Nigeria is adjusting how it conducts air operations against armed groups as part of an updated security arrangement with the United States. Under the new framework, Nigerian fighter aircraft will increasingly rely on U.S. reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering...
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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...
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Nigerian president Tinubu under pressure to avoid war with northern neighbor Niger
By Camille Malpat with Aminu Abubakar in Kano, Nigeria: Political leaders in Nigeria are urging President Bola Tinubu to reconsider a threatened military intervention against junta leaders in neighbouring Niger, ahead of a Sunday deadline to reinstate the country's...
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Nigeria: Mass deaths in Kano possibly tied to Covid-19
Posted On 4 May 2020
Kano, Nigeria, May 4, 2020 – Mass deaths in a northern Nigerian state were caused by coronavirus, the authorities said after a preliminary investigation into the phenomenon. Gravediggers in the state of Kano have reported burying dozens of corpses per day, in what the authorities had called “mysterious deaths”. But a local COVID-19 team, after carrying out door-to-door investigations and interviewing bereaved relatives, said coronavirus was most likely to blame. “With the preliminary report, most of the deaths recorded of recent, and tests carried out, indicated that coronavirus is the cause,” the team leader
Nasiru Sani Gwarzo told reporters.
On Friday, Gwarzo told AFP the rise in deaths in Kano was also due to cuts to medical services for other ailments. But on Sunday he said preliminary findings from the investigation showed the situation had changed. “Even if the mass deaths were initially related to other ailments, coronavirus is presently the major cause of the mass deaths in Kano,” he said. The final report will be published in the coming days, but residents needed to face the “serious issue at hand”, he said. He warned the pandemic had “scaled to the level of community transmission”. Kano, with around 12 million people, is the second most populous state in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Friday said the number of recorded infections across Kano rose to 219, up from 77 at the start of the week. Kano has in recent days seen a spate of high-profile deaths including academics, bureaucrats, businessmen and traditional leaders. The state has the capacity to carry out just 88 tests per day, which should rise to 300 this week.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, with a headcount of around 200 million people, has 2,500 recorded cases of coronavirus and 87 deaths, according to official figures. A lockdown on Nigeria’s largest city Lagos and the capital Abuja was to ease on Monday. Restrictions in Kano remain in force, although the authorities eased the measures for six hours on Monday to enabling people to shop and replenish dwindling supplies.
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.
Nigeria’s Conflict Goes Global With Washington Entering the Fight
U.S. airstrikes in northwestern Nigeria mark a rare moment in which a long-running domestic security crisis crossed into direct American military involvement. While Nigerian forces have relied on aerial bombardment for years against insurgents and armed groups, the decision to authorize U.S. strikes introduces new political signaling, diplomatic pressure, and strategic implications. This analysis examines why the intervention occurred now, how it differs from Nigeria’s own military operations, and what it reveals about the growing internationalization of conflict in West Africa.
