Nigeria's Senate passes bill to allow creation of state police to tackle insecurity

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to allow states to have their own police forces, paving the way for a major reform that would reshape the policing structure of the conflict-racked nation.

The proposed constitutional change will decentralize the country's police force, which is currently controlled by the federal government, but has been overstretched by an escalating insecurity crisis. The state police forces will operate alongside the federal police.

A lack of police presence in vast rural areas has worsened the country's security woes, analysts say, allowing militant groups to operate without challenge. Criminal groups and jihadis have killed tens of thousands of people, according to the United Nations.

The change would allow each of the country’s 36 states to create a police force that meets a minimum national requirement while the federal police retains control of counterterrorism, border patrol, organized crime and other national security issues.

The legislation, which enjoys bipartisan support and is being championed by the president, has long been considered a solution to the mushrooming conflicts across the country and has been debated multiple times in the past.

Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insecurity has worsened as the militants have started operating in the southern region. At least 80 school children are still in captivity after being abducted by militants in the southern and northern regions of the country.

“In the light of recent mass kidnappings, the calls for a decentralized police have increased due to the sluggish nature of the government’s response to the events, which has been, in part, caused by the structural deficiencies of a centralized policing framework in Nigeria,” Ikemesit Effiong, a partner at SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based risk advisory firm, said.

State governors are considered the top security chiefs of their states but do not have operational command.

Critics of the state police say it leaves room for abuse by state governors, who can use the force to advance personal agendas and silence critics.

Two-thirds of the state assemblies still have to approve the bill since it includes a change to the constitution.

By Ope Adetayo, AP

Ex-Nigeria oil minister cleared in UK bribery trial

 

A former Nigerian oil minister has been cleared of taking bribes from wealthy oil executives in the form of luxury home stays and lavish spending sprees in the UK.

Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, was found not guilty after a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court of five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Alison-Madueke was Nigeria's oil minister between 2010 and 2015 and the first female president of the oil exporters group Opec.

The verdict is a blow for the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), which had been investigating one of Africa's most prominent political figures for 13 years.

From the start of the trial in January, defence lawyers questioned the fairness of the prosecution's case, suggesting vital documents showing Alison-Madueke's innocence had gone missing in Nigeria.

They also said the long delay in bringing the case to court was unjust and a sign of Britain's "broken criminal justice system".

Also cleared by the jury were Alison-Madueke's older brother Doye Agama, 69, an archbishop at a Pentecostal church in Manchester, who was acquitted of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, was found not guilty of bribery and bribery of a foreign public official.

She had faced prosecution despite being an informant in an anti-corruption probe by the Nigerian authorities.

'Madam due process'

Alison-Madueke portrayed herself in court as a role model for women, a tireless fighter against corruption, and someone who was such a stickler for the rules she was nicknamed "Madam due process".

She became the first female member on the Nigerian board of oil and gas giant Shell in 2006, and four years later was appointed oil minister, the country's second most senior politician. She became president of Opec in 2014.

"In a very patriarchal society, to have a woman sitting at the helm was a major no-no," she told the court, suggesting this had made her a target for unnamed male opponents.

Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC said the former minister improperly allowed powerful men with lucrative government contracts in the oil business to bankroll her extravagant lifestyle.

Six of them were named on the indictment, although none were charged.

But the prosecution failed to provide evidence she awarded contracts to any of the oil tycoons named because of bribes.

"At no time did I ask, take, ‌or ⁠seek a bribe or bribes of any sort," Alison-Madueke told the court, saying many of the luxury items purchased were not for her, and that she had been with the oil men to offer advice on interior design in their own properties.

Alison-Madueke told the court that Nigerian ministers were not allowed to hold foreign bank accounts when on service overseas, and her department's office in London was in such disarray that she relied on wealthy businessmen funding her living expenses.

She said they were always reimbursed in Nigeria and evidence proving this had been seized from her home in Abuja but never produced by the authorities there.

Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, who had appointed Alison-Madueke, did not appear as a witness. But he provided a statement in which he said third parties would often pay for transport, accommodation and other items for ministers on official overseas business.


Questions raised by the case

There were a number of unanswered questions that seem to have fatally undermined the prosecution.

Defence barrister Jonathan Laidlaw KC questioned why the Nigerian government had not sought to prosecute Alison-Madueke.

He said Alison-Madueke had "effectively been kept prisoner in this country for almost 11 years… unable to work, unable to travel" while the NCA had "done nothing to bring about the extradition" of the six oil men said to have paid bribes to her.

The jury was not told why they had not been charged.

The defence claimed the investigation had been compromised from the start because the NCA was denied access to the search of Alison-Madueke's Abuja home in 2015.

They relied on work done on their behalf by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

But while the prosecution told the jury to trust how the EFCC had gathered evidence against Alison-Madueke, at the same time it advised them to disregard the commission's evidence in relation to a co-defendant in the trial.

The defence case of Olatimbo Ayinde, the oil industry executive who was also found not guilty by the jury, was she had been working as an informant for the Nigerian authorities to expose corruption.

Ayinde, a Nigerian businesswoman with British citizenship, said she been encouraged by the west African country's security services to "play along" with those in government who were asking her for bribes.

