Reuters expose Nigerian military abortion programme

A Reuters investigation published on Wednesday revealed that the Nigerian Army has run a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in the country's northeast since at least 2013.

The programme has involved terminating at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls, many of whom had been kidnapped and raped by Islamist militants, according to dozens of witness accounts and documentation reviewed by Reuters.

Here are some reactions to the report:
 

NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON

"My reaction to it in the first instance was a personal one in that I read it and was deeply disturbed by it. It was a harrowing report ... It's a concerning report, and for that reason we are seeking further information."
 

ALICIA KEARNS, CHAIR OF UK PARLIAMENT FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

"The stories in this report are heartbreaking and - if verified - represent a large-scale, and deeply concerning, abuse of human rights.

"It is the responsibility of UK authorities to ensure that their support of the Nigerian military does not aid human rights abuses and we expect the Government to take these allegations seriously.

"The Committee will do its part and will continue to follow this story closely as part of ongoing scrutiny of the UK's relationship with Nigeria."
 

JIM RISCH, LEADING REPUBLICAN ON U.S. SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE

"This is a deeply disturbing report. Nigeria’s government, and our government, must investigate these troubling allegations. Swift action must be taken against those found to have carried out this policy of murder and violation of rights.”

CHRIS SMITH, REPUBLICAN MEMBER OF U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

“The credible reports by Reuters implicating Nigerian officials in systematic forced abortions performed on women and girls who were kidnapped and raped by Islamic militants shock the conscience.

“The United States must stand with these victims and ensure that those involved in planning and carrying out this heinous abuse are held to account.

"Provisions I authored that were enacted into law (PL 106-113) give the Secretary of State the authority to sanction any foreign national directly involved in forced abortion.

"Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken must immediately investigate this egregious violation of human rights and take action against any Nigerian official involved or complicit in this atrocity pursuant to my legislation."

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL NIGERIA ON TWITTER

"Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the findings of an investigative report by Reuters news agency, which reveals that the Nigerian army has carried out secret, systematic and forced abortions terminating at least 10,000 pregnancies of women and girls.

"Many of the women and girls affected had been kidnapped and raped by Islamist militants. Such forced abortions constitute gender-based violence that may amount to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

"Nigeria as a State party to the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is responsible for acts of its agents, including those by the Nigerian Army that constitute gender-based violence against women.

"Amnesty International is hereby calling on the Nigerian authorities to:

1. Promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigate this report of forced abortions committed by the Nigerian Army.

2. Prosecute and ensure appropriate legal and disciplinary sanctions on all those found culpable.

3. Provide effective reparations to all victims of forced abortion committed by the Nigerian Army."

Reuters

Cash withdrawals in Nigeria limited to $225 a week to curb ransom payments

Nigeria’s central bank has imposed restrictions on weekly cash withdrawals to limit the use of cash in an apparent bid to curb counterfeiting and discourage ransom payments to kidnappers.

Under a new policy announced late on Tuesday, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said that weekly cash withdrawals for individuals had been slashed to 100,000 Nigerian naira ($225) from 2.5 million naira ($5,638).

A majority of Nigerians have no bank accounts and use informal markets where cash is preferred. This move aims to bring more people into the banking system, and will take effect on January 9, the CBN said.

“The maximum cash withdrawal per week via automated teller machine shall be 100,000 naira subject to a maximum of 20,000 naira ($45) cash withdrawal per day,” it said.

Only denominations of 200 naira and less will be loaded into ATMs, it said.

For businesses, the weekly limit has been cut to 500,000 naira ($1,128) from the current daily limit of three million naira ($6,766).

“Withdrawals above these limits shall attract processing fees of five percent and 10 percent, respectively,” the CBN said.

But in compelling circumstances individuals and businesses could withdraw a maximum of five million naira ($11,277) and 10 million naira ($22,553) respectively once a month, it added.

The central bank warned commercial lenders against violating the new cash limits, which it said were in line with its policy to promote cashless transactions.

The bank has expressed concerns in the past over currency counterfeiting, the volume of money outside the banking system and huge ransom payments to kidnappers and bandits.

Last month, Nigeria launched newly designed currency notes, another move the central bank said would help curb inflation and money laundering.

More than 80 percent of the 3.2 trillion naira ($7.2bn) in circulation in Nigeria are outside the vaults of commercial banks and in private hands, CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele said when he unveiled the new notes.

“The currency redesign will also assist in the fight against corruption as the exercise will rein in the higher denomination used for corruption and the movement of such funds from the banking system could be tracked easily,” he explained at the time.

The new notes – denominations of 200, 500 and 1,000 naira – come into use on December 15, but Nigerians have until January 31 to turn in old notes when they will cease to be legal tender.

Al Jazeera

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Faces of 108 missing Chibok girls sculpted in Clay in Nigeria Art Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

The faces of 108 Nigerian girls who are still missing eight years after they were kidnapped by Islamist insurgents have been sculpted in clay in a collaboration between an artist, a group of potters and university students.

The artwork, titled "Statues Also Breathe" and conceived by French artist Prune Nourry, consists of 108 life-size clay heads, made by 108 students from all over Nigeria, and now on display at an art gallery in Lagos.

Boko Haram militants abducted around 270 teenage girls from a school in the northeastern town of Chibok in 2014.

The mass kidnapping initially prompted worldwide outrage, with the slogan #BringBackOurGirls trending on social media and prominent figures including then U.S. first lady Michelle Obama pressing for their return.

Since then, about 160 of the girls have been released, some after years of captivity, but the story has faded from the headlines.

Nourry collected photos of the missing girls from their families and passed the images on to the students who created the sculptures at a one-day outdoor workshop on the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife, southwest Nigeria.

A small group of women who were among the abducted girls and were later released took part, as did some parents of the missing women.

Nourry said it was a cathartic experience for all involved.

"For the students, for all of us who felt so useless when something so incredible happened and you cannot do anything about it, the fact of being able to at least give a little thing through sculpture, through what we know how to do, was healing," she said.

The young artists took inspiration from photos of Ife heads - terracotta sculptures made in the region centuries ago and considered to be among Nigeria's most significant cultural artefacts.

They used clay from the Ife area - the substance that, according to the Yoruba ethnic group's creation myth, was used to form humans - sourced by a community of local female potters, who also contributed to the creative process.

"These girls have been in distress for eight years," said Habiba Balogun, coordinator of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign in Lagos.

"I am really happy that a project like this has come up that is really going to elevate the level of discourse and understanding, and have a permanent record in the history of this our country about something tragic like this."

Reuters, by Estelle Shirbon

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Service resumed for Abuja-Kaduna train service attacked by gunmen

Nigeria's state railway company on Monday resumed a popular train service between the capital Abuja and the northern state of Kaduna, suspended since in March after gunmen killed passengers and kidnapped several dozen.

Africa's most populous nation is battling insecurity in the north from armed gangs who attack villages and highways and kidnap people for ransom, and a long running insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced millions more.

The Nigerian military in October secured the release of the remaining 23 hostages from the train attack. President Muhammadu Buhari's government had said the train service would only start once all hostages were freed.

