Authorities say assailants stormed a village in the Mangu Local Government area and two additional nearby communities on Tuesday. In addition to the deaths, several buildings, including a market and worship centers were destroyed.
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Environmentalists have welcomed the move to ban single-use plastics and Styrofoam in Nigeria’s most populous city. The ban takes place immediately. Environmentalists welcome the action but question how the ban will be enforced and whether it will have any impact.
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Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken holds a joint press availability with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar in Abuja, Nigeria, on January 23, 2024.
Local communities reported the incident to the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd and the Nigerian Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency. The Niger Delta region has for decades suffered from oil spills with Shell facing legal battles for many of those leaks.
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Abuja, 24 January 2024 - On this International Day of Education 2024, UNICEF acknowledges the significant progress made in providing access to education for 7.2 million children in humanitarian settings across Nigeria, thanks to collaborative efforts with the government, donors and partners. However, alongside this recognition, the children’s agency highlights the need for concerted efforts to enhance school safety in Nigeria.
A recent evaluation indicates that, on average, only 43% of the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools are being met in about 6,000 assessed schools. This finding particularly highlights challenges in ensuring the safety of school infrastructure and in mitigating risks such as violence, conflict, and natural hazards.
Ms. Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, notes, “While Nigeria has shown a commitment to creating safe school environments through endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration and developing the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools, there is room for further progress. On this important day, we are reminded of the collective responsibility we share in safeguarding the educational environment for every child.”
The theme of the 2024 International Day of Education, 'learning for lasting peace,' reminds us of all of the crucial role that education plays in promoting peace and stability. It serves as a reminder to all stakeholders – including federal and state governments, development partners, civil society, communities, and educators – of the importance of providing safe, secure learning environments.
“Education is a key driver of gender equality, economic growth, and social development, sadly it remains inaccessible to many Nigerian children. Their educational journey is often disrupted by attacks on communities and schools, including the abduction of students. These challenges are particularly acute for adolescent girls, potentially stalling the progress made in girls’ education in Nigeria.” Munduate added.
Recent attacks on schools, particularly in the North-East and North-West regions in 2021, have led to learning disruptions for over 1.3 million children, necessitating precautionary school closures. This highlights the urgency of addressing school safety comprehensively.
UNICEF calls for a multi-sectoral approach to improve school safety, informed by the performance of states on the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools. This approach should include comprehensive planning, coordination, and adequate resource allocation, especially in states with higher risks.
To complement these efforts, UNICEF emphasizes the importance of alternative learning platforms, such as the Nigerian Learning Passport. This digital platform, with over 750,000 users, offers curriculum-aligned materials and is crucial for ensuring continuity of education, especially during school closures.
UNICEF remains committed to working with the Nigerian government, donors and all partners to ensure that every child has access to a safe, inclusive, and quality education.
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Yusuf Tuggar tweeted Anthony Blinken's visit focused enhancing trade relations and deepening democracy in West Africa.
Nigerian president Bola Tinubu held discussions with the US secretary of state ahead of a press conference.
The US top diplomat said Nigeria had an essential part to play in how Africa could shape the global future.
"Nigeria as Africa's largest country, largest economy, largest democracy, is essential to that effort [Editor's note: referring to the role Africa has in shaping the future globally]."
"We are doing a lot of work together already to drive in a positive direction. We're we're we're driving climate action. As partners in the Global Methane Coalition, we're pushing for permanent representation for African voices in the U.N. Security Council, in other international organizations."
"The United States is committed to strengthening genuine partnerships on the continent, to work to solve shared challenges, and also to deliver on the promise and the fundamental aspirations of our peoples," Blinken said.
His trip is part of President Biden's attempt to tout the USA as Africa's key economic and security ally.
Nigeria is Blinken's third stop on his tour of African nations, following Cape Verde and Ivory Coast. He will travel next to Angola.
Nabeeha, pictured second from left, was killed by the kidnappers
Nigerian police had no role in rescuing four sisters and their cousin from kidnappers, an uncle of the girls has told the BBC.
They were taken from their home in Abuja earlier this month, along with another sister who was later killed.
The uncle said a ransom was paid and the kidnappers dropped the girls in a forest for them to be collected.
On Sunday, police said they had "successfully rescued the victims", reuniting them with relatives.