An EFCC investigator, who had travelled to London from Nigeria, told the court Ayinde had given "vital information that assisted the investigation".

"Miss Ayinde's plan was to help law enforcement and now she's there in the dock," said her barrister Jonathan Lennon KC who had sought unsuccessfully to have his client's case thrown out of court.

In a statement after the verdict, Alison-Madueke said her "nightmare is over".

She said: "For 11 long, gruelling years this case has hung over my head and has tormented me and my family. But today, the past decade of relentless and unjust vilification, condemnation and scrutiny has finally come to an end."

By Steven Swann, BBC

Nigerian government to launch free digital television for residents

The federal government has announced that it will launch FreeTV, a national digital television platform, on Wednesday.

This was disclosed in a statement posted on the Presidency Nigeria X page on Tuesday night.

The FG said the platform will give households across the country access to free digital television, more channels, clearer pictures, and Nigerian content without monthly subscription fees.

Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Charles Ebuebu, said the launch marked another important step in delivering President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said the agenda prioritised inclusion, access to opportunity, job creation, local enterprise, and the use of technology to improve everyday life for Nigerians.

He said: “FreeTV is part of Nigeria’s Digital Switch-Over programme and is designed to ensure that no Nigerian is left behind as the country moves fully from analogue to digital broadcasting.

“Through the platform, Nigerians will have access to over 100 national, regional and state channels, including news, sports, movies, music, children’s programmes, educational content, and dedicated Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo language channels.”

Service

Additionally, Mr Ebuebu said FreeTVservice will reach viewers via satellite, terrestrial transmission and the FreeTV mobile app.

He said citizens in major cities, towns, rural communities and areas left out of earlier DSO pilot phases would all have access to it.

“Nigerians do not need to buy a new television to watch FreeTV. Existing televisions can work with compatible OVB-T2 or DVB-S2 decoders, and those who already have compatible free-to-air decoders may not need to buy a new one.

“Free TV speaks directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of Renewed Hope towards expanding access, creating opportunity and ensuring that every Nigerian, regardless of location or income, can benefit from the digital economy. With Free TV, families across Nigeria can enjoy quality digital television without a monthly subscription, while our local content producers, technicians and young creatives gain new platforms and new jobs,” he said.


Creative economy

Furthermore, Mr Ebuebu said the platform will also support Nigeria’s creative and broadcast economy.

He said this will happen through regional production studios in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Benin.

According to him, it will create new opportunities for content producers, technicians, editors, camera operators, sound engineers and young creatives.

“The final analogue switch-off remains scheduled for 31 December 2028, and Nigerians are encouraged to begin preparing by checking their decoder compatibility and downloading the FreeTV app.”

By Friday Omosola, Premium Times

Nigeria ex-power minister Saleh Mamman jailed 75 years for graft

A Nigerian court on Wednesday sentenced former power minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in jail for siphoning off millions of dollars from hydro-electricity projects.

Nigeria's anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said Mamman was found guilty of laundering 33.8 billion naira ($24.6 million).

Nigeria is Africa's fourth-largest economy and the continent's top oil producer, but it suffers from acute electricity shortages due to a crumbling grid and inadequate output.

More than 40 percent of Nigerians have no access to grid electricity, according to the World Bank.

Federal High Court judge Justice James Omotosho Abuja "sentenced Mamman to 75 years imprisonment" for money laundering, the EFCC said in a post on X.

Mamman, who was the energy minister between 2019 and 2021, was sentenced in absentia.

He is the first minister who served under former president Muhammadu Buhari, who was revered for his anti-corruption stance, to be jailed for graft.

Several other top officials from Buhari's government are facing trial for fraud, including a former justice minister, an ex-central bank governor and a former labor minister.

Africa News

UN urges independent probes into deadly Nigeria, Chad air attacks

The United Nations human rights chief has demanded independent investigations into reports that separate air attacks by the Nigerian and Chadian forces in northern Nigeria killed more than 100 civilians.

“I am shocked by reports that Nigerian army airstrikes on a market in Zamfara state killed at least 100 civilians on 10 May and injured many more,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement on Wednesday.

He said he was also “alarmed and saddened” by the reports of high civilian casualties in attacks since Friday by Chadian jets against Boko Haram camps on remote islands in the vast marshland shared by Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

Nigeria’s military ‌has been battling “bandits” in the northwest, often describing them as “terrorists”. It has also been battling ‌an ‌armed rebellion in the northeast for 17 years.

The Nigerian military and the “bandit” gangs killed at least 100 civilians on Sunday in one of the bloodiest days in the state’s conflict against armed groups, according to Amnesty International.

Citing witnesses, Amnesty said many of those killed were women and children, and urged authorities to immediately investigate the attack on a crowded market in Tumfa village.

The bombardment has reportedly killed dozens of Nigerian fishermen working on islands under Boko Haram control, where civilians are forced to pay taxes to the armed group. Footage verified by the AFP news agency showed several fishermen with severe burns being treated at a hospital in Bosso, Niger.

“It is crucial that both Nigerian and Chadian authorities conduct prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into these disturbing incidents,” Turk said, adding that both militaries must “take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians”.

