Regional News
Stop illegal payment of ransom to kidnappers – Badaru (premiumtimesng.com)
Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has urged Nigerians to stop the illegal payment of ransom to kidnappers and bandits.
At a briefing after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, Mr Badaru said the payment would only embolden the culprits to make more demand thereby jeopardising public safety.
The minister spoke in response to the reported sourcing of funds by some members of the public to pay the abductors of some persons in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja.
CJTF members killed by B’Haram explosives buried in Borno (msn.com)
Two members of the Borno State Civilian Joint Task Force were killed and eight others injured by an improvised explosive device Tuesday afternoon at Mafa town, Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State.
Eyewitnesses told newsmen in Maiduguri on Wednesday that the incident happened while the quasi-military operatives were on their routine operations along Mafa/Konduga LGA axis.
AFRICOM commander visits Chad to discuss military collaborations (gardian.ng)
U.S. Marine Corps Commander, U.S. Africa Command, General Michael Langley and Sergeant Major Michael Woods have visited Chad to discuss security collaboration with Chadian military leaders.
During the visit, Langley had the opportunity to congratulate the nation’s first female military pilots trained on the C-208 light reconnaissance aircraft.
Langley and Woods engaged with key military leaders and partners to discuss collaborative efforts in promoting peace, security, and stability across the Sahel.
“U.S. Africa Command remains dedicated to building enduring partnerships with Chad and other African nations in the Sahel to address mutual security concerns and to help promote a peaceful and prosperous future in the region,” Langley said.
Sudan’s govt pulls out of IGAD extraordinary summit (africanews)
Sudan entered Monday in the 9th month of the war with no politically negotiated solution at hand.
The nation’s government said it won’t attend the January 18th IGAD extraordinary summit. According to local media Sudan Tribune, the ministry of foreign affairs cited the need for a face-to-face meeting between the warring generals prior to broader discussions with the regional bloc. The conflict has killed over 12,000 people and displaced millions leaving them with no prospects.
Parliament vets two Supreme Court judge nominees today (msn.com)
The Parliament’s Appointment Committee convenes today (Thursday) to vet new Supreme Court judge nominees.
These are justices Catherine Bamugemereire and Monica Mugenyi. The appointment of the judges by President Yoweri Museveni brings the number of Supreme Court judges to 11.
In the new appointments, Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Stella Atingu and John Paul Edoku were also named acting Registrars while Slyvia Nabaggala as the Registrar of the Industrial Court.
Peace and Security
Stop illegal payment of ransom to kidnappers – Badaru (premiumtimesng.com)
Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has urged Nigerians to stop the illegal payment of ransom to kidnappers and bandits.
At a briefing after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, Mr Badaru said the payment would only embolden the culprits to make more demand thereby jeopardising public safety.
The minister spoke in response to the reported sourcing of funds by some members of the public to pay the abductors of some persons in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja.
CJTF members killed by B’Haram explosives buried in Borno (msn.com)
Two members of the Borno State Civilian Joint Task Force were killed and eight others injured by an improvised explosive device Tuesday afternoon at Mafa town, Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State.
Eyewitnesses told newsmen in Maiduguri on Wednesday that the incident happened while the quasi-military operatives were on their routine operations along Mafa/Konduga LGA axis.
Food Security Declines In The Height Of Insecurity In Cameroon (humanglemedia.com)
In more recent years, the humanitarian situation in Cameroon continues to grow dire, especially with the impact of COVID-19 in 2020, which led to the closure of businesses.
There has been a persistent rise in the level of insecurity in the Northwest and Southwest regions, with ongoing invasions of armed groups in the Far North, conflicts over natural resources like water and pastures, and floods in the Far North, North, and Western regions. These actions continue to have a severe impact on food security.
Sudan’s govt pulls out of IGAD extraordinary summit (africanews)
Sudan entered Monday in the 9th month of the war with no politically negotiated solution at hand. The nation’s government said it won’t attend the January 18th IGAD extraordinary summit.
According to local media Sudan Tribune, the ministry of foreign affairs cited the need for a face-to-face meeting between the warring generals prior to broader discussions with the regional bloc. The conflict has killed over 12,000 people and displaced millions leaving them with no prospects.
Troops kill more terrorists in Borno, clear 25 camps (gardian.ng)
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have neutralised unspecified number of Boko Haram and Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) fighters during a significant week-long offensive against terrorists in Borno State.
Intelligence sources reportedly told counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, yesterday, that the land and air offensives, which began on January 7, 2024, as part of Operation Desert Sanity III, also resulted in the clearance and destruction of over 25 terrorist camps in Sambisa Forest and Timbuktu Triangle.
Security agencies in Niger, Chad, Cameroon more serious, professional – Shehu Sani (msn.com)
Former lawmaker Senator Shehu Sani has claimed that security agencies in some African countries sharing borders with Nigeria are more serious in discharging their duties than those in Nigeria.
