Attackers kill at least 50, abduct women and children in Nigeria’s Zamfara state

At least 50 people were killed and several women and children abducted after armed men attacked a village in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, a state lawmaker told Reuters last weekend.

Hamisu A. Faru, lawmaker representing Bukkuyum south, said the attackers raided Tungan Dutse village from around 5 p.m. on Thursday until about 3:30 a.m. on Friday, burning down buildings and shooting residents who tried to flee.

“They have been moving from one village to another … leaving at least 50 people dead,” Faru told Reuters by phone.

He said the number of abducted victims was yet to be determined. Traditional leaders and local government officials were still accounting for the missing.

A Zamfara state police spokesperson did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Abdullahi Sani, 41, a resident of Tungan Dutse, said three family members were killed in the attack.

“No one slept yesterday, we are all in pain,” he said.

A day earlier, residents contacted security forces and local authority when they saw more than 150 motorcycles carrying armed men. But the warning was ignored, Sani said.

Insecurity is a pressing concern in Nigeria and the government is under mounting pressure to restore stability.

There has been a surge in attacks blamed on “bandits”, who have carried out deadly assaults, abductions for ransom, and displaced communities across northern Nigeria.

Reuters

Nigerians are 5 months away from owning a piece of Dangote's fortune

 

Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group and Africa’s richest man, has announced that Nigerians, in the next four to five months, will have the opportunity to invest directly in the Dangote Refinery.

Dangote made the announcement on Saturday while giving members of the press a tour of the refinery.

Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Senior Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), was among those who paid the visit, as were members of the NNPC board and senior management team.

Dangote said arrangements are already in place to allow individuals to buy shares in the refinery over the next four to five months.

“Individually, Nigerians too will have an opportunity… in the next maximum four or five months, they will actually be able to buy their shares,” Dangote said.

He mentioned that the NNPC already owns shares in the company for Nigerians, as seen in the Punch.

“They are holding 7.25 per cent of the shares that we have here… and they are holding that on behalf of Nigerians,” Africa’s richest man stated.

“People will have a choice either to get their dividends in naira or to get their dividends in dollars because we earn dollars,” he added.

This initiative builds on Dangote's proposal to list the refinery on the stock market, which he announced in July 2025, after being accused of favoring foreign investors over local financiers.

Dangote’s real reason for listing his refinery

In a follow-up conversation with the press in December, Dangote commented on the reasons for opening the refinery to public investors.

He emphasized that the listing was not mainly about maintaining control, but rather about leaving an enduring legacy.

“At the moment, our main interest is to list on the exchange, so that every living Nigerian can own part of the refinery,” he said at the time.

“Somebody asked me a question, is it 5 or 10 percent you want to sell, and I said that when we are going to sell the shares, we will not put a cap, if they happen to buy 55% and I own 45%, so be it,” he added.

When asked explicitly if the offer extended beyond Nigerians living in the country, Dangote simply said, "Yes."

The Dangote Refinery, valued at over $20 billion, represents a significant milestone in Nigeria’s energy sector.

Once fully operational, it has the potential to produce around 1.4 million barrels of oil per day, which would make it one of the largest refineries in the world.

By Chinedu Okafor, Business Insider Africa

Related story: Dangote cement makes history as first to list commercial papers on Nigerian exchange NGX

Nigeria defeats European tech giant in $6.2m suit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Segun Adeyemi, Business Insider Africa

Nigerian extradited to US for sextortion, death of an American

A Nigerian, Afeez Adewale, appeared before the US federal court in Philadelphia on Tuesday after he was extradited from Nigeria for his involvement in a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy that led to the death of a young American.

He was extradited from Nigeria last Friday by Federal Bureau of Investigation representatives in Nigeria, who had taken him into custody since August 2023.

Mr Adewale is charged with the sexual extortion and death of a young US citizen in the eastern district of Pennsylvania, according to a statement by the US Department of Justice.

“Adewale is charged by indictment with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy,” the statement disclosed.