“Their military operations, including against Boko Haram and the so-called ‘Islamic State West Africa Province’ must be conducted in full compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” he said, referring to the ISIL (ISIS) affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP). “Civilians and civilian objects must never be the target of attack.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian military said on Wednesday ⁠that there ⁠has been no evidence of civilian casualties in attacks in the ⁠northwest Zamfara state this month, calling reports of large death tolls unverified and misleading.

“No credible, substantiated evidence of civilian casualties has been established through any official assessment or independent ⁠verification,” defence headquarters spokesman Major-General ⁠Michael Onoja said in a statement.

Onoja claimed that the strike was conducted under international humanitarian law and targeted a “confirmed high-level gathering” based on intelligence sources in a village where “several terrorists were neutralised”.

By AFP and Reuters

Related stories: Amnesty: More than 100 civilians killed in Nigerian military airstrike

Amnesty: More than 100 civilians killed in Nigerian military airstrike

Nigerian civilians caught in the crossfire once again. Amnesty International says more than 100 civilians were killed in a military airstrike in the country's northwest. The group is calling on authorities to launch an immediate investigation.

DW

Related stories: Nigeria military denies civilian deaths in Niger state airstrikes

Up to 200 civilians killed in Nigeria after air force 'misfire' on market

President Tinubu seeks parliament's approval for $516 million highway loan

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has asked parliament to approve a $516 ​million foreign loan to help finance the ‌first sections of a new national highway, a major transport corridor linking the country's northwest to ​its southwest.

In a letter read by ​the Senate's president during a plenary session ⁠on Thursday, Tinubu said the government was ​seeking approval for the syndicated financing facility from ​Deutsche Bank, adding the loan was part of the government's medium-term borrowing plan approved by lawmakers.

The loan ​would have a nine-year tenor, including up ​to three years' grace, Tinubu said in the letter.

The ‌roughly ⁠1,000-km (600-mile) highway will link Sokoto state, in Nigeria's northwest, through the central Niger and Kwara states to the coastal town of Badagry ​in Lagos, ​the commercial ⁠capital.

Tinubu said the highway would deepen north–south links, cut travel times ​and haulage costs, lift trade and ​food ⁠security, and bolster national integration.

Last year, Nigeria raised a $747 million syndicated loan, led by Deutsche ⁠Bank, ​to fund the first ​phase of a planned 700-km (435-mile) coastal highway.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

President Tinubu grants 30% debt relief to airlines, orders fuel price talks

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has approved a 30% relief on debts owed by local airlines to aviation agencies and ordered talks involving fuel marketers, airlines, and regulators to reach a fair jet fuel price within 72 hours, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said on Thursday.

Domestic airlines warned they could no longer continue operations without raising ticket prices after jet fuel prices rose nearly 300%.

Representatives from government, airlines, fuel marketers, and regulators will meet within 48–72 hours to agree on what the minister described as “fair and reasonable” pricing for jet fuel, with any outcome to be made public.

Soaring jet fuel prices have upended the global aviation industry as a consequence of the Iran war, forcing airlines to raise fares, curb growth plans and rethink forecasts.

Reuters

Related story: Nigerian airlines threaten to halt flights over soaring jet fuel prices

Nigeria's suspected coup plotters deny treason charges

Six people, including a retired major general and a serving police inspector, have pleaded not guilty to plotting a coup to overthrow Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu.

The defendants appeared at the Federal High Court in the capital, Abuja, where they were ordered to remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria's domestic spy agency.

A seventh person - a former governor and one-time oil minister, Timipre Sylva - has also been named as a conspirator but court documents said he was still at large.

Rumours of the coup plot surfaced when the government abruptly cancelled a planned military parade to mark Nigeria's 65th Independence Anniversary on 1 October 2025.

At the time, officials cited security threats - but speculation quickly linked the cancellation to a possible coup plot.

The military initially denied the reports, but in January it announced that 16 officers were to be tried before a military court for attempting to oust the president.

Those to go on trial at the Federal High Court on charges of treason, terrorism and money laundering are civilians or retired military personnel alleged to have been part of the plot.

Sylva, who served as petroleum minister from 2019 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari and was also governor of the oil-rich southern Bayelsa state from 2007 to 2012, denied links to a coup plot after his house was ransacked by investigators last October.

An arrest warrant was issued for him the following month in a separate case launched by the country's anti-corruption agency. At the time his spokesman said the former minister was in the UK for a medical check-up and that the allegations were politically motivated.

The charges were filed by Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi on Tuesday. The six on trial are:

Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major general
Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired navy captain
Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector
Zekeri Umoru, an electrician working at the Presidential Villa
Bukar Kashim Goni, a civilian
Abdulkadir Sani, an Islamic cleric based in Zaria in Kaduna state.

The court scheduled 27 April for bail hearings.

During proceedings on Wednesday, defence lawyers complained of restricted access to their clients, claiming they had been unable to meet them since September 2025 - which would mean they had been arrested ahead of the Independence Day parade.

According to the charge sheet, the six defendants "conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe" the president.

The court papers suggest the coup plot was led by Col Mohammed Alhassan Ma'aji, who was arrested along with other alleged accomplices, and is due to go on trial at a military court.

Prosecutors also allege the defendants had prior knowledge of Col Ma'aji's "treasonable act", but failed to inform authorities.