The former Senator, who made the claim in a post on his official X handle on Thursday, questioned why citizens in countries like Benin Republic, Niger, Chad and Cameroon are not being kidnapped for ransom. According to him, security operatives in those countries are more professional, leading to the safety of their citizens. He lamented the worsening security crisis bedeviling the nation at the moment, saying kidnapping is becoming a lucrative business.
Many killed as ISWAP, Boko Haram fighters clash in Lake Chad (msn.com)
Scores of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters have been killed in another clash between the two groups.
The clash occurred on the islands of Kandahar and Kaduna Ruwa on the Lake Chad shores of Kukawa, near the Nigerian border with Cameroon.
DAILY POST gathered that the clash began late afternoon on Monday, January 15, 2024, when the ISWAP faction launched a fresh assault in the camp of Abou Hurayra, a leader of the Buduma faction of Boko Haram.
Nigeria: mass kidnappings returns to Abuja (africanews)
Kidnappings and killings have returned to Nigeria’s federal capital, Abuja, after over 10 months of silence from the bandits.
Bandits, last week, attacked travelers on the Abuja–Kaduna highway and abducted over 30 people, witnesses and community leaders said.
The abduction took place at Dogon-Fili near Katari, along the Kaduna-Abuja highway in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
This is the first time in more than ten months when the security along the road artery was breached.
Sudan entered Monday in the 9th month of the war with no politically negotiated solution at hand (africanews)
The nation’s government said it won’t attend the January 18th IGAD extraordinary summit.
According to local media Sudan Tribune, the ministry of foreign affairs cited the need for a face-to-face meeting between the warring generals prior to broader discussions with the regional bloc. The conflict has killed over 12,000 people and displaced millions leaving them with no prospects.
Borno CAN debunks marginalisation of Christians in Zulum’s administration (msn.com)
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Borno State chapter, has denied the marginalisation of Christians by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum in the state.
In a press briefing at St. Patrick Church in Maiduguri on Monday, the CAN Chairman, Most Rev. Dr John Bogna Bakeni, who is also the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, said that CAN and the Christian community have a good and cordial relationship with Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, who has done a lot for Christians and is still doing more.
Residents Flee 10 Zamfara Communities After Bandits’ Threats (dailytrust.com)
Residents of 10 communities in Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State have fled their homes for fear of being attacked by a notorious bandits’.
Residents of 10 communities in Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State have fled their homes for fear of being attacked by a notorious bandits’ leader, Dan Nagala, who earlier sent attack threats to them.
Daily Trust learnt that the affected villages are Gidan Soro, Maje, Fanda Hakki, Hayin Dankaro, Doka, Dan Gamji, Galmuwar Hannu, Dan Katsina, Dakwalge and Gidan Arne.
Police Arrest 37 Suspects, Recover Guns, Vehicles, POS Machine In Lagos (dailytrust.com)
The Lagos State Police Command Wednesday paraded 37 suspects arrested for various offences within the metropolis in the last thirty days. Items recovered from the suspects include 16 different types of guns, 72 live carriages, 75 different ammunition, six axes, four daggers, five cutlasses, two vehicles, one POS machine, fake vehicle number plates and charms.
Stop Raising Ransom For Bandits, FG Tells Nigerians (dailytrust.com)
The federal government Wednesday warned Nigerians against crowdfunding to pay ransoms for kidnapped victims, saying it will only increase the rate of abductions. The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, gave the warning while fielding questions from State House reporters after the first federal cabinet meeting of 2024 presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Gunmen Abduct Community Leader, Teenagers In Kwara (dailytrust.com)
A local chief and three teenagers have been reportedly abducted by suspected gunmen in Afin community, Ile-Ire district of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. The police however said three suspects had been arrested in connection with the abduction. Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Police Command, DSP Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, identified the local chief as Simon Ibiwoye who is the Olukotun of Afin community and three other teenagers.
Boko Haram’s explosive kills seven in Borno (premiuntimesng.com)
No fewer than seven people were killed on Tuesday by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) suspected to have been planted by Boko Haram along the Gamboru Ngala-Maiduguri road in Borno state. The spokesperson of the police in Borno, Nahun Daso, a superintendent of police, confirmed the incident on Thursday. The victims were travelling in a van when their vehicle hit an IED. A resident of Gamboru Ngala, Yusuf Mari, told PREMIUM TIMES that recently many vehicles travelling on the road have been damaged by IEDs.
Humanitarian
Nigerian leader says ‘massive education’ of youth will help end kidnappings threatening the capital (africanews)
Nigeria’s president said Tuesday that his government will embark on “massive education” of youth as a way to tackle the increasing kidnappings for ransom now threatening the capital city along with the rest of the country’s conflict-hit north.
President Bola Tinubu won last year’s election after promising to rid the West African nation of its security crisis. However, deadly attacks particularly in the north have persisted, with the capital of Abuja recording a spike in abductions along major roads and in homes in recent weeks.
Food Security Declines In The Height Of Insecurity In Cameroon (humanglemedia.com)
In more recent years, the humanitarian situation in Cameroon continues to grow dire, especially with the impact of COVID-19 in 2020, which led to the closure of businesses.