"We are starting afresh and I pray we will not have a re-occurrence of that ugly incidence by God's grace," said Ganiyat Adesina-Uthman, a lecturer who was travelling to Kaduna for the first time since March.

Passengers were required to provide national identification numbers, while armed security were on board the train. 

Reuters, by Abraham Archiga

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Student charged with defaming first lady of Nigeria freed

Nigeria has freed a student charged with “criminal defamation” over a tweet he posted about the physical appearance of the country’s first lady.

Aminu Adamu was arrested at his university in northern Jigawa state on 18 November after Aisha Buhari filed a complaint and then remanded into custody until January.


He walked free after she dropped the complaint against him on Saturday. Adamu then met Buhari and apologised for his comments in a series of tweets. Student groups had called for demonstrations this week to protest against Adamu’s detention.

According to the court documents, Adamu commented on a photo of Buhari on Twitter, suggesting she had “embezzled money meant for the poor to [her own] satisfaction”. It was not clear whether he had intended to make a joke or to accuse her of corruption.

The 23-year-old student’s detention sparked widespread outrage in Nigeria, which suffers a multitude of intractable economic and social problems that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has been unable to resolve.

If convicted, Aminu could have faced up to two years in prison, according to Nigeria’s penal code.

Amnesty International had urged the authorities to release him, reporting that his family and friends alleged he being was held incommunicado and subjected to severe beating, torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

“The heavy-handed mistreatment of Aminu Adamu Muhammed is a clear attempt to strike fear into the hearts of young Nigerians who use social media to hold the powerful to account,” Amnesty said.

Allegations of mistreatment against detainees are not uncommon in Africa’s most populous country, despite it having had a stable democracy since 1999 after decades of military dictatorships.

President Buhari, a former army general who was elected as a civilian leader in 2015 and 2019, is stepping down next year after two terms allowed by the constitution.

Voted into office on a promise to crack down on corruption, Buhari leaves mounting problems to his successor, from rampant insecurity to an economy in shambles. Mass youth-led protests over police brutality and bad governance have been violently suppressed under his watch.

The Guardian, by Jason Burke 

Related story: Student in Nigeria Arrested After Calling President's Wife Fat on Twitter

Presidential candidate Tinubu says presidential vote to test democratic gains

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruling party presidential candidate Bola Tinubu said on Monday Nigeria's February election would be a significant step in consolidating democratic gains at a time when some other governments in the region have been ousted by military coups.

In a country with a long history of electoral fraud and a built-in advantage for the ruling party, Tinubu is the frontrunner for the All Progressives Congress party to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, who is stepping down.

In an address at the Chatham House think-tank in London, Tinubu cited a worrying trend of attacks on personnel and infrastructure of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in some parts of the country.

"The next election, which will take place in the first quarter of 2023, can be considered as especially significant in Nigeria's quest for democratic consolidation," said Tinubu.

He indicated that Nigerians in the diaspora abroad would not be able to vote, saying Africa's most populous nation was still building confidence in its voting system, 23 years after the end of military rule.

"INEC is still yet to assure us, during this election, that electronic transmission (of results), the technology being used for accreditation and total vote count, is reliable, dependable and assuring in our democratic process before we introduce complicated elements of mail-in ballots and so forth."

Nigerian democracy has also been marred by widespread corruption and an Islamist insurgency in the north.

Tinubu, 70, has been criticised at home for refusing to take part in television debates and not granting media interviews. On Monday, he referred most questions to his campaign team.

He promised to grow the economy by more than 7% annually, double the country's GDP in the next decade, expand agricultural output and continue with some of Buhari's policies.

Back in Tinubu's home state of Lagos, his main rival, People's Democratic Change candidate Atiku Abubakar, told a rally that his government would set aside $10 billion to help small businesses run by women and youth.

The money would come from privatising state oil refineries, Abubakar said.

Reuters, by MacDonald Dzirutwe

How I survived the Kaduna train attack hijacking and captivity

 

 

 

 

Nigeria's reopening of a vital high-speed train link nine months after an audacious hijacking is bringing back traumatic memories for some of the survivors, who are struggling to recover from their ordeal.

Gunmen mined the track between the capital, Abuja, and the northern city of Kaduna on the evening of 28 March, forcing the train carrying 362 passengers to stop.

Shots then came from all directions as the attackers surrounded the train, which had armed policemen on board, and managed to abduct 62 of the passengers. At least nine people died in the chaos and confusion.

Among those kidnapped was Hassan Usman, a barrister based in Kaduna, and his wife.

He told the BBC that the bedraggled group of abductees - made up of 39 men, 18 women and five children - were forced to trek for four days to the remote area where they were to be held captive, walking in the heat without food and only being given occasional water to drink.

The 47-year-old became the de facto spokesperson for the captives, some of whom were held for five months, and has since set up a WhatsApp group for the survivors so they can give each other comfort and support.

Seeing the smartly dressed lawyer today, it is hard to comprehend that he was the shaggy haired man in grey overclothes who pleaded for the government to heed to the demands of the abductors as other hostages beside him were flogged in a video released in July by the militants.

He says it was a harrowing experience for all the captives but particularly the women who had to deal with unhygienic conditions.

They had no sanitary pads and were forced to use rags. They all drank water from the small nearby lake where they were also allowed to bath.

"During the first few months, we were sleeping openly on bare ground which was sometimes wet, but when the rains started they made makeshift camps and allowed us inside only until the showers stopped," said Mr Usman.

The captives ate once a day at 11:00 - usually a soup made from corn flour and baobab leaves.

"We realised that the food items were being smuggled in and that getting supplies was a problem. They occasionally brought rice which we cooked with just palm oil and sometimes with beans," he said.

There were days when they were allowed a second meal at 18:00, but this was rare.

"The women did the cooking and the men did most of the chores like fetching water, firewood and washing the utensils."

'Boko Haram tried to recruit us'

For weeks, the identity of the kidnappers was unknown - with speculation that they were members of bandit groups notorious for kidnapping for ransoms in the north-west.

But Mr Usman confirmed growing suspicions that the gunmen were members of the Islamist Boko Haram militant group that usually operates in the north-east where it started its insurgency in 2009.

There have long been suggestions that the group, which says it wants to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic state, is expanding southwards.

"They told us that they were Boko Haram and they captured us to drive some of their demands from the government.

"Sometimes they gave us their phones to listen to most of what they preach," he said, explaining these included sermons from Boko Haram's first two leaders Mohammed Yusuf and Abubakar Shekau - who are both now dead.

"They even tried to persuade us to join their group and propagate their cause."

When any of the captives fell sick or needed medication, the militants would seek advice.

"They would always ask the professionals among us, the drugs needed to treat people and they mostly bought [them]," the lawyer said.

"Their charlatan doctors also administered injections to the sick especially for malaria and typhoid treatments."

At one point, the leader of the kidnappers suggested he take the younger captives to his house for better care, but the parents resisted, Mr Usman said.