The charges include the suppression of intelligence, with prosecutors alleging the defendants were intent on destabilising the state and had failed to disclose information that could have helped prevent terrorism.

Money-laundering allegations form a significant part of the case - with accusations that money changed hands linked to the financing of terrorism.

Under Nigerian law, treason attracts severe penalties, including life imprisonment.

Nigeria has experienced a period of unbroken civilian rule since 1999.

This case is being closely watched as one of the most significant coup-related prosecutions in recent Nigerian history.

For months, the secrecy and unanswered questions over the alleged coup plot created a fertile ground for rumours, with speculation ranging from wider military involvement to claims of political vendettas.

Journalists and civil society groups repeatedly pressed for clarity, but access to information was limited.

The eventual arraignment of these six men has now brought the matter into open court.

However, questions remain about the scale of the alleged conspiracy and whether more suspects will be charged.

By Mansur Abubakar and Chris Ewokor, BBC

Related story: Nigeria charges six people with treason for plan to overthrow president

Nigeria charges six people with treason for plan to overthrow president

Nigerian authorities have charged six people, including a retired major general and a serving police inspector, with terrorism and treason, over an alleged plot to overthrow the president, Bola Tinubu, according to a charge sheet seen by the Associated Press on Tuesday.

The six people accused of treason were all in custody.

A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa state Governor Timpre Sylva, is accused of helping to conceal the plot and is still at large.

The Nigerian government first said it had foiled a coup attempt in January, when it announced that several military officers would stand trial. They were part of a group of 16 military officers arrested in 2025 over what military authorities described as “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations", which fuelled rumours of a coup plot that the government initially denied.

Africa's most populous nation experienced five coups in the 20th century but has not seen one since it transitioned to democracy in 1999.

The alleged coup plot comes on the heels of a surge in coups and attempted coups in West and Central Africa, the latest in Benin and Guinea-Bissau late last year. The military takeovers, experts say, follow a pattern of disputed elections, constitutional upheaval, security crises and youth discontent.

France24

Turkey to train 200 Nigerian special forces soldiers under new defence deal

Nigeria and Turkey have struck a defence agreement to help Africa's most populous nation fight its 17-year-long jihadist insurgency, the Nigerian defence minister said on Saturday.

"We have agreed to move into training, production, improving on our defence industry cooperation," General Christopher Musa told Turkish media, according to the Anadolu agency.

Musa met with his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Güler at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 over the weekend.

The Nigerian defence minister specified that 200 members of the Nigerian army's special forces would be sent to Turkey immediately for training.

The agreement also includes the establishment of "a major military training facility in Nigeria," according to a statement from Abuja on Sunday.

The two countries are also set to collaborate in areas including technology transfer, intelligence sharing and advanced surveillance.

Diversify security partners

Besides radical Islamists from Boko Haram and its rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province, Nigeria is also plagued by gangs of armed criminals known as bandits who pillage, kill and kidnap in the northwest.

The country also has to contend with the worsening security crisis across the Sahel — the vast region bordering the southern Sahara desert — which has allowed jihadists to expand across west Africa.

Nigeria's longstanding security woes have drawn the ire of the United States in recent months, withPresident Donald Trump claiming that the country's Christians face "persecution."

In an attempt to reduce its reliance on the US, Nigeria has sought to diversify its security partners.

Musa's Turkey trip comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu's visit in late January, the first by a Nigerian head of state in nine years.

Turkey is renowned for its inexpensive armed drones, of which it is the world's leading exporter.

"Turkey has improved dramatically regards production of military hardware and Nigeria is still developing," Musa said. “

The outcomes of this engagement mark a significant step forward in Nigeria–Türkiye (sic) defence relations," the Nigerian defence ministry added in a statement.

Africa News

Nigeria tightens broadcast rules to curb divisive content ahead of 2027 elections

Nigeria’s broadcast regulator has barred radio and television presenters from airing personal opinions, intimidating guests or broadcasting divisive political content, warning of sanctions ​ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Africa’s largest democracy goes to the ‌polls in January following past election cycles marred by misinformation and sporadic violence.

In a notice issued on Friday, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) said it would strictly enforce provisions of the broadcasting code ​that prohibit presenters from passing personal views as fact, denying opposing perspectives ​a fair hearing or airing hateful or inflammatory material capable of inciting ⁠disorder or undermining constitutional authority and national cohesion.

While comparable restrictions on broadcaster conduct ​exist in other democracies during campaigns, critics say enforcement in Nigeria has historically been ​uneven.

Some opposition figures and rights groups criticised the directive, saying it risked shrinking civic space. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has signalled his intention to run in next year’s presidential election, ​said the move amounted to an attempt to "muzzle the media and shrink the space ​for free expression".

The NBC said it had recorded a sustained rise in breaches of the broadcasting ‌code, ⁠particularly involving presenter conduct and the political use of airtime, warning that neutrality violations would be treated as serious offences.

Content containing unsubstantiated allegations, hate speech or material likely to inflame political or communal tensions would attract regulatory sanctions, it said.

Nigeria's broadcast sector ​is dominated by a ​mix of government‑owned ⁠stations and privately held networks owned by domestic business and media entrepreneurs, often with political links, operating under a licensing and ​enforcement system overseen by the NBC.