The department also noted that Mr Adewale, who was arrested in Nigeria in August, is part of a wider operation with the FBI to apprehend sexual extortionists who target minors in the US.

Two members of his team had been extradited from Nigeria and sentenced in 2024. The department identified the two as Imoleayo Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” and Samuel Abiodun.

They were extradited to the US in August 2024.

Mr Abiodun pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud and was sentenced to five years in prison. While Mr Aina pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud, and was sentenced to six years in prison.

The US Justice Department also said the extradition, through the “support and assistance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), months after his arrest, was essential to this effort.”

It also said “Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department” provided support.

This is the latest case of a Nigerian extradited to the US for cyber fraud.

Nigeria’s first extradition treaty with the US was signed by the colonial government in 1931.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that in 2023, two Nigerians, Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi, were extradited to the US from Nigeria after they were indicted for sexually extorting numerous teenage boys in Michigan.

Another case was reported in 2019 involving 56-year-old Adedeji Adeniran, who was extradited to the Northern District of Florida.

One notable high-profile extradition from Nigeria to the US involved Fatade Olamilekan, who was extradited in July 2022 to face charges related to a $3.5 million fraud scheme.

Mr Olamilekan had been on the FBI’s wanted list for allegedly stealing over $3.5 million worth of equipment and had his extradition coordinated by the EFCC.

By Beloved John, Premium Times

Related story: How sextortion scammers in Nigeria targeted my son

‘Severance’ Producer Boards Sequel to Nigerian Netflix Hit ‘Black Book’

 

Nicholas Weinstock, the Emmy-nominated producer of Severance, is on board to produce The Black Book 2 – Old Scores, the sequel to Editi Effiong’s 2023 Nigerian revenge thriller that smashed records worldwide.

The original Black Book, made for just $1 million, hit no. 3 on Netflix‘s global charts in 2023, ranking in the top 10 in more than 69 countries and racking up more than 20 million views worldwide. It stars Richard Mofe-Damijo as Paul Edima, a former hitman and deacon, who takes revenge after his son is framed and killed by a corrupt police unit.

Weinstock’s Invention Studios is producing The Black Book 2 along with Effiong’s Anakle Films. Effiong returns as writer and director on the sequel. The feature picks up where Black Book ended, with Paul Edima continuing his assault on the corrupt system. A blurb for the film says the second installment will “delve deeper…into themes of justice, redemption, and societal unrest in contemporary Nigeria.”

“The Black Book showed us that local stories can spark global conversations,” said Effiong, in a statement. “With Old Scores, we’re not just continuing a story, we’re continuing a movement — one that affirms the power of African voices to shape cinema worldwide.”

“What Editi’s created with The Black Book is unique in its power: not just a great action film but a film franchise of extraordinary skill, ambition, and worldwide commercial appeal,” added Weinstock. “It’s a phenomenal time for African and international creators to be delivering work at the quality level of traditional Hollywood and actually beyond – and to be stunning global audiences with sheer imagination and excellence. And there’s no better example of that than Old Scores and its game-changing potential.”

Weinstock’s Invention Studios produced June Squibb action-comedy Thelma (2024), and Weinstock’s production credits include features like Queenpins (2021) and Dinner in America (2020), and the Emmy-nominated Showtime series Escape at Dannemora. He is one of the producers of AppleTV+ hit Severance, which has been nominated for 53 Emmy Awards.

The Black Book 2 isn’t Weinstock’s first Nigerian project. He is also producing Clarissa, Arie and Chuko Esiri’s Nigerian-set modern adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel Mrs. Dalloway, which stars Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, and Ayo Edebiri, and which Neon recently picked up for U.S. distribution.

Anakle Films is represented by 3Point0 Labs, with Effiong represented by Zero Gravity for writing and directing. Weinstock is represented by CAA and Aron Baumel of Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson + Christopher.

By Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter

Related story: Nigerians would need to pay more for Netflix despite diminishing purchasing power