'Destitute after ransoms paid'

While most of the victims of the train attack were released after their families and associates paid huge ransoms, the kidnappers held on to others to make demands of the government.

Some analysts suggest this may have included the release of militants held in prison - though this has never been confirmed.

Mr Usman said his family negotiated his release with the militants - though they have never shared the details of the agreement with him.

All he knows is that it was not a straightforward process and on the day he was to be freed it all went wrong.

"The soldiers patrolling along one axis refused to allow my people access to the meeting point to pick me."

This prompted the militants to make the torture video and he was only released the next day.

The ransoms some families paid have left them destitute - he said the sum for several of the captives was as much as 100m naira ($225,000; £184,000) each.

On the WhatsApp group, where the survivors now regard each other as one big united family, people recount their dire situations.

"Many cannot afford three meals a day, some were given a notice to leave by their landlords," said Mr Usman.

The lawyer bemoaned the lack of help given to the survivors, many of whom need trauma therapy.

"We have a Ministry of Humanitarian Services whose responsibility is to help such people - I think there is need for its intervention at the moment."

One of the women who was abducted sobbed as she spoke to me about her months in captivity.

The woman, who did not want to be named, vowed never to travel between Abuja and Kaduna again - by rail or road - as she was so traumatised by her experience.

Many thousands of people frequently commute between the two cities as government workers often cannot afford to rent in Abuja.

They chose to leave their families in Kaduna or states further north and travel home at weekends to see them.

The train, which opened in 2016, had been considered a safer alternative to the highway - the most notorious road in the country for kidnapping ambushes.

Other survivors admitted they would feel apprehensive about boarding the train again, but Mr Usman has welcomed the reopening of the 174km (108-mile) train link - due to happen on Monday morning.

His advice for the government is to ensure adequate security measures and 24-hour surveillance of the rail track.

Nigeria's defence chief Gen Lucky Irabor has sought to reassure them, saying that CCTV had now been installed and even he and the president would be able to "see everything happening on the line from their offices".

BBC, by Halima Umar Saleh

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A dozen people killed in Mosque by Gunmen in Nigeria, others abducted

Gunmen in Nigeria killed a dozen worshippers, including an imam, and kidnapped several others from a mosque on Saturday night, local residents said on Sunday, in the latest attack by armed gangs in the north of the country.

Armed gangs, known as bandits, attack communities where security is stretched, killing people or kidnapping them for ransom. The gangs also demand villagers pay protection fees to be allowed to farm and harvest their crops.

Lawal Haruna, a resident of Funtua, in President Muhammadu Buhari's home state of Katsina, told Reuters by phone that the gunmen arrived at Maigamji mosque on motorbikes and started shooting sporadically, which forced worshippers to flee.

About 12, who were attending night prayers, were caught in the gunfire and killed, including the chief imam, said Haruna.

"They then gathered many people and took them to the bush. I'm praying that the bandits release the innocent people they abducted," said Abdullahi Mohammed, another resident of Funtua.

Katsina state police spokesman Gambo Isah confirmed the attack and said state-backed vigilantes, with the support of some residents, had managed to rescue some worshippers.

Katsina is among several states in the northwest of Nigeria which share a border with neighbouring Niger, allowing the gangs to move freely between the two countries.

Nigeria's military has been bombing bush camps used by the bandits, but the attacks continue, raising fears about the safety of voters who will go to the polls to choose Buhari's successor in February.

Reuters

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$11 bln trial in London will expose corruption in Nigeria and Britain

A British lawyer representing Nigeria in a London court case in which $11 billion are at stake said on Friday the trial would reveal corruption "on an industrial scale", not only of Nigerian officials but also of British lawyers.

The case stems from a contract for a gas project awarded by Nigeria in 2010 to a company called Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID). The gas processing facility never materialised, for reasons that are disputed.

After years of legal wrangling, a London-based arbitration tribunal said in 2017 that Nigeria had not fulfilled its side of the contract and should pay P&ID $6.6 billion in compensation. With interest, the award is now worth $11 billion.

That sum represents close to 30% of Nigeria's foreign exchange reserves, which stood at $37 billion at the end of November.

Nigeria has gone to court in London arguing that P&ID obtained the original contract through bribery and used the arbitration proceedings as a means of extorting a huge sum of money from Nigerian public coffers.

P&ID denies this and says Nigeria is trying to get out of paying what it owes.

An eight-week trial is due to start in January at the High Court in London, with witnesses appearing in person as well as remotely from Ireland and from Nigeria.

At a pre-trial review on Friday, lawyer Mark Howard, representing Nigeria, told the court that evidence of "widespread corruption and bribery on an industrial scale" would be put forward.

"Our case is it was bribery to get the contract, ongoing bribery to keep everyone on board, bribery of lawyers," he said, alleging that two London-based British lawyers previously involved in the case had committed "serious misconduct".

P&ID was originally established by two Irish nationals. Ownership of the firm has since passed to two Cayman Islands-based entities.

The case has become a cause celebre for the Nigerian government, with President Muhammadu Buhari denouncing it during a speech to the United Nations in 2019 as a scam designed to cheat Nigeria out of billions of dollars.

Buhari was in opposition at the time the contract was awarded.

The party then in power, the People's Democratic Party, remains a major force in Nigerian politics and will be contesting the presidency as well as other elected offices in elections in February, while the London trial will be going on.

Reuters, by Estelle Shirbon

Related story: Does Nigeria have a corrupt culture or a victim of a particular history?

 

Nigerians spend 8 to 13 years in prison without trial in Nigeria

Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF), also known as Lawyers Without Borders, has lamented the growing number of Nigerians held in prison for years without trial.

The organisation said it was, specifically, concerned that a lot of Nigerians have spent eight to 13 years in prison without trial, noting that it rescued about eight of such people from Kirikiri Prison, Lagos State.

In a report it issued to mark end of the Severe Human Rights Violations in Nigeria (SAFE) intervention, which it launched in Abuja, since 2019, the group said it was equally worried about the increasing cases of torture and extra-judicial killings in the country.

The project is being implemented in Nigeria by ASF France, in partnership with Nigerian Bar Association, the Carmelite Prisoners Interest Organisation, and European Union.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, yesterday, Head of Office of ASF France (in Nigeria), Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, lamented that despite promulgation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act in 2015, security agencies have continued to use torture as a strategy to extract extra-judicial statements from suspects.

In a report it issued to mark end of the Severe Human Rights Violations in Nigeria (SAFE) intervention, which it launched in Abuja, since 2019, the group said it was equally worried about the increasing cases of torture and extra-judicial killings in the country.

The project is being implemented in Nigeria by ASF France, in partnership with Nigerian Bar Association, the Carmelite Prisoners Interest Organisation, and European Union.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, yesterday, Head of Office of ASF France (in Nigeria), Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, lamented that despite promulgation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act in 2015, security agencies have continued to use torture as a strategy to extract extra-judicial statements from suspects.

“On the project, 167 cases were identified for pro-bono legal aid, of which 120 were approved for litigation and 47 were approved for legal advice. These are cases of victims of torture, arbitrary detention and extra-judicial killings across the project states.