The Socio‑Economic Rights and Accountability ​Project (SERAP) criticised ⁠the regulator's notice.

“The NBC’s notice represents a dangerous attempt to impose prior censorship on the media and suppress legitimate journalistic expression,” said Kolawole Oluwadare, the group’s deputy director.

Amnesty International ⁠Nigeria also ​condemned the move, warning it could pressure journalists ​and media organisations into self‑censorship.

Analysts say enforcement may be difficult as political debate moves online beyond NBC oversight, ​leaving broadcasters more constrained than digital actors.

By Isaac Anyaogu, Reuters

Up to 200 civilians killed in Nigeria after air force 'misfire' on market

A Nigerian Air Force strike targeting jihadist rebels hit a local market in the northeast, killing as many as 200 civilians, a local chief reported on Monday.

Officials confirmed a misfire but provided no further details.

Amnesty International cited survivors as saying that at least 100 people were killed in the air strike on Saturday on a village in Yobe state, near the border with Borno state, which is the epicentre of the insurgency that has ravaged the region for over a decade.

“We have their pictures and they include children,” Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International's Nigeria director, said, referring to the casualties.

“We are in touch with people that are there, we spoke with the hospital,” he said. “We spoke with the person in charge of casualties and we spoke with the victims.”

A worker at the Geidam General hospital in Yobe, said at least 23 people injured in the incident were receiving treatment. The worker spoke anonymously as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Such misfires are common in Nigeria, where the military often conducts air raids to battle armed groups who control vast forest enclaves.

At least 500 civilians have died since 2017 in such misfires, according to a tally of reported deaths carried out by the AP news agency.

Security analysts point to loopholes in intelligence gathering as well as insufficient coordination between ground troops, air assets and stakeholders.

The large, remote market located near the Borno-Yobe border is known to be often used by Boko Haram militants to buy food supplies.

Abdulmumin Bulama, a member of a civilian security group working with the Nigerian military in the northeast, said there was intelligence that Boko Haram terrorists had gathered very close to the market and were planning an attack on nearby communities.

“The intel was shared and the Air Force jet acted based on the credible information,” Bulama said.

The Yobe State Government confirmed in a statement that a Nigerian military strike was targeting a stronghold of the Boko Haram jihadi group in the area and that “some people…who went to the Jilli weekly market were affected.”

The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency also acknowledged that an incident had occurred resulting in “casualties affecting some marketers” and said it had dispatched response teams to the area.

Nigeria's military issued a statement saying it conducted a successful strike on a “terrorist enclave and logistics hub” belonging to terrorists in the area, killing scores of them as they rode on motorcycles.

It did not provide any detail about a possible misfire, but noted that motorcycles remain prohibited in conflict hot spots and “any such movements in restricted areas are therefore treated with the utmost seriousness.”

Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation into the incident, adding that the military is “fond of” labelling civilian casualties as bandits

Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country, is battling a complex security crisis, especially in the north, where there is a decade-long insurgency and several armed groups that kidnap for ransom.

Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group and known as Islamic State West Africa Province. There is also the IS-linked Lakurawa group operating in communities in the northwestern part of the country that borders Niger Republic.

By Gavin Blackburn, euronews

Related stories: Nigeria opens investigation after deadly airstrike kills dozens in market

Survivors ask why Nigeria bombed busy market in effort to target jihadist group

Nigeria opens investigation after deadly airstrike kills dozens in market

The airstrikes on the village of Jilli, in Yobe State, occurred on Saturday, with the death tolls differing according to the sources.

Nigerian military jets struck the village market while pursuing Islamist militants in the northeast of the country on Saturday night, a councillor for the area and residents said on Sunday.

A UN security report seen by French news agency AFP first stated that "4 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets launched airstrikes that mistakenly killed at least 56 people and injured 14 others at the Jilli market... on 11 April."

"This occurred during a military operation targeting Boko Haram fighters who visited the market to conduct terrorism activities," it added.

Amnesty International initially said on social media that there were "more than 100 dead" and 35 people seriously injured when the attack happened.

Local chief Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam described it as "a devastating incident".

"As I'm speaking to you, over 200 people have lost their lives from the air strike at the market," he said in a telephone interview with Reuters.

He said injured people had been taken to hospitals in Yobe and Borno.

Crossfire

Nigeria's military first said it had "successfully conducted a precision air strike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub located near the abandoned village of Jilli". It added that "scores of terrorists" were killed in the strike, but did not mention any civilian deaths.

In a separate statement, the air force announced it had launched an investigation following reports that its airstrike "may have affected a local market in Jilli, resulting in civilian casualties".

The Nigerian Air Force said in its statement it had activated its Civilian Harm Accident and Investigation Cell "to immediately proceed to the location on a fact-finding mission on the allegation".

The government of Yobe state later said in its own statement that an air strike on the area had been conducted near a market where shoppers and vendors had gathered.

"Some people from Geidam LGA (local government area) bordering Gubio LGA in Borno state who went to the Jilli weekly market were affected," said Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam, military adviser to the Yobe state government. He gave no further details.

Mistaken targets

The strike occurred on the border between Yobe and Borno states, the heartland of the long-running insurgency that has killed thousands of people and displaced millions more over the years.