Sheriff Al-Kadriyar, the girls' uncle, said the family went to collect them after a ransom was paid.
"There's nothing like rescue on this matter, we paid ransom - even though I can't disclose how much for security reasons," he told BBC Yoruba.
The Nigerian police spokesperson has not responded to a BBC request for comment.
The case has shocked the country, with people donating to a crowdfunding initiative to help raise the money.
In total five sisters were taken hostage in the Abuja suburb of Bwari on 2 January, along with their father Mansoor Al-Kadriyar, who was later released to raise the ransom.
Sheriff Kadriyar clarified that contrary to earlier reports that six Al-Kadriyar sisters had been abducted, one of the girls was in fact their cousin who had been staying with them over the school holidays.
Twenty-one-year-old Nabeeha, a final-year university student, was killed a few days after her father's release as a warning that the ransom of $68,000 (£53,000) must be paid.
Nigeria's defence minister had urged the family not to pay the ransom, but the Al-Kadriyars said they had no choice.
A controversial law that criminalises ransom payments was passed in 2022 aimed at tackling the country's spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry.It carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years for anyone who pays a ransom, however no-one has been arrested, and a former minister is among those who said he had helped organise the payment to the kidnappers of the Al-Kadriyar sisters.
Sheriff Kadriyar, who said he was involved in negotiating with the kidnappers, explained that the money had been handed over to them on Wednesday.
His account backs up two others given by relatives to Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper.
They all say that the girls were released on Saturday. One of them then called the family in the early evening, giving their location.
"The kidnappers chose the day and the location we were to pick up the girls about four or five days after ransom payment," the uncle said.
A group of male relatives then headed to the Kajuru Forest in neighbouring Kaduna state to find them. Along the way they chanced upon an army unit and requested help.
These army officers escorted them to find the girls - afterwards taking them all home by around 23:30 local time (22:30 GMT).
"We are happy and we thank God that the girls were found alive," the uncle said.
His brother and nieces were now being treated at a medical facility, he said.
Kidnapping has become rife in Nigeria, with hundreds of people abducted in recent years, largely by criminal gangs who see it as an easy way to make money. It has been particularly bad in the north-west of the country.
There has been an outcry that the insecurity has reached the capital, prompting Abuja's police force to launch a special squad to tackle the kidnapping gangs last week.
The family did not want to discredit the police but wanted to make it clear how they had managed to free the girls, Sheriff Kadriyar said.
By Mansur Abubakar, BBC
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Nigeria’s Lagos State has announced a ban on the usage and distribution of styrofoam and other single-use plastics with immediate effect.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab announced on Sunday, January 21 adding that the decision was reached, following the menace which the single-use plastics, especially the non-biodegradable Styrofoam, were causing on the environment.
He said most drainage channels in the state were daily clogged up by styrofoam through indiscriminate distribution and usage, despite the regular cleaning and evacuation of the drains.
Commissioner Wahab directed the State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, and the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, to immediately commence implementation of the ban.
He asked the two agencies to clamp down on all the production companies and distribution outlets for styrofoam in the state to prevent further distribution.
The commissioner advised producers, distributors, and end-users of styrofoam packs to take the ban seriously and find alternatives or risk heavy fines, and other penalties, including sealing of their premises.
He warned that they could also be made to bear the costs of the daily cleanup of their products from roads and drainage channels which runs into tens of millions of naira daily.
“Our state cannot be held hostage to the economic interests of a few wealthy business owners, compared to the millions of Lagosians suffering the consequences of indiscriminate dumping of single-use plastics and other types of waste,” he stated.
He advised consumers and residents to boycott styrofoam packs and single-use plastics and imbibe the practice of using reusable food containers and water bottles for their food and drinks.
Africa News
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Nigeria won 1-0 against Guinea-Bissau to secure their spot in the Round of 16 as the second team in Group A.
Nigerian police on Sunday said that five kidnapped sisters have been rescued after their abduction, and the death of another sister triggered a public outcry. The sisters were seized at the start of the year by armed men who burst into their home just 15 miles from Abuja city center, according to the family.
One of the victims, 21-year-old Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, lost her life when the ransom deadline passed.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police and the army successfully rescued the remaining sisters on Saturday night in the Kajuru forest in Kaduna State, a neighboring area.
“The FCT Police has rescued the victims and reunited them with their families,” a police statement said.
