Kano, Nigeria | AFP | The deposed leader of an IS-backed faction of Boko Haram has been detained by more radical elements who seized control of the group, three well-informed sources have told AFP. Uncertainty has surrounded the fate of Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi after he was replaced as leader of the …
Read More »IS-backed Boko Haram faction may have new chief: sources
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | The leader of an Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram may have been replaced, sources say, against a backdrop of speculation as to his fate — and the group’s future direction. Three sources with deep knowledge of the group said they had been told in recent days that the Islamic …
Read More »Boko Haram kills eight in northeast Nigeria, militia says
Daura, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram insurgents killed eight people in Nigeria during an attack on the northeastern city of Maiduguri, a civilian militia leader said on Saturday. “We recovered a total of eight bodies of residents killed in the Boko Haram attack,” late on Friday, Haram Abba Aji-Kalli of the Civilian JTF militia …
Read More »Boko Haram attacks governor’s convoy in Nigeria: security sources
Maiduguri, Nigeria | AFP | Four people were killed and an unknown number of others were kidnapped in a Boko Haram attack on a convoy of vehicles carrying the governor of Borno state in northeast Nigeria, sources said on Wednesday. A civilian militia member travelling with Kashim Shettima said jihadist fighters staged an ambush near …
Read More »Nigeria: African giant struggling with poverty, unrest
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria, which elects a new president on February 16, is Africa’s most populous nation and leading oil producer but is dogged by poverty and insecurity. – People and penury – More than 190 million people live in the West African nation. The UN estimates it …
Read More »Nigeria: Buhari’s first term
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Muhammadu Buhari was elected president of Nigeria in 2015 on a pledge to defeat Boko Haram jihadists and tackle endemic corruption. As he seeks re-election, here is a look back at key developments in the country during his first term. – 2015: successes against Boko Haram …
Read More »Nigeria since independence
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Key events in the history of Nigeria since independence from Britain in 1960: – First coup – In January 1966 the first in a series of military coups takes place amid dissatisfaction with progress after colonial rule. Significantly, it is also triggered by the fact that …
Read More »Muhammadu Buhari: Nigeria’s anti-corruption president
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in 2015 on a wave of hope that he could defeat Boko Haram Islamists and turn around a country blighted by decades of corruption and poor governance. But while he will go down in history as Nigeria’s first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent, …
Read More »Fear of Boko Haram attack sees 30,000 flee Nigerian town: UN
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | More than 30,000 people have fled the northeast Nigerian town of Rann and across the border to Cameroon in recent days because of fears of renewed Boko Haram attacks, the UN, civilian militia and residents said on Tuesday. The latest mass movement comes as the world body voiced renewed concern …
Read More »Seven killed as Boko Haram attacks Nigeria military base
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Seven people were killed when Boko Haram fighters attacked a military base in remote northeast Nigeria, setting fire to shelters for those displaced by the conflict, military and humanitarian sources told AFP Tuesday. The attack in Rann, some 175 kilometres (110 miles) northeast of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, began …
Read More »