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Regional News
2 more Boko Haram fighters surrender to MNJTF in Lake Chad region – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng)
The Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, Sector 3, Monguno, has disclosed that two more Boko Haram fighters laid down their arms in the region.
A statement signed on Sunday by the MNJTF’s Chief of Military Public Information, Abubakar Abdullahi, said the two fighters, identified as Ahmed Isiaka and Adam Muhammed, aged 18 and 17 respectively, hail from Kolloram, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria.
Troops kill 188 terrorists, arrest 330 others in 1 week – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng) Troops neutralised at least 188 terrorists and arrested 330 others across the country in the last one week.
They also rescued 133 hostages during the period, Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj -Gen. Edward Buba, stated on Friday in Abuja.
Mr Buba stated that arms recovered from the terrorists included 122 AK47 rifles, 47 locally-fabricated guns, 47 Dane guns, 24 automatic pump action guns, and eight locally-fabricated pistols, and Improvised Explosives Devices.
Nigerian Troops capture Terrorists’ Stronghold in Borno, Destroy Gun trucks – PRNigeria News The Nigerian Army said the troops have captured a stronghold of the Boko Haram/Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) in Borno State.
The offensive, part of “Operation Desert Sanity III,” utilized a combined approach of air and artillery strikes alongside ground troops battling through the Ngumne, Kawaran, and Mangu Axis in the Sambisa Forest and Timbuktu Triangle.
A statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu said the troops were engaged in a fierce battle with terrorists who used Improvised Explosive Devices on them.
Pregnant Chibok girl rescued with kids after 10 years in captivity – Daily Trust Another Chibok girl, Lydia Simon, has been rescued by troops of Opertaion Desert Sanity III, North East Operation Hadin Kai.
It was gathered that Lydia was rescued along with her three children by the troops of 82 Division Task Force Battalion in Ngoza LGA, on Wednesday.
According to Zagazola Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert, Lydia who was on serial number 68 among the abducted girls, escaped from the camp of Ali Ngulde in Mandara Mountain where she was held in captivity for several years.
‘10 passengers killed’ as vehicle runs into IED in Borno | TheCable At least 10 passengers in a commercisl vehicle have reportedly died after the automobile encountered an improvised explosive devise (IED) planted at rosdise.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on Lake Chad region, said the incident occurred along Baga road in Kukawa LGA of Borno on Wednesday.
The publication said 20 other persons sustained injuries.
“The IED was believed to have been laid for the troops of Sector 3 Operation Hadin Kai, around the Mosquito camp by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP),” Makama said.
45 persons die as strange disease hits Kano community – Daily Trust
About 45 persons have reportedly lost their lives due to an outbreak of a mysterious illness in Gundutse village, Kura Local Government Area of Kano State.
It was gathered that the victims, mostly women, children, and elderly individuals, exhibited symptoms such as malaria, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
Deadly Sahel heatwave caused by ‘human-induced’ climate change: Study | Africanews Recent soaring temperatures in West Africa and the Sahel, including Mali, have led to hundreds of deaths, with researchers attributing the extreme heat to human-induced climate change.
In Mali, temperatures surpassed 48°C last month, with Gabriel Toure Hospital reporting 102 deaths in early April, particularly affecting older individuals. Scientists argue that without human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, temperatures wouldn’t have reached such alarming levels.
Corpses found adrift in boat off Brazil likely migrants from Mauritania, Mali – Police | Africanews Deceased migrants from Mali and Mauritania are believed to among the victims discovered on a boat full of corpses off Brazil.
Police added Monday that other nationalities could be among the deceased.
Fishermen off Brazil’s northern coastal state of Pará found the boat adrift Saturday in the Atlantic Ocean.
Brazil’s Federal police has recovered nine dead in total.
Nigeria suspends permit of 3 private jet operators | Africanews Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has taken action against private jet operators flouting regulations by suspending the Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) of three operators caught conducting commercial flights.
This crackdown follows warnings issued in March 2024.
