quickly realised the value of extra manpower and the local knowledge the vigilantes possessed.
It joined up with them in order to flush out the insurgents.
Unofficially, the vigilantes are now called the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), working alongside and liaising with the military.
More than 650 have been killed in the violence.
'Like hunting'
Most are volunteers - petty traders, civil servants, and unemployed youth - and are not paid for their work. But around 2,000 vigilantes received some military training and are now on the government's payroll.
Often they man checkpoints, spotting potential suicide bombers. But they also operate alongside the army in the bush where Boko Haram militants take shelter.
"It's like rich people that go hunting," one vigilante told me. "When the army says there's an operation we all want to go."
The vigilantes are normally armed only with wooden clubs, machetes and homemade weapons.
The authorities are cautious given that heavy-duty weapons could fall into the wrong hands or be turned against them.
While many Nigerians view the vigilantes as heroes in the fight against Boko Haram, they have been accused of human rights abuses from rape to extortion - and extra-judicial killings of suspected militants.
Now, after years of fighting, there is a growing concern that battle-hardened vigilantes could turn into a militia that the authorities are not able to control.
"There is a strong sense of entitlement among the vigilantes," says Mr Obasi.
"They believe they not only saved Maiduguri but have fought an insurgency on behalf of the Nigerian government.
He says that most wish to be formally absorbed into the military and security forces or at least be recognised, and paid, by the government, while others expect scholarships, skills training or grants to set up small businesses.
"The fear is that unless these expectations are addressed, the authorities could have a big problem on their hands."
At an abandoned office building used by the vigilantes as a make-shift headquarters, scrawled on the wall in chalk is the message: "Forgiving a terrorist is left to god. But fixing their appointment with god is our responsibility."
Most are volunteers - petty traders, civil servants, and unemployed youth - and are not paid for their work. But around 2,000 vigilantes received some military training and are now on the government's payroll.
Often they man checkpoints, spotting potential suicide bombers. But they also operate alongside the army in the bush where Boko Haram militants take shelter.
"It's like rich people that go hunting," one vigilante told me. "When the army says there's an operation we all want to go."
The vigilantes are normally armed only with wooden clubs, machetes and homemade weapons.
The authorities are cautious given that heavy-duty weapons could fall into the wrong hands or be turned against them.
While many Nigerians view the vigilantes as heroes in the fight against Boko Haram, they have been accused of human rights abuses from rape to extortion - and extra-judicial killings of suspected militants.
Now, after years of fighting, there is a growing concern that battle-hardened vigilantes could turn into a militia that the authorities are not able to control.
"There is a strong sense of entitlement among the vigilantes," says Mr Obasi.
"They believe they not only saved Maiduguri but have fought an insurgency on behalf of the Nigerian government.
He says that most wish to be formally absorbed into the military and security forces or at least be recognised, and paid, by the government, while others expect scholarships, skills training or grants to set up small businesses.
"The fear is that unless these expectations are addressed, the authorities could have a big problem on their hands."
At an abandoned office building used by the vigilantes as a make-shift headquarters, scrawled on the wall in chalk is the message: "Forgiving a terrorist is left to god. But fixing their appointment with god is our responsibility."
No jobs, no peace
It is here that I meet Lawan Jaafar, 39, the chairman of the Civilian JTF.
He still works as a leather merchant and cattle trader when not leading the organisation.
He's a man of quiet intensity and purpose - he commands the respect of the thousands of vigilantes he heads.
Earlier this year, he was detained by the Nigerian security forces on suspicion of selling cattle to Boko Haram militants. He was later released without being charged.
But it shows how Mr Jaafar is now a powerful player in this part of the country - and some other actors want to clip his wings.
He carefully weighs his words: "I'm appealing to the government to provide jobs to the vigilantes and to take care of the poor families of those who lost their lives for the cause."
He has this warning if nothing happens:
"We're going to have problems with armed robbery and kidnapping - because if a man has no job, he will do anything to survive."
No-one in north-east Nigeria doubts the bravery of the vigilantes. They have helped immensely in putting Boko Haram on the back foot.