“We took charge of 267 cases of human rights violations across three states (Enugu, Kaduna and Lagos) and we have concluded about 40 cases, and more than 20 people have been released from custody. We, equally, filed three suits before the ECOWAS Court. We also secured the unconditional release of 23 persons that were arbitrarily detained.”

The Guardian, by Sodiq Omolaoye

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Junior schools in Nigeria to teach in local languages, not English

The Nigerian government has approved a new National Language Policy that will mandate the use of local languages as a language of instruction for primary school pupils and remove English.

The policy was announced by Nigeria’s Minister of Education Adamu Adamu on Wednesday after it was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in a meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, local media reported.

“[T]he government has agreed now that, henceforth, instruction in primary schools; the first six years of learning will be in the mother tongue,” the minister was quoted as saying.

English is Nigeria’s official language. It is also the language of instruction in all levels of education.

The objective of the new policy is “to promote, and enhance the cultivation and use of all Nigerian languages,” Adamu said.

There are about 625 local languages in Nigeria, he said, and the policy would be applied nationally.

"Since the first six years of school should be in the mother tongue. Whereby the pupil is, the language of the host community is what will be used,” he explained.

Adamu said that after the exclusive use of local languages for the first six years of school, the mother tongue would then be combined with English at the junior secondary level.

While the new policy has officially taken effect, it is more in principle, the minister added, as full implementation will only happen once more preparatory work has been done.

“Theoretically, this policy starts from today, but the use of mother tongue is exclusive, but we need time to develop the material, get the teachers and so on,” he said on Wednesday.

Al Jazeera

2 Stowaways from Nigeria on Ship's rudder to be deported from Spain

Two of three stowaways who were rescued in Spain's Canary Islands after enduring 11 days on the rudder of a fuel tanker from Nigeria have been returned to the ship with the aim of deporting them.

The third person, who suffered hypothermia and dehydration during the voyage, has not yet been released from hospital on Gran Canaria, a local government spokesperson said. Under Spanish law, any stowaway who does not seek asylum must be returned by the operator of the ship to the port where the journey originated, a police spokesman told Reuters.

In a photograph on Twitter by the Spanish coast guard on Monday, the three stowaways are shown hunkered on the rudder under the hull, just above the waterline of the Alithini II.

The 183-metre ship, sailing under a Maltese flag, arrived in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria after setting out from Lagos in Nigeria on Nov. 17 and navigating up the West African coast, according to Marine Traffic.

The ship's captain confirmed to the Red Cross that it had sailed from Nigeria 11 days earlier.


A Canary Islands police spokesperson said it was up to the ship's operator to take care of the stowaways, provide them with temporary accommodation and return them to their origin as soon as possible.

The migrants should, at the least, have been informed of their right to ask for political asylum and should have been questioned before being returned to the ship, said Helena Maleno, director of the migration non-governmental organisation, Walking Borders. "The conditions of the journey are already an indication that something very serious may be behind it because the photos are incredible. We have never seen conditions like this where they have arrived alive," Maleno said.

She added: "These people have to be in a state of shock. They need a couple of days to recover and from there they can explain what they were running from to have made that decision."

Alithini II, owned by Gardenia Shiptrade SA, is managed by Athens-based Astra Ship Management, according to public shipping database Equasis.

Astra Ship Management did not respond to multiple calls from Reuters seeking comment. The Spanish government's representative on the Canary Islands didn't immediately respond to a query on whether the migrants should have been informed of their rights.

The coast guard said the migrants were rescued by a coast guard vessel at about 7 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Monday.

The stowaways were treated for moderate dehydration and hypothermia, the Canary Islands emergency services and the Red Cross said. The third migrant, who was in a more serious state, had to be taken to a different hospital on the island.

The Spanish-owned Canary Islands are a popular but dangerous gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe. Since 2014, 2,976 migrants have died or are missing after attempting to cross from Africa to the archipelago by sea, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Reuters, by Emma Pinedo

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Video - UK returns stolen Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

A London museum is returning its collection of 72 Benin artefacts - the first institution in the UK to do so on such a scale. British soldiers stole thousands of artefacts in the late 19th century from the Kingdom of Benin, which is now in Nigeria. In recent years, museums in Germany, France and the US have repatriated artefacts looted during colonial wars.

Al Jazeera 

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Nine hostages rescued in northern Nigeria

Nigerian troops have rescued nine people who were being held hostage by bandits in north Nigeria's Kaduna state, an official said Monday.

The rescue mission was carried out by Nigerian troops during a raid on a bandit camp in the Chikun area of the state on Monday, said Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner for internal security and home affairs in the state, in a brief statement.

Aruwan said all the rescued were safe and would be examined further before being reunited with their families.

"The bandits left their camp and ran into the forest after a fire exchange with the troops," he said.

There have been a number of gunmen attacks in Nigeria in recent months, resulting in deaths and kidnappings. 

Xinhua

Related story: Pirates in Nigeria Switch From Kidnapping Seafarer to Stealing Oil

 

Student in Nigeria Arrested After Calling President's Wife Fat on Twitter

Human rights groups have called for the release of a student who has been arrested for allegedly insulting Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari, in a tweet.

Aminu Adamu Muhammed was arrested on the 8th of November after reportedly tweeting in June that Buhari had gotten “fatter by eating the masses’ money.” The 23-year-old was picked up on the campus of the Federal University Dutse in the northern state of Jigawa. It is not clear what specific charges, if any, Aminu is being held under.

“Amnesty International strongly condemns the arrest of #Aminu,” Amnesty International tweeted. “His family and friends alleged that he was held incommunicado and subjected to severe beating, torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Since his arrest neither his family nor his lawyers have had access to him.”

“The Buhari administration must immediately and unconditionally release Aminu Muhammad,” SERAP, a nonprofit legal advocacy group said. “We'll see in court if he's not immediately released.

Aisha Buhari – who regularly faces criticism for appearing to live in Dubai despite her position as first lady – rarely makes public appearances but has been known to occasionally openly criticise members of her husband’s administration.

Aminu’s arrest comes just days after two TikTok creators in Nigeria were sentenced to be flogged for mocking a prominent politician. Mubarak Muhammad and Nazifi Muhammad published a skit criticising Abdullahi Ganduje, the governor of the northern state of Kano.

The pair were also ordered to pay a fine of ​​10,000 naira (around £17, $23) and clean the court premises for 30 days. 

Vice, by Dipo Faloyin

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3 Stowaways Travel from Nigeria to Canary Islands on Ship's rudder for 11 days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three stowaways travelling for 11 days on a ship’s rudder were rescued by the Spanish coastguard and hospitalised in the Canary Islands, Spanish authorities have said.

The large ship had departed from Lagos, Nigeria on November 17, according to ship-tracking website Marine Traffic, and the men were rescued on Monday.

Found on the Alithini II oil tanker at the Las Palmas port, the men appeared to have symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia and were transferred to hospitals on the island for medical attention, Spain’s Salvamento Marítimo said.