Acting Director General Capt. Chris Najomo stated that increased surveillance at Nigerian airports led to the grounding of three operators found violating their PNCF terms. Specifically, they breached annexure provisions and Part 9114 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023.
Nigeria sees record inflation in March | Africanews Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose 1.50% to 33.20% in March, the country’s statistics bureau reported on Monday. The figure is the highest in 28 years.
The National Bureau of Statistics attributed the increase to soaring food and energy costs.
Consumer inflation in Africa’s most populous country has been on an upward trend for 15 straight months, eating into people’s incomes and draining savings.
Nigeria becomes first to roll out new meningitis vaccine — WHO (trtworld.com) Africa’s most populous nation Nigeria has launched a “revolutionary” vaccine against meningitis, in what the World Health Organization (WHO) has said was a world first.
“Meningitis is an old and deadly foe, but this new vaccine holds the potential to change the trajectory of the disease, preventing future outbreaks and saving many lives,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday.
Agadez, Niger’s gateway to the Sahara, finds new life in the migrant trade | Migration | Al Jazeera Agadez, Niger – Ousmane Kouyate* stands beside a petrol station on National Road 25 that runs through Agadez, more than 900km north of Niger’s capital Niamey.
The thin 25-year-old from Guinea is a “passeur” – a travel agent or, for some of the migrants and refugees passing through the city, a smuggler organising their journey to the Mediterranean on their way to European shores.
NAF airstrikes kills ISWAP commanders Dawud, Fujalla, Ari, other 27 – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng) The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) announced the successful neutralization of prominent terrorist leaders and destruction of key infrastructure belonging to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno State.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, NAF spokesman, the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) conducted airstrikes on April 13, targeting ISWAP hideouts near Kolleram village, located on the shores of Lake Chad.
Chris Oyakhilome: Nigerian pastor pushing malaria vaccine conspiracy theories (bbc.com) Dressed in his signature closed-neck suit, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome stared directly into the camera, declaring that “there was never a proof that vaccines ever worked”.
Everyone had been “lied to” about vaccination, he said in the sermon broadcast on his church’s YouTube channel in February.
Known as “Pastor Chris”, the sixty-year-old is one of Africa’s best-known evangelical preachers.
Peace and Security
Niger: Demonstrators take to the streets in protest against foreign forces | Africanews Hundreds of demonstrators took part in a protest against the presence of foreign forces in Niger, including the armed forces of the United States, which has a military base in the north of the country.
The demonstrators gathered in the center of the capital city of Niamey, at the call of civil society organizations close to Niger’s ruling military junta whose members took part in the demonstration.
Burkina Faso expels three French diplomats for ‘subversive activities’ | Africanews Burkina Faso’s military government has expelled three French diplomats, accusing them of subversive activities.
The diplomats, including two political advisers, were given 48 hours to leave the country. The specifics of their alleged activities were not disclosed.
This move further strains relations between Burkina Faso and France since the military junta took power in 2022.
Nigerian Army denies shooting civilians in Bokkos, Plateau State – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng) The Nigerian Army’s Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH) has refuted allegations that its personnel shot civilians in Bokkos, Plateau State.
Major Samson Nantip Zhakom, spokesperson for OPSH, responded to viral petitions from the Coalition of Bokkos Ethnic Youth Nationalities in a press statement he issued Sunday.
The petitions accused soldiers of harming civilians and called for the removal of Colonel CY Ofurumazi, Commander of the Step-Up Headquarters in Bokkos.
Russian military trainers and air defence system arrive in Niger (trtworld.com)
Equipped with an air defence system and other weapons, Russian military instructors have arrived in Niger to help the West African nation in securing its borders and deepen security ties with Moscow.
Russian state television announced late Thursday that Moscow will help “install an air defence system … to ensure complete control of our airspace”.
Vigilante groups protect communities in northern Nigeria | Africanews
A growing number of states in Nigeria’s conflict-hit northern region are setting up community-based vigilante patrol units to tighten security in villages where violent killings and kidnappings are rife.
Fatigued by the ongoing Islamist insurgency in the northeast, the country’s security forces have struggled with limited resources in fighting armed gangs active in remote locations where the government is largely absent.