Africa's most populous country has been fighting a jihadist insurgency for 17 years, since Boko Haram's 2009 uprising, which has seen the emergence of powerful splinter groups including Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Jihadists kill 18 Nigerian troops including senior brigadier general

This strike is the latest in a series of such incidents in the north of the country.

In January 2025, a military airstrike killed at least 16 people in northwestern Zamfara state after an army jet mistook local vigilantes for criminal gangs.

A month earlier, a military jet killed 10 people when it hit villages while bombing jihadist positions in neighbouring Sokoto state.

International scrutiny and US involvement

Jihadist violence had slowed from its peak in around 2015 but Boko Haram and ISWAP have recently increased attacks in northeastern Nigeria vying to establish a caliphate.

Researchers have noted a rise in violence since last year. More than 100 people in the north have been killed over the last 10 days by both jihadists and criminal gangs.

Nigeria is facing international scrutiny over its security situation, including pressure from US President Donald Trump, who ordered bombardments on Islamists militants last Christmas.

Earlier this year the United States began deploying 200 troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to soldiers in fighting jihadist groups.

In the face of pressure to tackle insecurity, Nigeria's Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi on Friday said the government had brought to court 508 cases and convicted nearly 386 people for links to jihadists groups terrorism in a mass trial.

rfi

Related stories: Survivors ask why Nigeria bombed busy market in effort to target jihadist group

Up to 200 civilians killed in Nigeria after air force 'misfire' on market

Survivors ask why Nigeria bombed busy market in effort to target jihadist group

Survivors and observers have questioned the Nigerian military’s rationale for a devastating airstrike on a busy market that killed as many as 200 people, many of them civilians.

The hit on Jilli market on the border of the north-eastern Borno and Yobe states on Saturday is the latest in a string of attacks by the country’s air force over the past decade with a high civilian death toll.

The military said it had been targeting members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) jihadist group. A local councillor said more than 200 people had died, while Amnesty International said the death toll was above 100 and rising.

Nigeria has struggled to suppress multiple conflicts, including an insurgency in the north-east by the Islamist group Boko Haram, which it has been battling for 17 years. The group split in 2016, with Iswap forming in its place. Meanwhile, the country’s north-west region is beset by armed groups of bandits, and there are regular fatal clashes between herders and farmers in the country’s middle belt.

Nigeria’s military said in a post on X on Sunday that it had “successfully conducted a precision airstrike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub located near the abandoned village of Jilli … [that] followed sustained intelligence”.

The statement, attributed to the military spokesperson Sani Uba, said: “Post-strike assessment confirmed that the target area was struck with high accuracy, resulting in the destruction of the identified terrorist logistics enclave. Scores of terrorists were neutralised in the strike.”

However, local traders denied that Islamist fighters had been among them. “I don’t know if there were jihadists at the market. We are just ordinary people,” Mala Garba, 42, told Agence France-Presse while recovering from injuries at a hospital in Maiduguri, Borno’s state capital.

He was among 46 victims of the airstrike at the hospital. Some were heavily bandaged, while others had IV drips attached.

Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, the area’s local councillor and traditional leader, said: “It’s a very devastating incident at Jilli market. As I’m speaking to you, over 200 people have lost their lives from the airstrike at the market.”

Yobe state officials later admitted that civilians had been affected. “Some people … who went to the Jilli weekly market were affected,” Brig Gen Dahiru Abdulsalam, a military adviser to the Yobe state government, told Reuters.

It was likely there had been Iswap members or supporters at the market, said Malik Samuel, a researcher with Good Governance Africa. “That area is particularly known for the presence of Iswap,” he said. “It’s a major logistics route for the group.”

However, he said it would have been “impossible” for an airstrike to distinguish between fighters and civilians at a busy market frequented by hundreds or even thousands of people, adding: “Would it not be better to trace people leaving the market and going to known areas occupied by this group … instead of just hitting a market that you know clearly that there would be civilians in this place?”

Nigeria’s military has killed at least 500 civilians in airstrikes since 2017, according to the Associated Press. At least 115 people were killed in 2017 when a camp housing displaced people in Borno was bombed. More than 120 people were killed in two airstrikes on a religious gathering in Kaduna state in December 2023.

“The lack of accountability is a big problem, because it emboldens the military to continue doing that,” Samuel said.

Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria’s executive director, said: “You cannot trust the military to investigate themselves. Whenever they investigate themselves, the outcome is as usual: they exonerate themselves.”

He added: “These deadly airstrikes will undermine trust in public institutions and will even undermine the fight against insurgency and banditry.”

The US has previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from jihadists, although Muslim civilians are also killed by Islamist groups. On Christmas Day 2025, the US carried out airstrikes on an Islamist group known as Lakurawa in north-west Nigeria.

By Rachel Savage, The Guardian

Related stories:  Up to 200 civilians killed in Nigeria after air force 'misfire' on market

Nigeria opens investigation after deadly airstrike kills dozens in market

Nigeria Debuts New Crude Grade with Landmark Export to the Netherlands

Nigeria’s state oil company NNPC has exported its first cargo of a new light crude grade, Cawthorne, to the Netherlands, the company said on Wednesday.