The incident highlights the issue of kidnapping for ransom in Nigeria, where criminal groups target various locations, including highways, residences, and even schools, causing widespread concern.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the “recent spate of kidnappings and bandit attacks.” Since assuming office in May of the previous year, Tinubu has made addressing insecurity a major commitment.
(Story compiled with assistance from AFP)
By Halligan Agade, CGTN
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After a foul against Victor Osimhen inside the box, Nigeria defeated Hosts Ivory Coast to qualifiy to the Round of 16!
Consumers of locally-produced goods in Nigeria are facing higher prices due to unreliable electricity supplies. Poor and irregular power is causing businesses to use costly alternative sources of energy which in turn, impact production outlays. Experts say Nigeria's government must address its electricity problems to spur economic growth and development.
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Expectant mothers in Nigeria are increasingly choosing home births due to the high cost of maternal care. Some are also opting for traditional birthing methods.
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Senior U.S. diplomat Victoria Nuland met Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and discussed "promoting accountability and transparency" in the aftermath of security operations in Nigeria, the State Department said on Thursday.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
Observers have noted a pattern of deadly aerial assaults by the Nigerian military that have killed civilians, which was the subject of a special Reuters report last year.
Nigeria's military is backed by the United States, Britain and other allies in a long war against Islamist insurgents in the northeast.
KEY QUOTE
"They further agreed on the importance of protecting civilians, safeguarding human rights, and promoting accountability and transparency in the aftermath of security operations," the State Department said in a statement on Thursday.
CONTEXT
Civilians were killed n Nigeria's northern Kaduna state following a military drone attack targeting insurgents and bandits in December. The death toll in the attack was at least 85, including women and children.
The Boko Haram and splinter Islamic West Africa Province have waged an insurgency in Nigeria's northeast for more than one decade and continue to carry out sporadic attacks against civilians and the military.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Nigeria in the coming week as part of a West Africa trip.
By Kanishka Singh, Reuters
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Nigeria Security agencies have been struggling to contain a 14-year insurgency by militants that has led to the death of over 350,000 people. Analysts have welcomed the recruitment of additional police officers but insist that the welfare of security personnel across the country needs to be improved.
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Nigeria’s leader said Tuesday that his government will embark on “massive education” of youth as one way to tackle the increasing kidnappings for ransom now threatening the capital city along with the rest of the country’s conflict-hit north.
President Bola Tinubu won last year’s election after promising to rid the West African nation of its security crisis. However, deadly attacks particularly in the north have persisted, with the capital of Abuja recording a spike in abductions along major roads and in homes in recent weeks.
Tinubu condemned the abductions as “disturbing, ungodly and sinister” and touted education as “the antidote to the troubles agitating the nation,” according to a statement from presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale.
“There is no weapon against poverty that is as potent as learning,” the statement said. “Security agencies are acting with dispatch to immediately address the current challenge (while) all required resources, policies and plans will be rolled out soon for the massive education of Nigerian youths.”
Nigeria’s security forces already are battling jihadi rebels in the northeast in addition to armed groups that often carry out mass killings and abductions in remote communities across the northwest and central regions.
Now residents on the outskirts of the capital are beginning to relocate amid a surge in abductions for ransom suspected of being carried out by gunmen from volatile neighboring states.
Analysts said Tinubu has not done much to address the security crisis.
“Nigeria is drifting towards a failing state (with) non-state armed groups challenging the state authority,” said Oluwole Ojewale, a West and Central Africa researcher with the Africa-focused Institute for Security Studies.
Although Tinubu had promised that his government will “mobilize the totality” of Nigeria’s assets to protect citizens, there has been “no tangible improvement in (the) security situation yet,” Ojewale said.
By Chinedu Asadu, AP
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Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing in seven suburbs of Nigeria's third most-populous city.
The cause of the blast is still unclear, but the authorities suspect that it may have been triggered by mining explosives stored in a house.
Photos show buildings reduced to near rubble and vehicles destroyed by shells.
Dramatic videos have been shared on social media, with one witness describing a mall being destroyed in Bodija, a residential district of the city.
"We hear a loud bang around 07:30pm. Dominoes Pizza and Ace Mall in Bodija were destroyed," he said.
Police have promised a swift inquiry into the explosion.
