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: 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: Greek ship crew held hostage after Nigeria kidnappingF

Posted On 29 November 2020

A ship management company is in talks to free three Greek sailors kidnapped earlier this month by pirates off the Nigerian coast, Athens’ Merchant Navy Ministry said Sunday. Three of the five-strong crew were snatched from the Togo-flagged  bunkering vessel Stelios K after the attackers boarded it on November 16. Now Royal Ship Management, which owns the fuel tanker ship, is in talks for the hostages’ release, the ministry said.

The ministry added that all five of the crew were in good health. Pirates took the captain and two of the crew of the Stelios K hostage, but the two sailors left on board were able to steer it back to a safe berth in Lagos.

This month’s attack on the Stelios K is the 23rd kidnapping incident in the Gulf of Guinea in 2020, with a total of 118 people snatched, according to UK-based maritime security firm Dryad Global. The company issued a “critical risk rating” for the Gulf of Guinea immediately after the hostage-taking, saying it was the second successful kidnapping within three days and matched a “sharp increase in incidents” in the region.

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.

Shield and Alert Nigeria