Throughout the journey, at least three migrants and refugees had been hanging onto the narrow metallic rudder, with their feet dangling just a few feet above the Atlantic Ocean.

In a photograph Spain’s coastguard distributed on Twitter on Monday, the three men are seen perched on the rudder of the oil tanker.

The coastguard said they rescued the stowaways after the tanker had docked.

Though extremely dangerous, it is not the first time stowaways have been found travelling on the rudder of commercial ships to the Canary Islands, which is located around 97km (60 miles) off the coast of Morocco.

In late 2020, Spanish authorities identified six others travelling from Nigeria on the rudders of two tankers.

One of those who arrived in 2020 was a 14-year-old boy who narrated his harrowing two-week journey to the Spanish daily El Pais.

He described how the stowaways had to take turns sleeping because there was enough space for only one person to lie down at a time; how there was a fight and he was nearly thrown off the rudder; how they got cold and wet and it would take hours to dry off; how his urine turned green after drinking seawater.

In a tweet, migration adviser to the Canary Islands, Txema Santana, warned that the most recent arrivals “won’t be the last” and that “stowaways don’t always have the same luck”.

The migration route from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands is one of the most dangerous in the world.

In September, Santana estimated that about 1,000 migrants and refugees had died or disappeared trying to reach the Spanish archipelago this year.

As of November 15, nearly 15,000 migrants and refugees have made it to the Canary Islands by sea this year, down 18 percent from the same time in 2021, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry. Most make the long journey from West Africa on small rafts, a growing number of which are inflatable.

Al Jazeera

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Pirates in Nigeria Switch From Kidnapping Seafarer to Stealing Oil

The Gulf of Guinea is witnessing a shift in the dynamics of piracy, with criminal networks moving away from targeting commercial maritime and switching to oil bunkering, theft and illegal fishing, a development that indicates the global community must remain vigilant.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has been informed that despite a significant drop in piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea in recent times, stronger action is still required to address the changing dynamics of piracy in the vast waters. Criminal groups have not gone away, but have transitioned to other activities.

Martha Pobee, an Assistant Secretary-General in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs in the UN who presented the Secretary-General’s latest report on piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, warned that the shifting dynamics will require greater response not only from countries in the region but also from international partners.

“Pirate groups are adapting to changing dynamics both at sea and in coastal areas. In this respect, the recent decrease in instances of piracy may in part be attributable to the shift by criminal networks to other forms of maritime and riverine crime, such as oil bunkering and theft, which they likely view as both less risky and more profitable,” she said.

Nigeria has witnessed an unprecedented surge in large scale cases of oil theft and pipeline vandalism, whose impacts have been crippling of the country’s oil industry, with production in the months of August and September plummeting below one million barrels per day (bpd), the lowest levels in decades. An investigation by the country's senate reckons the widespread cases of thefts have resulted in Nigeria losing more than $2 billion during the first eight months of this year.

Once a hotspot of maritime piracy, the Gulf of Guinea has recorded a drastic decline in incidents due to concerted efforts by national authorities supported by regional and international partners, both on land and at sea. Actions such as increased patrols, deployment of naval assets, enhanced coordination as well as convictions have served as deterrents to criminal networks.

In a quarterly report released last month, the International Maritime Bureau contends that although global piracy and armed robbery incidents have reached their lowest levels since 1992, the world cannot afford to be complacent, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea. Of the 90 incidents reported in the first nine months of 2022, 13 were in the Gulf of Guinea region compared to 27 over the same period of 2021.

In her report to the UNSC, Pobee reports that due to the changing dynamics of criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea, it is imperative for states and their regional and international partners to accelerate efforts to establish security in the region as outlined in the Yaoundé Code of Conduct, signed in June 2013.

The code, which is approaching its 10th anniversary, promotes information sharing and reporting, interdicting suspicious vessels, ensuring apprehension and prosecution, harmonizing national legislation, guaranteeing resources to maritime security and safety, and outlining state responsibility to patrol anchorage areas.

Part of recent measures to wage a coordinated war against the piracy networks include the signing of an agreement to establish a Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre for a zone covering Cabo Verde, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Senegal and conducting a maritime exercise involving 17 of the 19 countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea.

The Maritime Executive

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Syinix launches swallow-maker into Nigeria market

Syinix Electronics, the global smart home appliance brand has announced the launch of its first entry point appliance, Syinix Swallow Maker, to help in the preparation of swallow foods and solve the difficulties of making swallow foods such as fufu, amala, pounded yam, semovita, semolina, and wheat, amongst others for Nigerians.

The innovative Swallow Maker is designed to replace the usually tedious and time-consuming old ways of preparing swallow foods with a fully automated machine that requires minimal human effort.

Fulfilling its promise of a comfortable” and “relieved” life experience, Syinix developed the swallow maker for families to truly live a quality life and prepare their swallow foods with the speed of time and still enjoy their meals.

Speaking about the product launch, Justin Liu, Chief Operating Officer, Syinix Nigeria, noted that the swallow maker is the first all-purpose automated swallow food maker in the world.

“The Syinix Swallow Maker is here to save your time and energy; the machine encourages creative cooking and users can try a combination of ingredients and recipes with no health implications to consumers,” he stated

Continuing, he said, “Syinix is a high-end home appliance brand with spread to more than 20 countries in Africa and its features of high quality and innovation are becoming increasingly competitive and promising in the African market in recent years”.

“Our brand’s vision is to provide African families with reliable products that seek to improve their value of life. It’s in the bid for continuous improvement that the Syinix Swallow Maker was birthed to keep improving the customers’ lifestyles and putting smiles on their faces through the creation of innovative home appliances with superior quality products, Liu said.

Ease the swallow-making experience with varieties

Syinix Swallow Maker is an all-purpose latest development by Syinix for Nigerians to ease the stress of making swallow foods. It offers speedy preparation and reduces the time spent in the kitchen with a smarter and cleaner experience—alongside useful features which include an automatic intricate food processor that saves time and energy.

The all-purpose Swallow Maker supports the making of varieties of most of Nigeria’s common solid foods such as eba, amala, pounded yam, semovita/semolina, wheat, fufu, etc. Beyond that, you can also be creative with other dishes of your choice using this machine and still have more time and energy to do other things while waiting for the meal.

Efficient and stable operating system with a large capacity design

It is equipped with a top cover power system, motor, and gearbox for machine operation, transmission power; knob timing button, etc. to control the production time with stainless steel stirring knife set to ensure that every time the ingredients are fully stirred and smooth, delicate and soft without any sense of grain or lumps.

It comes with a base heating plate that fills the whole pot with heat to cook the food and it has a large capacity designed to cater to 4-5 families at a go.

Easy to clean with a better Interactive Experience

Built with a simple interior for easy separation after use; the Syinix Swallow maker is stylishly designed for easy cleaning with non-stick coating which makes for convenient cleaning.

The transparent view window on the lid enables visualization while the exhaust valve is designed to allow automatic evaporation of food vapor to ensure the smooth release of ingredients from the machine while users can see the ingredients mixing process till it is ready to serve.

