100 schoolchildren abducted in Nigeria are released but more are still held
Read full article: 100 schoolchildren abducted in Nigeria are released but more are still heldA total of 100 of the schoolchildren abducted from a Nigerian Catholic school and released over the weekend have been hosted at a government-organized ceremony.
A Nigerian group attempts a 431-hour reading marathon to set a Guinness World Record
Read full article: A Nigerian group attempts a 431-hour reading marathon to set a Guinness World RecordIn Lagos, Nigeria, three men and two women have been reading aloud for over 431 hours to set a Guinness World Record.
Nigeria's ex-president Buhari, twice leader of Africa's most populous nation, dies at 82
Read full article: Nigeria's ex-president Buhari, twice leader of Africa's most populous nation, dies at 82Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who led the country twice as a military head of state and a democratic president, has died aged 82.
Nigerian teenager sets world painting record with canvas that's bigger than a soccer field
Read full article: Nigerian teenager sets world painting record with canvas that's bigger than a soccer fieldA 15-year-old Nigerian has set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest art canvas in a bid to raise awareness for autism.
Why did at least 67 people die in Christmas charity stampedes in struggling Nigeria?
Read full article: Why did at least 67 people die in Christmas charity stampedes in struggling Nigeria?Stampedes during three Christmas charity events across Nigeria have left at least 67 people dead in the past week, many of them children.
How did as many as 140 people die in one of Nigeria's deadliest tanker explosions?
Read full article: How did as many as 140 people die in one of Nigeria's deadliest tanker explosions?Nigerian authorities have announced measures to correct lapses that resulted in the death of more than 140 people in an explosion as they were trying to scoop up fuel from an overturned fuel tanker on Wednesday.
A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young help US rout Nigeria 88-74 to reach Olympic women's hoops semifinals
Read full article: A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young help US rout Nigeria 88-74 to reach Olympic women's hoops semifinalsA’ja Wilson scored 20 points and Jackie Young added 15 points to help the U.S. beat Nigeria 88-74 in the quarterfinals, extending its record winning streak to 59 consecutive Olympic wins.
Nigeria's new anthem, written by a Briton, sparks criticism after a contentious law is passed
Read full article: Nigeria's new anthem, written by a Briton, sparks criticism after a contentious law is passedNigeria has adopted a new national anthem reintroduced nearly a half-century ago after it was dropped for the current one.
Nigeria's president approves spending millions on a presidential yacht and SUVs for lawmakers
Read full article: Nigeria's president approves spending millions on a presidential yacht and SUVs for lawmakersNigeria's president has signed a controversial bill that earmarks $6.1 million for a presidential yacht and millions more for sport utility vehicles for his wife and other top government officials.
Nigeria's leader increases wages to avert a strike that could shut down the government
Read full article: Nigeria's leader increases wages to avert a strike that could shut down the governmentNigeria’s leader has increased the wages of some government workers in last-minute efforts to appease labor unions whose planned strike this week could shut down government offices in all sectors of Africa’s largest economy.
Niger's junta isn't backing down, and a regional force prepares to intervene. Here’s what to expect
Read full article: Niger's junta isn't backing down, and a regional force prepares to intervene. Here’s what to expectRegional mediation efforts to reverse the coup in Niger collapsed as soon as they started.
Nigerian leader plans $10 monthly handout to poor households after gas subsidy ends
Read full article: Nigerian leader plans $10 monthly handout to poor households after gas subsidy endsNigeria's President Bola Tinubu has told federal legislators that his government plans to pay $10 every month to poor households to ease the hardship caused by his administration’s removal of subsidies for gasoline.
Election results only announced for 1 of Nigeria's 36 states
Read full article: Election results only announced for 1 of Nigeria's 36 statesNigeria’s election commission has announced the first results from the country’s closely watched presidential election, but it could days before a winner is declared.
After delays, Nigerians keep watch for key vote's outcome
Read full article: After delays, Nigerians keep watch for key vote's outcomePeople are still lined up hours after voting was supposed to close in Nigeria during the country’s presidential and parliamentary election which opened with large delays.
