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...
MEA RISK’s SHIELD & ALERT notifications: Access requires installing Shield & Alert mobile application. More info on S&A here or click here to signup and install
Nigeria grapples with end of fuel subsidy
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: Bandits raid six villages in north, kill 30 civilians
Armed men killed 30 people in weekend raids on six villages in Nigeria's north, a region regularly hit by criminal violence and clashes between communities, local police have said. The bloodshed is the latest outbreak of inter-communal violence which the country's...
Nigeria: ISWAP ambushes army unit, kills several soldiers
Several Nigerian soldiers died in an attack on a military convoy in the Lake Chad region by jihadist fighters aligned with the Islamic State group, security forces said Tuesday. The convoy was hit by militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)...
Nigeria: Human Rights Watch accuses Nigeria army over civilian drone strike victims
A leading rights group urged Nigeria's army on Tuesday to take responsibility for a drone strike that killed 39 civilians in January, calling for compensation for the victims and their families. The army eventually admitted ordering the strike near the town of Rukubi,...
Nigeria: Cash-strapped Boko Haram kidnaps herders for ransom
Boko Haram jihadists have kidnapped 30 ethnic Fulani herders near northeast Nigeria's Lake Chad, demanding ransom for their release, fishermen and the head of an anti-jihadist militia told AFP Tuesday. The militants in eight boats stormed the fishing and herding...
Nigeria: Despite rise in new cases, Nigeria looks the other way and eases lockdown
Posted On 30 June 2020
Nigeria on Monday said it was allowing children to go back to school to take exams and permitting cross-country travel despite fears over mounting coronavirus infections. The head of the presidential task force, Sani Aliyu, gave the go-ahead for the “safe re-opening of schools to allow students in graduating classes (to) resume in-person in preparation for examinations”. A ban on travel between different regions of the country would also be lifted from the start of July, Aliyu said.
The latest moves come as Africa’s most populous nation continues to register a steady rise in new cases, with 24,567 infections and 565 deaths recorded so far. “For every detected case, there is a high possibility that up to five have not submitted to testing and therefore not detected,” Aliyu said. “We have observed with growing concern the non-compliances with these measures designed to prevent transmission and protect vulnerable segments of the population.”
A raft of measures including restrictions on public gatherings, the mandatory wearing of facemasks and the closure of international borders remains in place. Adherence to restrictions has been mixed in the country of some 200 million people and there has already been widespread cross-country movement. The coronavirus has so far spread more slowly in Africa than on other continents but experts believe the peak is still ahead as governments increasingly ease restrictions.
AFP
Recent News from Nigeria
Nigerian army drone hits village in Kaduna State, kills civilians
By Aminu Abubakar with Laurie Churchman in Abuja: An army drone strike accidentally hit a village in northwestern Nigeria killing dozens of civilians celebrating a Muslim festival, local authorities, the military and residents said on Monday. Nigeria's armed forces...
Nigeria: Two dead after fire sweeps though displaced camp of Muna Alamdari in Borno
At least two children died when fire swept through an informal camp for displaced people in northeast Nigeria, destroying more than a thousand tents, emergency officials said on Wednesday. The fire broke out at the Muna Alamdari camp near the Borno State capital...
Nigeria’s election runner-up, Atiku Abubakar, files appeal over election challenge
The runner-up in Nigeria's presidential election in February on Tuesday filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling rejecting a challenge to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's election victory. Opposition parties had claimed various irregularities, from...