"Preliminary investigations by the security agencies revealed that illegal miners occupying one of the houses in Bodija had stored explosive devices there which caused the blast," the regional governor Seyi Makinde said.
The Central bank in Nigeria has released guidelines for banks opening cryptocurrency accounts after it lifted its ban on crypto assets. However, there are calls for the government to embark on crypto-awareness campaigns among young people as a way to boost the economy.
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Nigeria will receive some of its stolen assets believed to be worth £6.9m ($8.9m). This is following the verdict of an American court, which ruled that the source of the funds is ambiguous and believed to have been looted. Negotiations with the Nigerian government would precede the return of the stolen loot.
According to a report by the BBC, funds valued at £6.9 million ($8.9 million) were looted from Nigeria’s coffers and deposited in a Jersey bank in 2014. The crime is said to have been perpetrated by some members of the Nigerian government at the time.
“The transfer of money was disguised as government-sanctioned contracts for arms purchases during incursions by Boko Haram in Nigeria between 2009 and 2015,” the BBC report reads in part.
According to the report, Jersey’s government disclosed that the fund, which was originally intended for legitimate arms deals was rerouted via “foreign bank accounts to and from shell companies.”
Based on the statement from the office of the Attorney General, the money was thought to have gone to family members of the administration in question and was distributed among its party members during the 2015 Nigerian general elections.
Representing the Nigerian people’s interest, the Nigerian government has been working closely with Jersey officials to retrieve the stolen property, as disclosed by Mark Temple KC, His Majesty's Attorney General.
"This case again demonstrates the effectiveness of the 2018 Forfeiture Law in recovering the proceeds of corruption and restoring that money to victims of crime,” the Attorney General stated,
"I now intend to negotiate an asset return agreement with the Federal Republic of Nigeria," he added.
By Chinedu Okafor, Business Insider Africa
Nigeria's state-owned oil company NNPC Ltd on Monday tendered for operators of its Port Harcourt oil refinery in the Niger Delta, which is expected to begin production in the first quarter of this year, the company said.
The refinery, which is undergoing an upgrade, will begin by processing 60,000 barrels per day (bpd), and NNPC expects to operate at the full capacity of 210,000 bpd later this year.
NNPC said in a public notice that it wanted to engage reputable and credible operations firms "to operate and maintain one of its refineries, Port Harcourt Refining Company, to ensure reliability and sustainability towards meeting the nation's fuel supply and energy security obligations".
The oil company said prospective operators should have a turnover of at least $2 billion since 2019, evidence of their latest credit rating and experience in running refineries.
NNPC said on Jan. 4 that it would complete test runs at the Port Harcourt refinery this month before resuming production.
The refinery, which was shut five years ago, is among state-owned refineries that have been mothballed for years, but which the Nigerian government is trying to revive to end the country's reliance on imported refined products.
By MacDonald Dzirutwe, Reuters
Shell Plc agreed to sell its Nigerian onshore oil business to a consortium of local companies for more than $1.3 billion.
If approved by the government, the transaction would fulfill Shell’s long-term goal of extracting itself from a challenging operating environment in the Niger Delta region, while retaining a presence elsewhere in the country. Beyond the initial price tag, Shell said it will receive additional cash payments of as much as $1.1 billion on completion.
“This agreement marks an important milestone for Shell in Nigeria,” Zoe Yujnovich, integrated gas and upstream director, said in a statement on Tuesday. The deal is “simplifying our portfolio and focusing future disciplined investment in Nigeria on our deepwater and integrated gas positions”
The buyer of the asset, known as Renaissance, is formed of exploration and production companies ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, Waltersmith and Petrolin, all of which are based in Nigeria, according to the statement.
The announcement comes after a labored sales process that had to be halted in 2022 after a court ruling ordered Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd. to pause its divestment plans pending the outcome of a court case related to allegations of pollution. Earlier this month, Nigeria’s Supreme Court upheld Shell’s appeal against this ruling.
Shell has pumped oil in Nigeria for more than half a century, but almost three years ago then-Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden signaled the company’s intention to exit its onshore oil positions. These operations have become increasingly difficult, with accusations of environmental pollution by local communities, as well as persistent oil theft that caused damage to infrastructure.
Following the sale, Shell will continue operating in the country through its deep-water oil business, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd. Another unit that provides gas to domestic industrial and commercial customers, Shell Nigeria Gas Ltd., will continue operating as will solar firm Daystar Power Group. Shell will retain its 25.6% stake in Nigeria LNG, which produces and exports liquefied natural gas.