Market availability

Syinix Swallow Maker is available in Syinix official store at https://ng.syinix.com/products/syinix-swallow-maker-all-purpose-fufu-machine and in any SPAR mall or Cash N carry outlets.

The Guardian

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New bank note launched in Nigeria to help curb corruption

Nigeria has launched newly designed currency notes, a move that the West African nation’s central bank says will help curb inflation and money laundering.

Experts, however, are sceptical about such results in a country that has battled chronic corruption for decades, with government officials known to loot public funds causing more hardship for the many struggling with poverty.

Launched on Wednesday, the new denominations of 200 ($0.46), 500 ($1.15) and 1,000 naira ($2.30) are the first time Nigeria’s currency has been redesigned in 19 years. The banknotes will be in circulation by mid-December.

The naira is “long overdue for a new look,” Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said at the launch. The new paper notes designed in Nigeria and featuring enhanced security “will help the central bank to design and implement better monetary policy objectives”.

More than 80 percent of the 3.2 trillion naira ($7.2bn) in circulation in Nigeria are outside the vaults of commercial banks and in private hands, said Godwin Emefiele, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

With inflation at a 17-year high of 21.09 percent that is driven by soaring food prices, he said the new notes “will bring the hoarded currencies back into the banking system” and help the central bank regain control of the money being used in the country.

Regulators last month announced a January 31 deadline for old notes to either be used or deposited at banks.

“The currency redesign will also assist in the fight against corruption as the exercise will reign in the higher denomination used for corruption and the movement of such funds from the banking system could be tracked easily,” Emefiele said.

Analysts, however, say the new notes would yield little or no results in managing inflation or in the fight against corruption in the absence of institutional reforms.

“If you want to curb money laundering, your financial system needs to be better; if you want to curb ransom payment, security needs to be better; if you want to curb inflation, the level at which the total money supply in the economy is growing has to slow down — so it is not about cash,” said Adedayo Bakare, an analyst with Lagos-based Money Africa.

The newly designed denominations would also drive financial inclusion and economic growth, the central bank chief said.

But Bakare said the move by Nigeria’s central bank is at best an “expensive process that will cost the public a lot of pain because of the short period” required to either use or deposit cash in circulation.

At least 133 million people, or 63 percent of Nigeria’s citizens, are multidimensionally poor, according to government statistics.

“It could potentially slow down the economy if people do not have cash and people cannot exchange their cash for new notes at a fast pace,” he said. “You can’t phase out cash without fixing financial inclusion or electronic payment and even at that.”

AP

Nigerians with expired passports now allowed to travel back to Nigeria

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Tuesday said that Nigerians in diaspora with expired passport would no longer require visas to visit home.

The Service, however, stated that they must show their expired Nigeria’s passport to ensure they were truly from Nigeria.

Mr Tony Akuneme, the NIS Public Relations Officer, disclosed this in an interview with Newsmen in Abuja.

Akuneme was reacting to inquiries about the new visa policy of the Federal Government which said that Nigerians with dual citizenship don’t need visa to visit home.

“The statu of the new policy is that Nigerians with dual citizenship are free to come to Nigeria but with their Nigeria passport even if it’s expired.

“You have to show that you are a Nigerian, that is why we say they can come with their expired passport. Dual citizenship means carrying two passports.

“Unlike before that when your passport is expired you will not be allowed to come to the country, now we can allow them to travel in with their expired Nigeria passport”, he said.

Akuneme further explained that although the essence was to allow them return home, they will be required to renew the passport before returning to their destinations.

“The whole essence is that when they arrive, they must renew their Nigeria passport before going back,” the NIS spokesman added. 

Vanguard

Oil drilling starts in Nigeria by government ownded company

Nigeria's state-owned NNPC Ltd on Tuesday started drilling for oil and gas at a field in northern Nigeria that has reserves of 1 billion barrels, as the country seeks to produce crude outside the Niger Delta for the first time.

NNPC said in a statement that phase one of the Kolmani project in the northeast would have an oil refinery, gas processing unit, 300-megawatt power plant and fertilizer plant producing 2,500 tonnes a day.

NNPC Ltd first announced in 2019 the discovery of crude oil, gas and condensate in commercial quantity in the Kolmani area between Bauchi and Gombe states in northeastern Nigeria, a region that is battling an Islamist insurgency.

President Muhammadu Buhari said Kolmani had 1 billion barrels of oil reserves and 500 billion cubic feet of gas.

No oil major is involved in the project being developed by NNPC, local firm Sterling Global Oil and New Nigeria Development Commission, a conglomerate owned by 19 northern states.


"It is therefore to the credit of this administration that at a time when there is near zero appetite for investment in fossil energy, coupled with the location challenges, we are able attract investment of over $3 billion to this project," Buhari said at a ceremony to start the oil project.

Nigeria has for years been searching for oil in frontier basins in the largely poor north of the country, including the Lake Chad Basin, the heartland of the Islamist insurgency.

Buhari urged NNPC and its partners to work with local communities and draw lessons from the restive Niger Delta, where militants have in the past blown up pipelines, accusing oil companies of neglecting locals.

Oil was first discovered in the Niger Delta more than six decades ago.

Oil majors in Nigeria are divesting from onshore to focus on offshore drilling due to increasing insecurity and oil theft, which have led to a decline in production and caused Nigeria to lose its status as Africa's top oil producer.

Reuters, by Felix Onuah

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Gunmen abduct more than 100 in Nigeria's Zamfara state

More than 100 people, including women and children were abducted when gunmen raided four villages in Nigeria's northeastern Zamfara state on Sunday, the information commissioner and residents said on Monday.

Kidnapping has become endemic in northwest Nigeria as roving gangs of armed men abduct people from villages, highways and farms and demand ransom money from their relatives.

More than 40 people were abducted from Kanwa village in Zurmi local government area of Zamfara, Zamfara information commissioner Ibrahim Dosara and one local resident said.

Another 37, mostly women and children were taken in Kwabre community in the same local government area, the resident added, declining to be named for security reasons.

"Right now Kanwa village is deserted, the bandits divided themselves into two groups and attacked the community. They kidnapped children aged between 14 to 16 years and women," the Kanwa village resident said.

In Yankaba and Gidan Goga communities of Maradun Local government area, at least 38 people were kidnapped while working on their farms, residents said.

Information commissioner Dosara accused the gunmen of using abductees as human shields against air raids from the military.

Reuters, by Garba Muhammad

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Portugal Beat Nigeria 4-0 in International Friendly

Bruno Fernandes scored twice in the first half and debutant Goncalo Ramos and Joao Mario added late goals as Portugal crushed Nigeria 4-0 in a World Cup warm-up in Lisbon on Thursday.

Missing Cristiano Ronaldo due to a stomach bug, his Manchester United team mate Fernandes led a strong Portugal side in their last match before travelling to Doha on Friday.

The only surprise was the debut of 19-year-old Benfica defender Antonio Silva, who started ahead of Pepe as the veteran works his way back from a long injury layoff.