Flooding in Nigeria, an impressive waterspout in Cyprus, and heavy rainfall in Australia
Read full article: Flooding in Nigeria, an impressive waterspout in Cyprus, and heavy rainfall in AustraliaWelcome back to another issue of wild weather around the world! This week we have a lot to cover, so let’s dive in!
Role of race contested in killing of Nigerian man in Italy
Read full article: Role of race contested in killing of Nigerian man in ItalyTwo marches have taken place through one of Italy's Adriatic beach towns, both seeking justice in the brutal daylight killing of a Nigerian man at the hands of an Italian stranger.
Nigerian forces hunt for gunmen who killed 50 at church
Read full article: Nigerian forces hunt for gunmen who killed 50 at churchAuthorities in southwestern Nigeria say the gunmen who killed 50 people at a church opened fire both inside and outside the building in a coordinated attack before escaping.
UN chief urges donors to sustain aid amid Ukraine crisis
Read full article: UN chief urges donors to sustain aid amid Ukraine crisisUnited Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged international donors to sustain funding for humanitarian operations in Africa and across the world even as they respond to the Ukraine crisis.
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Nigerian Nobel-winning author Wole Soyinka has hope in young
Read full article: Nigerian Nobel-winning author Wole Soyinka has hope in youngWole Soyinka, Nigeria’s Nobel-winning author, sees his country’s many problems — misgoverning politicians, systemic corruption, violent extremists, and kidnapping bandits — yet he does not despair.
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Nigerian government-enforced Twitter suspension takes effect
Read full article: Nigerian government-enforced Twitter suspension takes effectMillions of Nigerians were unable to access Twitter after the government enforced an indefinite suspension of the microblogging platform’s operations in Nigeria.
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Nigeria receives nearly 4 million vaccines from COVAX
Read full article: Nigeria receives nearly 4 million vaccines from COVAXCOVID-19 vaccines are offloaded from a plane at Lagos airport, Tuesday March 2, 2021. Nigeria received vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. With more than 150,000 Nigerians infected with the virus and over 1,800 lives lost, the path to recovery for the people of Nigeria can finally begin,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative. “This is a very significant occasion -- the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines into Nigeria is critical in curbing the pandemic. Nigeria is among 92 countries worldwide that will receive vaccines for free through the COVAX initiative.
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Nigerian governor says 279 kidnapped schoolgirls are freed
Read full article: Nigerian governor says 279 kidnapped schoolgirls are freedZamfara state governor Bello Matawalle announced that 279 girls who were abducted last week from a boarding school in the northwestern Zamfara state have been released Tuesday. Bello Matawalle said that 279 girls had been freed after being abducted from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School in Jangebe town on Friday. It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students,” Matawalle said in a post on Twitter early Tuesday. In December, more than 300 schoolboys from a secondary school in Kankara, in northwestern Nigeria, were taken and later released. The government has said no ransom was paid for the students’ release.
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Dutch court orders Shell Nigeria to compensate farmers
Read full article: Dutch court orders Shell Nigeria to compensate farmers“Up until this morning, Dutch multinationals could act with impunity in developing countries ... and this has changed now,” Pols said. The court also ruled that Dutch-based mother company Royal Dutch Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary must fit a leak-detection system to a pipeline that caused one of the spills. However, the court cleared Shell of blame in pollution of the other three farmers' land and ruled that Shell's Dutch parent company could not be held liable. AdBoth sides appealed, and judges ruled in 2015 that Shell could be held to account in Dutch courts for its actions in Nigeria. After 13 years, we’ve won,” the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth tweeted immediately after the decision was read out in court.
