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Nigeria: Questions Mount Over U.S. Airstrikes in Northern Nigeria$

By Leslie Varenne, MondAfrique: The American strikes carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day raise serious questions. Beyond the confusion surrounding the objectives of the operation, inconsistencies in official statements, and the unclear nature of the targets, the...

Nigeria grapples with end of fuel subsidyF

By Alexandre Martins Lopes: Nigerians are struggling with surging fuel prices after newly elected President Bola Tinubu declared an end to popular subsidies, a move analysts and experts said was long overdue. On his first day in office, Tinubu kept to his campaign...

Nigeria: Armed gang kills policeman and kidnap Chinese workers in Oban, Cross RiverF

Posted On 22 July 2020

Lagos, July 22, 2020 – Gunmen have kidnapped four Chinese workers from a quarry site in southern Nigeria and shot dead their police guard, police said Wednesday. Abductions for ransom are common in southern Nigeria where foreigners and prominent citizens are regularly targeted. “I can confirm to you that four Chinese workers were abducted last night by unknown gunmen,” Cross River state police spokeswoman Irene Ugbo told AFP.  She added that a police sergeant guarding the foreigners was shot dead by the attackers and that officers were searching for the kidnappers. The police could not immediately say the motive for the abduction.

Local community leader Dominic Akpan said there were six attackers armed with Kalashnikov rifles. “They shot into the air while one aimed at the police, killed him and collected his gun before going for the Chinese (workers),” he told AFP. Victims of kidnappings are often released unhurt after ransom payments. Police rarely confirm such payments.

AFP

Recent News from Nigeria

Nigeria Adjusts Airstrike Strategy Under Expanded U.S. Security Cooperation$

Nigeria is modifying how it conducts air operations against armed groups under a revised security arrangement with the United States. The new framework places greater emphasis on U.S. intelligence and reconnaissance support while shifting operational responsibility to Nigerian forces. The approach reflects Abuja’s effort to balance external assistance with domestic control amid ongoing security challenges in the country’s northwest.

Nigeria: Questions Mount Over U.S. Airstrikes in Northern Nigeria$

The U.S. airstrikes carried out in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day have triggered confusion and skepticism across the region. Conflicting statements from Washington and Abuja, uncertainty over the identity of the targeted groups, and reports from strike locations where no militants were found have raised serious questions about the operation’s objectives. In an already fragile security environment, the lack of clarity risks adding instability rather than addressing Nigeria’s complex security challenges.

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