Roared on by a sold-out Alvalade stadium, Fernandes seized the first chance he had in the ninth minute when Joao Felix found Diogo Dalot and he teed up Fernandes to tap into an empty net.

Portugal doubled their lead through Fernandes from the penalty spot in the 35th minute after a Bernardo Silva cross struck the hand of defender Bright Osayi-Samuel.

Fernandes calmly converted the spot-kick to complete only the third brace for Portugal.

"The perfection didn't exist or at least it is very hard to accomplish, but we made a great game, dominating every level," Fernandes told Sport TV.

"It was a win that give us great confidence ahead of our debut against Ghana.

"We are a team, it is not about individuals and we have a great group, young players that are up and coming and hungry. We are ready to the World Cup."

Coach Fernando Santos made six substitutions in the second half and Ramos scored Portugal's third immediately after Portugal goalkeeper saved a penalty from Emmanuel Dennis after the VAR spotted Dalot's foul in the 81st minute.

Ramos took a short pass from Raphael Guerreiro in his stride and unleashed a powerful shot low into the middle of the goal.

Joao Mario closed out the victory with a strike into the bottom corner to the delight of around 45,000 fans in the stadium.

Portugal are in World Cup Group H with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.

Reuters, by Fernando Kallas

Nigerian artist creates art with oil kegs in effort to reduce waste

Growing up, Nigerian artist Oluwajuwonlo Adeyemi saw her mother discard large plastic kegs of cooking oil she used for her catering business in Lagos.

Distraught at the thought of adding waste to sprawling dumpsites in a city where only a small fraction of rubbish is recycled, Adeyemi turned them into faces that have become a trademark of the artwork.

She cuts off the top of the keg and paints it, using the handle as a long nose and the round screw-top opening as a mouth.

The colourful masks then become the heads of the protagonists in her paintings, on which she uses materials such as fabric and string to add texture and dimensions.

"Instead of me just painting the face, I wanted something that I can feel, something that can look real... that will look real to others," Adeyemi told Reuters in her studio.

The 20-year-old marketing student has exhibited twice in Lagos. Some of her pieces have sold for over $1000, she said.

Through her work, Adeyemi also hopes drawing attention to her mother's discarded oil kegs will raise awareness about waste reduction.

"Whenever she is throwing them away, it affects us and it pollutes our environment," she said, noting that re-using the kegs was a way of "stopping the pollution".

Reuters, by Seun Sanni

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26 men charged in suspected crude theft from oil tanker

A Nigerian court has charged 26 men with conspiracy to commit a maritime offence and attempting to illegally deal in crude oil after authorities accused their supertanker of sailing in Nigerian waters without authority.

The captain is an Indian national while the crew members are from Poland, India, Sri-Lanka and Pakistan, court papers showed.

At the request of Nigerian authorities, Equatorial Guinea detained the Heroic Idun, a vessel capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil, on Aug. 17 for sailing without an identifying flag, fleeing from the Nigerian navy and sailing in Equatorial Guinean waters without prior authorization.

The 26 men, including the captain, appeared in a High Court in the Nigerian Rivers state capital Port Harcourt on Monday and Tuesday and the judge ordered them to be detained on their ship under the guard of the Nigerian navy.

The men, who all denied the charges, were accused of having "attempted to deal with crude oil within the Nigeria Exclusive Economic zone without lawful authority".

Nigeria said the vessel had not loaded any oil before the navy approached it, but said the ship made a false claim of a piracy attack, entered a restricted area without authorization and attempted to load crude oil illegally.

Oil theft has taken more than 400,000 barrels per day from Nigeria's oil output, hit state finances and knocked it from Africa's top exporter to number two, the state oil firm says.

Reuters, by Tife Owolabi

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Police investigate Killing of Traditional Monarch in Southeast Nigeria

Police in Nigeria’s southeast Imo state are investigating after gunmen allegedly from the separatist group the Indigenous People of Biafara (IPOB), shot and killed a traditional ruler and three others. The group has previously denied responsibility for a series of attacks in the region that authorities blame on the rebels. The killings Monday came as a court in the capital dismissed terrorism charges against the separatist group’s leader.

Imo state police said in a statement that gunmen disguised as locals in distress invaded the palace in the Oguta local government area around noon Monday, shooting and killing the monarch.

The gunmen also killed two of his aides and a local vigilante member near the palace.

On Tuesday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the murder of the traditional ruler and called on police to investigate.

Imo state police spokesperson Michael Abattam told VOA by phone they're already heeding the president's call.

"We're investigating already and we have clues," Abattam said.

Abattam could not provide further details.

IPOB has repeatedly denied involvement in a surge of violent attacks in southeastern Nigeria over the past two years.

Between May and October of last year, authorities said at least 175 people, including military, police and local civilians were killed in attacks in the region.

Imo state is a strong base of support for the Biafran separatist movement, which began decades ago. The movement is now led by 54-year-old Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing trial for acts of terrorism and treason against the Nigerian state.

Kanu’s legal counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofo, says authorities are trying hard to implicate the separatist movement.

He said it's a conspiracy by the government of the day and security agents to blackmail IPOB before the international community. He noted that IPOB has issued several publications distancing itself from those committing crimes. These are serious offenses, these people should be hunted and treated like criminals, he said, but they're not IPOB members, they're not Kanu’s followers.

Experts warn violence in the southeast could increase around elections next year, after unidentified gunmen issued warnings on social media for people not to vote.

Meanwhile, on Monday, an Abuja high court adjourned Kanu's terrorism trial indefinitely.

Last month, a three-judge appeals court panel in the capital held that Nigerian authorities breached local and international treaties to unlawfully arrest and detain Kanu and annulled terrorism charges against the separatist leader.

Nigerian authorities are challenging the ruling and have yet to free the separatist.

VOA, by Timothy Obiezu

Video - Firm in Nigeria provides health care in exchange for collected waste

Only 3% of the Nigerian population have access to health insurance, and a majority of them are government workers covered under the National Health Insurance system. To bridge the gap, Soso Care, a Nigeria-based health firm is offering health insurance in exchange for collected waste.

CGTN

Family planning remains contentious in Nigeria as overpopulation hitting the poorest

Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa and the largest black demographic in the world. If current trends continue, the country is projected to become the third most populous nation in the world by 2050.

It is 6am and Lagos is alive as city pavements buzz with commuters preparing to pack into bright yellow Danfo minibuses.

Roadside sellers push their stock as traffic slowly builds. The financial capital of Nigeria - the continent's largest economy - never takes a break.

In just a few decades, this small coastal town has transformed into a sprawling metropolis and is now the most populous city in Africa. A thriving symbol of the world's population spilling over the eight billion mark.

With more than 15 million people living here, Lagos is double the size of the next biggest African megacities Kinshasa and Cairo.

The city is constantly growing as economic migrants flock to the hub from across Nigeria and the region.

Property developers are scrambling to capitalise on the influx. Skyscrapers are cropping up all over the wealthy residential areas of Ikoyi, Lekki and Victoria Island, as the infrastructure groans under the strain.

But nowhere else in Lagos is the burden of overpopulation felt more than the waterfront slums just across the lagoon.