But unless their sacrifices are recognised, they could end up presenting a new security threat.
Friday, September 1, 2017
Video - One woman's mission to deradicalise Nigeria
One woman in Nigeria has made it her mission to de-radicalise former Boko Haram members. Dr Fatima Akilu travels around rural areas of north-eastern Nigeria, providing counselling to communities. Thuli Tshabalala has her story.
Video - Britain halves aid to Nigeria, urges more efforts against militancy
The British government has halved the amount given to Nigeria for the fight against Boko Haram. This comes in the wake of a joint visit to the country by Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, and the International Development Secretary, Priti Patel. The two were in Nigeria where they witnessed how the British military has been training their Nigerian counterparts in the battle against Boko Haram. On Wednesday, the British government announced a $257 million aid to Nigeria for a four year period- which would run from 2018 to 2022. This amounts to a $64million per year drop from last grant. At the same time, Patel as called for more efforts from NIgeria, in the battle against jihadists.
More than 100,000 displaced by floods in Nigeria
More than 100,000 people have fled their homes because of major flooding in the southeastern state of Benue in Nigeria, according to President Muhammadu Buhari.
"I have received with great concern reports of the flooding in Benue state, displacing, from early estimates, more than 100,000 people," Buhari wrote on Twitter late on Thursday.
He said his government "will make available all assistance" to those affected.
"We will surmount this disaster, and, working with the State Govt, bring succour and relief to all affected persons and communities."
Helen Teghtegh, head of local NGO Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative, said the region had been battered by heavy rains over the past two weeks with the level of the Benue river steadily rising.
Many residents in the state capital Makurdi have fled their homes since Wednesday, she added, launching an appeal for donations.
"We are still trying to get accurate data, we don't know the number of casualties, but we are having a meeting tomorrow with local groups and emergency services, so we should know better," said Teghtegh.
Photographs of inundated Makurdi began spreading on social media on Thursday, showing cars and thousands of homes completely submerged. Others showed men and women carrying mattresses, bags, and other belongings as they fled on foot.
Buhari and his government have faced criticism in the media and online over what many called the inaction of authorities to tackle the flooding.
On Thursday, Buhari said he called for the National Emergency Management Agency to step in.
Two camps have been set up in Makurdi to accommodate those made homeless, but they will not open before the weekend.
Benue state, which is heavily reliant on its agricultural sector, has suffered repeated floods in recent years, caused by heavy rains and the opening of dams in neighbouring Cameroon.
In 2012, Nigeria suffered disastrous floods across 30 of its 36 states. Hundreds of people died, and some two million people were left homeless.
"I have received with great concern reports of the flooding in Benue state, displacing, from early estimates, more than 100,000 people," Buhari wrote on Twitter late on Thursday.
He said his government "will make available all assistance" to those affected.
"We will surmount this disaster, and, working with the State Govt, bring succour and relief to all affected persons and communities."
Helen Teghtegh, head of local NGO Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative, said the region had been battered by heavy rains over the past two weeks with the level of the Benue river steadily rising.
Many residents in the state capital Makurdi have fled their homes since Wednesday, she added, launching an appeal for donations.
"We are still trying to get accurate data, we don't know the number of casualties, but we are having a meeting tomorrow with local groups and emergency services, so we should know better," said Teghtegh.
Photographs of inundated Makurdi began spreading on social media on Thursday, showing cars and thousands of homes completely submerged. Others showed men and women carrying mattresses, bags, and other belongings as they fled on foot.
Buhari and his government have faced criticism in the media and online over what many called the inaction of authorities to tackle the flooding.
On Thursday, Buhari said he called for the National Emergency Management Agency to step in.
Two camps have been set up in Makurdi to accommodate those made homeless, but they will not open before the weekend.
Benue state, which is heavily reliant on its agricultural sector, has suffered repeated floods in recent years, caused by heavy rains and the opening of dams in neighbouring Cameroon.
In 2012, Nigeria suffered disastrous floods across 30 of its 36 states. Hundreds of people died, and some two million people were left homeless.
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