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Kidnappings in north Nigeria highlight deepening insecurity
Read full article: Kidnappings in north Nigeria highlight deepening insecurityUsman Garuba, one of the freed boys, described the horror of their six days walking through the forest and being beaten. Boko Haram, Nigeria's jihadist rebels, claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but the government later said the abduction was carried out by bandit groups rampant in the northwest. Nigeria’s military and police forces, with the backing of local self-defense groups, are outgunned, outnumbered, underfunded and underpaid, he said. More than 800 security forces were killed in 2019, one of the deadliest years since Boko Haram’s establishment more than 10 years ago. It is really disturbing.”___AP journalists Lekan Oyekanmi in Katsina, Nigeria, and Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed.
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Freed Nigerian schoolboys welcomed; calls for more security
Read full article: Freed Nigerian schoolboys welcomed; calls for more securityA family member of a freed schoolboy cries as she waits for a reunion with her son in Katsina Nigeria Friday Dec. 18, 2020. This time, the government deployed forces quickly after the boys’ kidnapping and the abductors rapidly found themselves surrounded, Bukarti said. Later, Boko Haram made claims that they had penetrated parts of the northwest. Boko Haram may well extend their reach into the northwest, he said, adding that they also got publicity. “This was a major propaganda point and that’s what Boko Haram and terrorist groups survive on,” he said.
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Nigerian official: More than 300 abducted schoolboys freed
Read full article: Nigerian official: More than 300 abducted schoolboys freedShoes of the kidnapped students from Government Science Secondary School are seen inside their class room Kankara, Nigeria, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)(AP) – More than 300 schoolboys abducted last week by armed men in northwest Nigeria have been released, a government official said Thursday. For more than 10 years, Boko Haram has engaged in a bloody campaign to introduce strict Islamic rule in Nigeria’s north. The video circulated widely on WhatsApp and first appeared on a Nigerian news site, HumAngle, that often reports on Boko Haram. In April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from a government boarding school in Chibok in northeastern Borno state.
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Boko Haram claims abduction of students in northern Nigeria
Read full article: Boko Haram claims abduction of students in northern NigeriaParents of the missing Government Science secondary school students wait for news on their children in Kankara , Nigeria, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. Neither official said whether the negotiations are with Boko Haram or another group. In February 2014, 59 boys were killed during a Boko Haram attack on the Federal Government College Buni Yadi in Yobe State. It was originally believed that the attackers were bandits, who sometimes work with Boko Haram. If Boko Haram is proven to be behind the abduction, it could mean a new wave of religious extremism is on the rise in Nigeria.
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Nigerian soldiers had live ammo during deadly protest
Read full article: Nigerian soldiers had live ammo during deadly protestGen. Ahmed Taiwo, Commander of the 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, pauses as he speaks to a judicial committee, in Lagos Nigeria. At least 10 people protesting police brutality were killed in the Lekki Plaza shooting, according to Amnesty International, which charged that army troops opened fire on protesters without provocation. Gen. Ahmed Taiwo, Commander of the 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, told a judicial committee Saturday that the soldiers indeed carried live bullets. “The soldiers, they were given both live and blank bullets. Last weekend he testified that blank ammunition was fired upward to scare “hoodlums from the crowd,” but insisted that soldiers did not fire at protesters.
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Nigeria’s police order massive mobilization after unrest
Read full article: Nigeria’s police order massive mobilization after unrestNigeria's president says 51 civilians have been killed in unrest following days of peaceful protests over police abuses, and he blames "hooliganism" for the violence while asserting that security forces have used "extreme restraint. The police order could further heighten tensions in Africa’s most populous country after its worst turmoil in years. Adamu, ordered colleagues to “dominate the public space” while announcing that enough is enough, a statement said. By not taking action against security forces, some Nigerians have warned, the president could inspire further abuses. We are part of the system, we are part of this governance.”___Bashir Adigun in Abuja, Nigeria contributed.
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Nigeria says 51 civilians, 18 security forces dead in unrest
Read full article: Nigeria says 51 civilians, 18 security forces dead in unrestPolice officers stop and search a bus carrying passengers around Lekki toll gate in Lagos Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Soldiers remained in parts of Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, as a 24-hour curfew remained in place. If the protests have been hijacked, then Nigerian youth should not give up the struggle and instead should “go back and re-strategize,” said Seriki Muritala with the National Youth Parliament. Opulence and grinding poverty are in close contact in Lagos, a city of some 20 million, and the inequality sharpens Nigerians' grievances. After questioning by police, the mourners were allowed to continue, to go on and bury the dead.