By Laura Hurst, Bloomberg
At least eight people were confirmed dead and many were missing after a wooden ferry carrying 100 people capsized in northwest Nigeria, local emergency services said on Tuesday.
The accident happened on Monday in Niger state as residents of Dugga village were travelling to a market in neighbouring Kebbi State to sell grain and sugar cane.
Boat accidents are common on Nigerian waterways, and are often blamed on overcrowding and poor maintenance.
Ibrahim Hussaini, spokesperson for Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said a sudden change in wind direction sank the overcrowded boat.
Eight bodies were recovered and five people were rescued but many others were missing, added Hussaini.
By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters
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Nigeria's first lady has joined the chorus of voices condemning the killing of a student abducted along with her five sisters, calling it a "devastating loss".
Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, 21, was "super-bright, smart and kind", her cousin Asiya Adamu told the BBC on Monday.
Nabeeha also loved to write poetry and read books by the American author Jodi Picoult - and she was days away from graduating with a science degree from Ahmadu Bello University.
"On the day the kidnapping happened, I asked Nabeeha if we were going to the [graduation ceremony] together, and she said yes," recalls Ms Adamu. It was the last time she saw her alive.
That evening, on 2 January, Nabeeha was abducted along with her father and sisters from their home in the outskirts of the capital, Abuja.
Nigerian police have not confirmed what happened next. Witnesses say Nabeeha's uncle ran to find help but was ambushed and killed, as were three police officers. It is not known why the family was targeted.
The kidnappers demanded to be paid a huge sum of cash by 12 January, and when they did not get it they killed Nabeeha as a warning, according to a member of the family who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity.
Nabeeha's kidnappers handed over her body and, in accordance with Islamic rites, she was swiftly buried by her family on Saturday.
A national reckoning
News of Nabeeha's plight began to circulate over the weekend, prompting widespread grief and indignation that Nigeria's kidnapping crisis rages on despite government promises to bring it to an end.
This moment of reckoning has moved the president's wife to speak out and confirm Nabeeha's death, even though police had not yet officially done so.
Security agencies must "intensify their efforts" to end Nigeria's kidnapping and security crisis, said First Lady Remi Tinubu on Monday, demanding a "swift return of the Al-Kadriyar sisters".
Their father Mansoor Al-Kadriyar, who was freed days ago in order to fetch the ransom money, now faces an agonising wait for their return. His daughters' captors are demanding a higher sum of 65m naira ($68,000; £53,000), to be paid by Wednesday.
Hundreds of Nigerians have been kidnapped for ransom in recent years, largely by criminal gangs who see it as an easy way to make money. Close to 20 people were abducted in in the first week of 2024 alone.
No matter how desperate the circumstances, Nigerian law prohibits the payment of ransom money. However, many victims pay up because they do not trust authorities or their track record.
Even a former minister appears to share this scepticism of the Nigerian state's ability to bring the abducted back.
"I am personally not in support of paying ransom to criminals. However... I spoke with a friend who offered to pay the remaining 50 million naira," says ex-Digital Economy Minister Isa Ali Pantami, who is now a professor in cybersecurity, and a Muslim cleric.
He was one of the architects of the policy of registering all mobile phone Sim cards, in order to make life harder for kidnappers and extortionists, but says he is "frustrated" that it has not been better implemented despite allegedly enduring "threats to my life".
Nabeeha's cousin, Asiya Adamu, has also crowdfunded money from well-wishers online to help pay the ransom. She did not respond to the BBC's request to disclose the total raised, saying security officers had advised her not to so.
While she prays for the safe return of the rest of her cousins, Ms Adamu is haunted by the thought that she narrowly avoided the same fate. She tells the BBC she was due to spend time at their house that day but later changed her mind.
"My favourite memories of Nabeeha was mostly when we were in the kitchen together," Ms Adamu recalls.
"Losing her has left a void one cannot explain with words. She was a source of comfort and understanding and I've lost that," she adds.
"She had plans of going to Morocco for her Masters because she liked the place.
"I guess we make plans and Allah has the last word."
By Chris Ewokor & Natasha Booty, BBC
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Nigeria kicks off its journey in AFCON 2023 against a giant slayer like Equatorial Guinea.
