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...
U.S. Immigration Policy and the Changing Landscape of Africa-U.S. Travel
As the United States prepares to implement a new round of immigration and visa policy changes in 2026, the effects are being felt across Africa and parts of the Middle East. What began as a technical overhaul of screening and enforcement procedures has evolved into a...
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...
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: First man to be hanged in ‘virtual’ trial
Posted On 5 May 2020
Lagos, May 5, 2020 – A Nigerian court sentenced a man to death in the country’s first ever virtual ruling during a five-week coronavirus lockdown. Lagos judge Mojisola Dada on Monday ordered death by hanging for Olalekan Hameed, a driver, over the 2018 murder of 76-year-old Jolasun Okunsanya, the mother of his boss. “This is the virtual judgement of the court,” she said. It was not immediately clear if Hameed would appeal. Under Nigerian law, state governors have to approve death sentences before they can be carried out.
Local and international rights bodies have repeatedly called on Nigerian authorities to expunge the death sentence. “This spike in death sentences puts Nigeria at odds with the global trend towards abolition of the death penalty,” Osai Ojigho Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, told AFP. “As of today, many more countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. Nigeria must not be different,” he said. Hameed was arraigned in March last year on a two-count charge of murder and stealing. He pleaded not guilty.
On Monday, all the parties to the case, including the accused, lawyers, witnesses and journalists participated in the session remotely from different locations via the Zoom application. The new coronavirus has so far infected 2,802 and claimed 93 lives in Nigeria. The bulk of the infections and fatalities occurred in Lagos and the nation’s capital Abuja, prompting President Muhammadu Buhari to impose a five-week lockdown on both cities.
The lockdown was relaxed on Monday to enable residents return to work but with strict instructions to comply with all restrictions and safety rules, including the mandatory wearing of face masks and social distancing. Buhari has also called for speedy trial of cases as well as the decongestion of prisons and detention centres to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He said 52,226 of the 74,127 prisoners in the country were awaiting trial.
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.