These neighbourhoods have little to no access to basic urban amenities and face the constant threat of state-endorsed demolition.

The historic fishing slum of Makoko marks the Lagosian landscape and is growing in number but not geographical size. The stilt houses are now doubling up as residents build upwards to accommodate the expansion.

"We have 200,000 living on water and 200,000 living on land. Right now the children are more than the adults," says Taiwo Shemede, son of Makoko's chief.

"In this economy - to be sincere - most people in Makoko don't want to have a child anymore."

Taiwo runs an orphanage and school on the polluted waters. More than three hundred children row in wooden boats from their homes to fill the classrooms.

Taiwo is one of his father's 27 children but only has three of his own. He believes that limited education and access to contraceptives is preventing Makoko residents from family planning.

A reality faced by the 95 million Nigerians that live below the poverty line.

Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa and the largest black demographic in the world. The population has doubled in size twice in the last 60 years.

If current trends continue, the country is projected to become the third most populous nation in the world by 2050.

In an effort to address the surge, President Muhammed Buhari has doubled down on population policies.

Earlier this year, he launched legislation targeting high fertility rates by expanding access to birth control - distributed by the Ministry of Health to local clinics across the country.

But despite the state effort, contraceptive use in Nigeria is little more than a meagre 16% (National Bureau of Statistics August 2021).

The effort to educate women on family planning is consistently undermined by tradition and what NGO workers describe as "male involvement".

Abortion is illegal in Nigeria, unless the mother's life is deemed to be at risk.

Walking along the plastic heaps of Egu - another waterfront neighbourhood in Lagos - community leader Kehinde Dare reflects on his advocacy work on the use of contraceptives.

He and his wife have been using birth control for seven years and he stays hopeful that it can become common practice.

But can women spearhead that choice?

"I think it's not possible because they said they cannot do anything without the husband because the husband is the head of the house.

"They have to follow the instructions of the husband," said Kehinde.

Under the searing sun, the women echo his observation.

"I cannot tell my husband I will not give birth. If I say I will not give birth, my husband will go and get another woman. He will get another wife," says Ruth Kodja, a 26-year-old mother of six.

Mothers in this impoverished community go hungry to feed their many children. Those who don't have children still pay a high price.

Rosaline Rogah, 20, has been married for three years and is yet to conceive. She describes being consistently berated by her husband's family.

"They say I'm useless - that I have no use in anything," she said.

As child-bearing continues to be closely wrapped up in a woman's worth, family planning will remain contentious in this conservative society.

And so, Lagos will continue to grow and the most vulnerable will be the most overwhelmed.

Sky News, by Yousra Elbagir

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Video - Returning the Benin Bronzes of Nigeria

The Benin Bronzes, arguably some of Africa’s priced treasures; looted from southern Nigeria's Benin Kingdom by European powers, have begun their long journey back home. Could this be a start of a process that could see the return of the remaining looted artifacts? We will find out in this week’s program. 

CGTN 

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Nigeria receives stolen artifacts repatriated from the U.S.

 

 

Nigerian government closely monitoring Nigerians using Twitter after ownership change

The Nigerian Government said that it is closely monitoring the use of Twitter by Nigerians.

Speaking at the media briefing on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari’s (2015-2023) series, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the monitoring has become imperative following the change of ownership of Twitter.

He noted that with an increase in the dissemination of fake news in the country, many have expressed fears of the possible banning of Twitter again.

“Many have asked for our reaction following reports that there has been a spike in fake news, disinformation, and
hate speech since the micro-blogging site changed ownership. Many have even asked us if another ban is in the offing”, he said.

The Minister however informed that the government has no intention of further banning any social media platform. He added that while the government upholds freedom of speech, it will not watch mischief makers destabilize the country through fake news.

“It has never been our intention to ban any social media platform or stifle free speech. Not at all. What happened in the case of Twitter is well-known to all.

“Twitter became a platform of choice for those who want to destabilize Nigeria, using fake news, disinformation, and hate speech.

“No nation will allow any social media platform to plunge it into anarchy. Definitely not Nigeria. But we have continued to engage positively with the different social media platforms, including Facebook, Google (owners of YouTube), and Twitter.

“We have no intention of banning any social media platform again. But we will also not sit by and allow any platform whatsoever to throw our nation into crisis.”

The Federal Government between June 5 2021 and January 13, officially banned Twitter, restricting it from operating in the country after it deleted tweets made by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Guardian, by Bridget Chiedu Onochie

Related story: Nigerians launch legal action against government’s Twitter ban

Costa Rica beat Nigeria in Football International Friendly

World Cup-bound Costa Rica bid farewell to home fans with a 2-0 victory over Nigeria in a friendly international on Wednesday.

Oscar Duarte’s seventh minute goal was followed by a second from Kendall Waston in the 73rd minute against a Nigerian team without any of their overseas-based regulars and made up mainly of members of their Under-23 team.

Costa Rica had several other chances to add to their tally as supporters at the National Stadium provided a carnival atmosphere ahead of the team's departure for the World Cup in Qatar.

Costa Rica will compete against Germany, Japan and Spain in Group E at the World Cup finals.

Reuters, by Mark Gleeson

Five sisters released by Gunmen after parents pay ransom

Gunmen have freed five sisters abducted six months ago from their boarding school in northwest Nigeria after their parents paid ransom money to secure their release, police and relatives said.

The bandits kidnapped 11 schoolgirls, including the sisters, from a secondary school in Zamfara state in March and later released six of them. The sisters were detained because the kidnappers found out their father had previously worked as a senior government official in the state.

Kidnapping has become endemic as roving gangs of armed men abduct people from schools, hospitals, roads and farms and demand ransom money from their relatives.

Hadiza Abubakar, the mother of the school girls, said a total of 72 million naira ($164,000) was paid as ransom in three instalments in exchange for their freedom.

She said the bandits last month posted a video showing her daughters with rifles and ammunitions, pressuring the family to meet their demands.

"Initially, we almost lost hope especially when we saw them in a video with guns around their necks," Abubakar told Reuters.

A Zamfara police spokesperson confirmed the release of the five girls but did not mention the ransom payment.

Last week, a group of 21 children who were abducted by gunmen from a farm in northwestern Nigeria's Katsina state were freed and reunited with their families, police said.

Reuters, by Chijioke Ohuocha

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Catholic priest kidnapped in northern Nigeria

A Nigerian priest was kidnapped from his home in northern Kaduna state, the local Roman Catholic diocese said in a statement on Tuesday, in the first such reported abduction of a clergyman in the state since July.

Armed gangs are rife across northern Nigeria where they rob or kidnap for ransom, and violence has been increasing, where thinly stretched security forces often fail to stop the attacks.

Father Christian Okewu Emmanuel, the chancellor for Kaduna Catholic diocese, said Reverend Father Abraham Kunat, a parish priest in Idon Gida village, was abducted from a home he was staying in in another town, after leaving his parish due to insecurity.

Kaduna police spokesman could not be reached for comment.

Reuters, by Garba Muhammad

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