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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...

Building collapses in Lagos, Nigeria, killing eightF

Posted On 12 October 2020

Emergency services were clearing debris of a collapsed building on Monday in the densely populated city of Lagos in Nigeria that left at least eight people dead. The cause of the incident, which happened on Sunday, remains unknown but building collapses are common in Africa’s most populous country, where millions live in dilapidated properties and construction laws are routinely ignored.

Dozens of people were helping with the clearing operation, with many victims believed to be trapped in the rubble.  “When the building started falling down, no one was able to flee. No one,” one witness, Femi Abalenawa, told AFP.   “Emergency services didn’t arrive for a while, and so people in the neighbourhood came out to help,” he added.   “Unfortunately, eight victims were recovered dead, six adult males and two females,” the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) tweeted on Monday. Ten people were severely injured and taken to hospital, while 10 others were lightly injured, the agency added.

The incident happened at a building under construction in Ikoyi-Obalende, a working-class area of Lagos.   “The cause of collapse is yet to be ascertained but efforts are presently ongoing by LASEMA and other responders towards salvaging the situation,” the city’s emergency services said.  In March, 20 people died in the collapse of a building housing a nursery and primary school in Lagos, which is Nigeria’s economic hub.

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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