NNPC is aiming to boost production and diversify its export streams as Nigeria works to lift output after years of underinvestment, oil theft and operational disruptions.

About 950,000 barrels were shipped from the Cawthorne floating storage and offloading vessel (FSO), located off Bonny in Rivers State, which supports output from oil mining lease 18, NNPC said.

The launch follows recent additions such as Nembe and Utapate crudes under what NNPC described as a broader strategy to expand Nigeria’s portfolio of exportable oil blends.

Nigeria produced about 1.4 million barrels per day in March, OPEC data shows, well below capacity.

NNPC Chief Executive Bashir Bayo Ojulari said the development supported government targets to raise crude output to three million bpd by 2030.

Nigeria depends on oil exports for most of its foreign exchange earnings.

Reuters

Nigeria defeats European tech giant in $6.2m suit

Nigeria has secured a significant international legal victory after an arbitration tribunal dismissed a $6.2 million claim brought by European Dynamics UK Ltd. over a stalled federal digital procurement project.

The dispute, filed against Nigeria’s Bureau of Public Procurement, stemmed from disagreements over the national electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system. The project, backed by the World Bank, was designed to improve transparency and efficiency in federal procurement.

In a statement, Kamarudeen Ogundele, special assistant to the President in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said the tribunal issued a final ruling that is not appealable. The decision clears Nigeria of potential financial exposure of about $6.2 million, roughly N9.3 billion.

European Dynamics had sought about $2.4 million for alleged milestone completions, $3 million in general damages, and a further $800,000 in settlement-related claims. However, the tribunal sided fully with Nigeria’s defence.

Nigeria argued that software customisation contracts are performance-driven and only deemed delivered after a successful User Acceptance Test confirms compliance with technical specifications and statutory workflows. The tribunal agreed, ruling that the identified deficiencies were the contractor’s responsibility to correct at no extra cost.

The sole arbitrator, Funmi Roberts, consequently dismissed all claims in their entirety.

Nigeria’s legal team was led by Johnson & Wilner LLP, with founding partner Basil Udotai serving as the lead on the arbitration.

Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi praised the Bureau’s leadership and the legal team, describing the outcome as a strong signal that Nigeria “can no longer be taken for granted.”

The case was inherited by BPP Director General Adebowale Adedokun upon assuming office.

For Nigeria, the ruling not only averts a multimillion-dollar payout but also reinforces the government’s position on performance accountability in major digital infrastructure contracts, an area closely watched by investors and development partners across Africa.

By Segun Adeyemi, Business Insider Africa

Nigeria opens probe into Temu over suspected data protection breaches

Nigeria's data watchdog has opened a probe into Chinese-owned e-commerce giant Temu for suspected data-law violations, the regulator said on Tuesday, a move that could usher in legal penalties in one of Africa's biggest markets.

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) said concerns over Temu's data-processing practices - including online surveillance, opaque handling, cross-border transfers and possible breaches of data-minimisation rules, triggered the investigation.

The move comes amid rising global scrutiny of Temu's rapid expansion.

NDPC chief Vincent Olatunji ordered the probe and warned that processors could be held liable for any non-compliance.

The company did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Last year, the agency fined Multichoice Nigeria, Africa's largest pay-TV operator, 766 million naira ($565,990) for breaching data-protection rules.

Temu handles the personal data of about 12.7 million Nigerians and around 70 million daily users globally, the NDPC said in a statement.

Temu, owned by Nasdaq-listed PDD Holdings, has expanded rapidly in Nigeria with an app-driven marketplace offering steep discounts on fashion, electronics and household goods.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

Nigeria warns against enlisting abroad after reports of deaths in Ukraine

Nigeria's foreign ministry has issued an urgent warning over what it describes as the increasing illegal recruitment of its citizens to fight in foreign conflicts.

It comes after Ukrainian officials said they found the bodies of two Nigerians who they said were killed in combat last year.

Nigeria has not confirmed those deaths but in a statement on Sunday, foreign ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa revealed that "several Nigerians who have fallen victim to such unfortunate situations were deployed to combat zones after being misled and coerced into signing military service contracts".

Kenya has issued a similar warning to its citizens.

According to Nigerian officials, investigations and security reports indicate that some nationals were enticed with promises of well-paid employment, security work, educational opportunities or migration incentives, only to find themselves thrust into active war zones.

In some cases, victims were allegedly forced to sign contracts written in foreign languages without proper legal advice, and their travel documents were confiscated upon arrival.

Intermediaries are also said to arrange travel using tourist or other non-military visas.

Ebienfa cautioned Nigerians against accepting such offers, emphasising that they not only endanger lives but may also violate Nigerian and international laws concerning mercenary activities and foreign enlistment.

The Nigerian government stated it was working with local and international partners to investigate these cases and enhance public awareness.

Its diplomatic missions abroad have been directed to strengthen consular support and issue advisories to citizens.

Ukrainian intelligence estimates that more than 1,400 individuals from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia. Ukraine itself has previously faced criticism for attempting to recruit foreign nationals, including Africans, to fight on its side.

African governments have increasingly been warning their citizens and working to repatriate those who were deceived into joining the conflict.

Last week, South Africa announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin had pledged assistance in returning South African nationals who had travelled to Ukraine to join Russian forces.