Nigeria: chibok abduction anniversary spurs demands for justice | Africanews
Militants, alongside relatives of victims of the infamous abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls that sparked global outrage in 2014, gathered in Lagos on Sunday, April 14, to renew calls for the release of the remaining girls in captivity.
The Sunday meeting was organized to mark the 10th anniversary of the abduction that affected 276 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.
Mali bans political party activities as calls for elections grow | Africanews
Malian authorities on Wednesday issued a decree banning political party activities amid calls on the ruling army junta to organize elections.
The announcement was made by the government spokesperson on state television on Wednesday evening. Abdoulaye Maiga said the ban on political activities was made in the interest of maintaining public order.
10 northern governors to attend security summit in US – Daily Trust
Ten governors from northern Nigeria, representing the North West and North Central regions, have been invited to a peace and security summit to be held in Washington DC, The United States, from April 23 to 25, 2024.
Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, the media aide to the Katsina State governor, Dikko Umar Radda, in a statement Tuesday, disclosed that the summit is organised by the Africa Centre at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and aimed to address the pressing security challenges in northern Nigeria.
Protesters seek enforcement of Benue’s anti-open grazing law – Daily TrustProtesters seek enforcement of Benue’s anti-open grazing law – Daily Trust
The people of Gwer West LGA of Benue State have staged a protest ON the Makurdi-Naka road to demand en-forcement of the state’s anti-open grazing law following the killing of 28 people in some communities in the Gyaru-wa axis by armed men on Sunday night.
During the protest, Mbapuun Fabian, who is the Secretary of Gyaruwa Forum (GAF), said that villagers in farming communities of Gwer West LGA were gruesomely murdered.
Yoruba Nation: Military warns against taking arms against Nigeria – Daily Trust
The military high command says the security situation across the six geo-political zones of the country has shown that it is self-inflicted, warning that any Nigerian who takes up arms against the State would be killed.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, who stated this at a press briefing at Defence Headquarters in Abuja, also described the recent agitation for the Yoruba Nation as “laughable”.
NSA receives 22 rescued Zamfara varsity students, staff – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng)
The National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday received 22 abducted students and staff of Federal University, Gusau in Zamfara, who were rescued on Sunday.
The 22 people, comprising 15 students and seven workers of the university, were abducted from the university in September 2023.
According to the NSA, the rescue operation was coordinated by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, NCTC, on Sunday.
Humanitarian
Borno govt to close all IDP camps before end of year – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng)
The Government of Borno has pledged to dismantle all IDP camps within the state by the end of 2024.
This was disclosed at a press conference by Professor Usman Tar, commissioner for Information and Internal Security, in commemoration of the 10th year abduction of Chibok School Girls held yesterday at the Nigerian Union of Journalists state office.
This initiative is part of the government’s wider ‘Build Back Borno Better’ project, which aims to facilitate the return of IDPs to their ancestral homes and rebuild war-torn communities.
Borno awards N1.3b scholarship with five year bond to 997 students – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng)
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has approved over N1.3billion (N1,305,189,000) in scholarship to 997 student student across the 27 local governments area of Borno State.
The governor announced this development on Wednesday in an event at the College of Nursing Science Maiduguiri.
Gov. Zulum said the intervention, which targets medical students, is in line with the 25 year development plan of the state.
Buni gives N3m to families of 3 persons allegedly killed by soldiers – Daily Trust
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State yesterday presented three million naira to the families of those who lost their lives in a recent clash between Keke Napep riders and soldiers in Gashua.
The deputy governor, Idi Barde Gubana, who represented Buni, also led a delegation to the Emir of Bade in Gashua to express condolences to the emir, community, and relatives of the deceased.
A Decade After, 89 Abducted Chibok Girls Still Missing – Borno Gov’t – HumAngle (humanglemedia.com) Ten years have passed since the infamous night of April 14, 2014, when Boko Haram insurgents stormed the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, abducting 276 girls and igniting global outrage. A decade later, the fate of 89 of these girls remains uncertain.