There has been a persistent rise in the level of insecurity in the Northwest and Southwest regions, with ongoing invasions of armed groups in the Far North, conflicts over natural resources like water and pastures, and floods in the Far North, North, and Western regions. These actions continue to have a severe impact on food security. Recent findings by the Cadre Harmonize in October 2023 show that 2,940,807 people, consulting 10.6 per cent of Cameroon’s population, are facing acute food insecurity.
Nigeria: The young woman breaking gender bias with her phone tech repair shop (africanews.com)
Mafa community in Borno state, Northern Nigeria was among many towns that suffered attacks from the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists which killed many, plunged others into terrible conditions and hardship and forced to thousands to flee.
Today, a lot has changed for the small town and that includes the presence of a popular first female phone technician Falmata Usman who witnessed the havocs that had stricken the town some years back.
Stabilization and economic development
Shell will sell big piece of its Nigeria oil business, but activists want pollution cleaned up first (africanews.com)
Shell said Tuesday it agreed to sell its onshore business in Nigeria’s Niger Delta to a consortium of companies in a deal worth $2.4 billion, the latest move by the energy company to limit its exposure in the West African nation amid long-running complaints of environmental pollution caused by the oil industry.
Shell called it a way to streamline its business in a country it has operated in for decades, facing pushback about oil spills that have fouled rivers and farms and exacerbated tensions in a region that has faced years of militant violence.
2 killed and 77 injured in a massive blast in southern Nigeria (africanews.com)
Two people died and 77 others were injured after a massive blast rocked more than a dozen buildings in one of Nigeria’s largest cities Tuesday night, the governor said Wednesday, as rescue workers dug through the rubble in search of those feared trapped.
Residents in the southwestern state of Oyo’s densely populated Ibadan city heard a loud blast at about 7:45 p.m., causing panic as many fled their homes. By Wednesday morning, security forces cordoned off the area while medical personnel and ambulances were on standby as rescue efforts intensified.
Africa’s biggest oil refinery begins production in Nigeria with the aim of reducing need for imports (africanews.com)
Africa’s biggest oil refinery has begun production in Nigeria, the company has said, ending a yearslong wait for a plant that analysts said Monday could boost refining capacity in a region heavily reliant on imported petroleum products.
The $19 billion facility, which can produce 650,000 barrels per day, has started to produce diesel and aviation fuel, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery Company reported Saturday. As Nigeria’s first privately owned oil refinery, the project “is a game-changer for our country,” it added.
25,000t of Russian free wheat destined for CAR reach Cameroon (africanews.com)
At a quay of the Douala autnomous port, in Cameroon, crane operators have been busy lately. 25,000 tonnes of wheat are unloaded and sent to mills to obtain wheat flour. The wheat flour will then be sent to the neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR). The shipment was promised last July by Russia’s president during the 2nd Russia-Africa summit.
Millions Lost As Fire Engulfs Over 100 Shops In Kaduna Market (dailytrust.com)
Goods worth millions of naira are said to have been lost in a fire incident that engulfed over 100 shops at the popular old Panteka market located near the Tudun Wada Campus of the Kaduna Polytechnic.
The Secretary of the market union, Ibrahim Muhammad confirmed to our correspondent that the fire started a few minutes after 12 midnight and the fire service were able to stop it from spreading to other parts of the market. He said, “Based on reports from the security in the market, the fire started some few minutes after midnight, early Wednesday morning from the wood sellers section in the market.
Nigeria’s AI Market Growth To Hit 30% In 5 Years (dailytrust.com)
Nigeria’s burgeoning Artificial Intelligence market will witness a significant growth of 30 percent in the next five years, a study has shown. According to the study by group of professionals in the AI sector in the country, the growth will be driven by increasing healthcare, agriculture, finance, and education adoption.
In healthcare, AI is poised to revolutionise patient care and diagnostics. AI-driven solutions are expected to enhance crop yield predictions and pest control in agriculture, which is vital for a country where agriculture constitutes a significant part of the economy, the study said.
5,686 Illegal Refinery Destroyed From 2021 To Date – Kyari (dailytrust.com)
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Mele Kyari has said the establishment of a command-and-control center has aided the detection and destruction of over 5,686 Illegal Refinery (IR) sites and the removal of 4,480 Illegal Connections (ICs) from 2021 to the present.
Kyari made this call while speaking as a Guest Lecturer during the 2024 Faculty Lecture titled, “Energy Security, Sustainability and Profitability in Nigeria: Advances, Challenges and Opportunities,” organized by the Faculty of Science of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, yesterday.
Economic review: 2024 and its key challenges (africanews.com)
The economic pace in Africa, slowed by the Covid-19 crisis and impacted by the consequences of the Ukrainian conflict, has been tested throughout 2023. As the new year approaches, the almost endemic inflation raises questions about its sustainability, prompting reflection on sectors deserving investment priority.
Rabah Arezki, economic expert and former vice president of the African Development Bank, sheds light on the challenges of 2024 in an Exclusive Interview with Business Africa. A review of US-Africa collaboration in 2023: a memorable chapter with the ratification of over 550 trade and investment agreements.