Retired Nigerian military expert Maj Bashir Galma told the BBC that the recruitment of Nigerians and other Africans into foreign conflicts was not unprecedented.

"Even during the Yugoslavia issues many years ago, we had that problem and it is sad that our youth are falling into these traps and losing their lives to a war that means nothing to them," he said.

By Makuochi Okafor, BBC

Uncertainty on the streets over Nigeria’s sachet alcohol ban

 

It’s a hot early afternoon on a tree-lined street in FESTAC town, a popular residential estate in Lagos. People take shelter in the shade beside a local restaurant. Cash vendors work the curb near a major hotel, and at a roadside kiosk, two Seaman’s Aromatic Schnapps sachets go for 200 Naira ($0.12, €0.11).

Philip, who buys sachets “almost every day,” says he prefers to “take it small, small” rather than buy a large bottle. “I plan it…I have a minimum and a maximum.” For him, sachets are about volume control, not price. “If there is no sachet, I can switch to a bigger one… It depends on my mood,” he told DW.

Nigeria’s food and drug regulator, NAFDAC, has long planned a phase-out of alcohol packaged in sachets and in plastic bottles of less than 200ml (0.05 gallons). It announced the ban would be enforced as planned from December last year, but disagreement between government agencies has created confusion and ambiguity about whether the ban is actually in force. The policy is intended to reduce alcohol abuse by minors and drivers.

Conflicting directives are causing confusion

At a Lagos press briefing in late January 2026, NAFDAC Director General Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye stated that enforcement had resumed, saying the agency had received a “matching order” from the Senate. But NAFDAC’s statement conflicts with a December 15, 2025, directive issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), ordering an immediate suspension of all enforcement actionspending consultations and a final directive. The statement also added that any action taken without OSGF clearance “should be disregarded.”

At the time of publication, there was no public OSGF notice lifting that suspension, leaving manufacturers, retailers and buyers guessing which order to obey.

Segun Ajayi-Kadir, director general of Nigeria’s Manufacturers Association (MAN), says that a “renewed ban” would hurt the economy, disrupt compliant producers, and encourage the sale of illicit, unregulated products. He added that operators are “confused as to which directive to follow.”


According to Ajayi-Kadir, alcohol packaged in sachets serves low-income adult consumers, and an outright ban would limit their choice.

On January 23, members of Nigeria’s labour unions, including the country’s Distillers and Blenders Association, held demonstrations outside NAFDAC’s Lagos office, holding placards that read: “Local manufacturers deserve protection, not frustration” and “5.5 million Nigerians cannot be pushed to the streets.” They argue that the ban risks jobs and investments.

Each sachet has its ‘own work’ in the body

For Amara Ruth, who has sold alcohol packaged in sachets at her roadside kiosk in FESTAC town since 2019, demand has not dipped. “People always buy,” she told DW. “At night sales are very high,” she said, adding that afternoons also bring in a steady flow of clients. Pricing is simple: 100 Naira for the smaller sachet, 200 Naira for the larger one.

Ruth believes buyers would still pay even if prices rose, because sachets are an inexpensive entry point. Her bestsellers range from gins used for libation to bitters and “manpower” brands popular for sexual enhancement. “Each sachet has its own work they do in the body,” she explained. Nigerian bitters drinks are herbal-based alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that are traditionally believed to provide the body with various health benefits.

“Nobody from NAFDAC has come here. Nobody at all,” she says, recalling only a temporary squeeze on one bitters brand last year. Ruth sometimes refuses sales to older men who get drunk quickly or to young buyers she does not trust, but admitted that children may buy for adults.

Philip’s experience is similar. He says availability has not tightened since talk of a ban began. “Nothing changed. It’s even multiplied. In Lagos, you can get it anywhere, within 20 meters, you have one.” On youth access, he adds: “If they want to get it, they will get it.”

A 2019 report published in African Health Sciences revealed 30% alcohol use among young Nigerians. The World Health Organization’s (WHO)Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health (2018) estimated heavy episodic drinking among Nigerians aged 15–19 at 22.5%, one of the highest rates in Africa.

Alcohol in sachets linked to road accidents, domestic violence

Civil society groups like CAPPA, a regional corporate accountability organisation, and NHED, a Nigerian Health Equity NGO, argue that sachets make high-strength alcohol easy for young people to obtain and conceal, linking widespread use to road crashes, school dropouts, domestic violence and early addiction.

Several African countries have restricted or banned sachet alcohol on health grounds. Kenya in 2004 andCote d’Ivoire in 2016, with additional actions in Malawi, Cameroon and Tanzania.

In Nigeria, the question is no longer about availability — sachets remain widely sold — but about who is responsible for enforcement, with NAFDAC announcing a crackdown while the OSGF’s suspension order remains in place.

Back in FESTAC town, very little appears to have shifted. At Amara’s kiosk, sachets continue to sell alongsidebeer and sodas, and demand remains steady through the day.

For consumers like Philip, the appeal is still convenience and control over how much they drink. But until the authorities resolve the conflicting directives and set out how enforcement should work at street level, drinkers can allay their confusion with an alcohol sachet of their choice.

By Okey Omeire, Inquirer