The tragic anniversary brings to light both the progress and the ongoing challenges in securing their release.
UN reports widening global inequality in sexual and reproductive health and rights | Africanews A new UN report published Wednesday says an African woman is roughly 130 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than a woman in Europe or North America.
The U.N. population fund on Wednesday decried widening inequality in sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide.
UNFPA’s latest “State of World Population” report also estimates that nearly 800 maternal deaths occur daily, mainly in developing countries, with most preventable. And that nearly 500 maternal deaths per day occur in countries with humanitarian crises or conflicts.
31 states, 148 LGAs risk severe floods, Nigerian govt warns – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng)
Prof. Joseph Utsev, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, has cautioned that 148 Local Government Areas, LGAs, across 31 states are among the highly probable flood risk areas for 2024.
Mr Utsev issued this warning during the official unveiling of the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, AFO, on Monday in Abuja.
39% of Nigerian children engaged in child labour – NBS (premiumtimesng.com)
The National Bereau of Statistics (NBS) says about 50.5 per cent of Nigerian children, aged between 5 and 17, are engaged in economic activities.
The bureau revealed this in its report titled “Nigeria Child Labour and Forced Labour Survey 2022″, released on Thursday.
Child Labour, according to the bureau, refers to work for which children are either too young or that may be physically or psychologically injurious to their health and well-being.
Mobilization and economic development
BDCs now buying dollar at N980 — ABCON president – Daily Trust
The Association of Bereau De Change Operatirs in Nigeria said the Bureau De Change operators were buying dollars at N980/$ at the open market and selling at N1,020/$.
his was confirmed by the President of ABCON, Aminu Gwadebe, while featuring on a Channels Television programme, Business Incorporated, where he stated that the naira has appreciated faster than expected against the United States Dollar.
Depleting external reserve: We are not defending naira – Cardoso – Daily Trust
CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso has spoken on concerns over the declining external reserve, saying the apex bank is not defending the naira.
Cardoso, who spoke on the sideline of the ongoing spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund/World Bank in Washington DC, said the depleting external reserve is mostly due to factors such as debt repayments, other obligations and depletion due to the ordinary course of business.
Nigeria recovers millions in corruption probe at key ministry | Africanews
Nigeria said it recovered nearly $30 million from an ongoing corruption investigation at a key government agency.
The entity being probed for fraud is the ministry of humanitarian affairs which is also charged with fighting poverty.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said in a statement that it had uncovered a complex ‘web of fraudulent practices’.
It said the funds had been recovered from former and suspended ministry officials.
IMF Forecasts Nigeria’s Inflation Rate to Drop to 23% by 2025 – BizWatchNigeria.Ng
During the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington D.C., the IMF unveiled its latest Global Economic Outlook, projecting a significant decline in Nigeria’s inflation rates in the coming years.
Daniel Leigh, Division Chief of the IMF Research Department, highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms, such as exchange rate adjustments, as catalysts for the recent surge in inflation to 33.2 percent in March.
Eco-friendly coal: Burkina Faso’s way of tackling climate change (trtworld.com)
Long before jumbo jets shrunk the world and climate crisis became a global concern, there was something quaintly romantic about locomotive pilots hauling coal into the firebox of a steam engine as the whistling train chugged along through pastoral landscapes, billowing smoke into verdant skies.
Niger signs deal to supply Mali with cheaper diesel | Africanews
Niger is set to deliver 150 million litres of diesel to neighbouring Mali, after the two countries signed a partnership on Tuesday.
The diesel is to be supplied to Énergie du Mali (EDM-SA), Mali’s national energy company, as the country suffers from regular power cuts.
EDM-SA, which is heavily indebted, struggles to consistently provide power to those with access to electricity in the capital and other Malian towns.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, says it will intensify monitoring and enforcement in formal and informal markets to ensure that business owners do not unfairly inflate prices.
Dr Adamu Abdullahi, the Acting Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, was reacting to complaints by consumers that in spite of the appreciation of the Naira against the dollar, prices of goods were still increasing.
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