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Nigerian president leaves protest shootings out of speech
Read full article: Nigerian president leaves protest shootings out of speech“For you to do otherwise will amount to undermining national security and law and order," he said. “President Buhari during his speech refused to acknowledge those dead as a result of military attacked on Lekki protesters #EndSARS,” tweeted Usman Okai Austin. As looting gangs stormed through parts of Nigeria's largest city, spreading violence for a second day in Lagos. But on Tuesday night security forces fired without warning into crowds of thousands of protesters singing Nigeria's national anthem, killing 12, Amnesty said. "We welcome an immediate investigation into any use of excessive force by members of the security forces.
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Nigerian forces killed 12 peaceful protesters, Amnesty says
Read full article: Nigerian forces killed 12 peaceful protesters, Amnesty says( AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)LAGOS – Amnesty International said in a report Wednesday that Nigeria's security forces fired upon two large gatherings of peaceful protesters Tuesday night, killing 12 people calling for an end to police brutality. The security forces opened fire without warning on the protesters Tuesday night at the Lekki toll plaza, Amnesty said in its report, citing eyewitnesses, video footage and hospital reports. “Opening fire on peaceful protesters is a blatant violation of people’s rights to life, dignity, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Some of those killed and injured at the toll plaza and in Alausa, another Lagos neighborhood, were taken away by the military, Amnesty alleged in the report. Amnesty's report backs up posts and images on social media that have shown widespread violence against protesters.
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Nigeria's anti-police protesters storm prison, free inmates
Read full article: Nigeria's anti-police protesters storm prison, free inmatesPeople demonstrate on the street to protest against police brutality, in Lagos, Nigeria, Sunday Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)LAGOS – Nigeria's protests against police brutality turned violent Monday when a crowd stormed a prison and freed inmates in Benin City in southern Nigeria. The protesters have become more belligerent, throwing rocks and other objects at police and other targets, as seen in the attacks Monday. Reacting to Monday's prison break, the Edo State government imposed a 24-hour curfew to try to stop the protests. The #EndSARS protests continued in other Nigerian cities Monday, with Lagos, Nigeria largest city, and Abuja, the capital, particularly hard hit as protesters closed several roads in the cities.
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Nigeria's anti-police brutality protests block major roads
Read full article: Nigeria's anti-police brutality protests block major roadsNigerian protests against police brutality continued Friday for the ninth day, with demonstrators fending off attacks from gangs suspected to be backed by the police, warnings from the Nigerian military, and a government order to stop because of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)LAGOS – Nigerian protests against police brutality continued Friday for the ninth day, with demonstrators fending off attacks from gangs suspected to be backed by the police, warnings from the Nigerian military, and a government order to stop because of COVID-19. In Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, protesters blocked the road to the international airport and the main highway into the city. The Lagos-Ibadan highway, one of Nigeria's busiest, is the main road linking the port city to the rest of Nigeria. The protests erupted last week after a video circulated online showing a man being beaten, apparently by police from the SARS unit.
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Nigeria protesters demand police reforms for sixth day
Read full article: Nigeria protesters demand police reforms for sixth dayPeople hold banners as they demonstrate on the street to protest against police brutality in Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday Oct. 13, 2020. Crowds protesting against police brutality in Nigeria have taken to the streets for a sixth day across Africa's most populous nation. Fresh protests took place in Nigerias largest city, Lagos, and in the southeastern cities of Port Harcourt and Uyo on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)LAGOS – Crowds protesting against police brutality in Nigeria took to the streets Tuesday for a sixth day across the country after a video of a beating posted online sparked demonstrations that now have left at least 10 dead. Fresh protests took place in Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, and in the southeastern cities of Port Harcourt and Uyo.
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