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Regional News
Niger says 23 soldiers killed in ‘terrorist’ ambush | FMT (freemalaysiatoday.com)
NIAMEY: Twenty-three soldiers were killed in a “terrorist” ambush in western Niger during an offensive near the border with Burkina Faso and Mali, the defence ministry said.
The soldiers were engaged in a security sweep in Tillaberi, in the three borders area, on Tuesday and Wednesday and were killed during a “complex ambush”, it said late yesterday, adding that “about 30 terrorists had been neutralised”.
At least 100 villagers are kidnapped in the latest mass abduction in northern Nigeria | Africanews
Armed gangs attacked two villages in Nigeria’s northwest over the weekend and seized at least 100 people from their homes, residents and a state official told The Associated Press on Monday, in the latest mass abduction in the region.
The gunmen attacked communities in Kaduna state’s Kajuru council area on Saturday and Sunday, said Usman Dallami Stingo, who represents Kajuru in the state legislature.
Kaduna state is where nearly 300 schoolchildren were abducted less than two weeks ago. The latest kidnappings, like the previous one, have been blamed on bandit groups known for mass killings and kidnappings in Nigeria’s northwestern and central regions. Most of the bandits were previously herders in conflict with local communities.
Niger’s junta revokes relations with U.S. military | Africanews
Niger’s junta said Saturday the U.S. military presence in the country is no longer justified, making the announcement on state television after holding high-level talks with U.S. diplomatic and military officials this week.
Niger plays a central role in the U.S. military’s operations in Africa’s Sahel region and is home to a major airbase. The U.S. is concerned about the spread of jihadist violence in the region, where local groups have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida and the Islamic State extremist groups.
In reading the statement, the junta’s spokesman, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, stopped short of saying U.S. forces should leave. He said Niger was suspending military cooperation with Washington and added that U.S. flights over the country’s territory in recent weeks were illegal
16 soldiers killed in southern Nigeria during fighting between communities | Africanews
At least 16 soldiers, including four officers, were killed in southern Nigeria while responding to a distress call during fighting between two communities, defense officials said Saturday.
The attack in the oil-rich, riverine Delta state happened in the Bomadi council area Thursday when the soldiers, deployed to keep the peace, “were surrounded by some community youths and killed,” Defense Headquarters spokesman Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau said in a statement.
The attack led to the death of the commanding officer, two majors, one captain and 12 soldiers, Gusau said, adding that a few arrests had been made related to the attack, which is now being investigated by the military.
FG names Tukur Mamu, 14 others terrorism financiers – Daily Trust
The Federal Government has named Tukur Mamu, a Kaduna-based publisher, and 14 others as terrorism financiers in the country.
Mamu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since September 2022.
This was disclosed in a document released by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) on Tuesday.
The terrorism financiers uncovered included nine individuals and six Bureau De Change (BDC) operators and firms.
The NFIU noted that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on Monday, where specific individuals and entities were recommended for sanction following their alleged involvement in terrorism financing.
In a desperate search for food items, a terrorist group launched separate attacks in the Ruwan-Bore and Gidan-Zuma areas of Zamfara State, North West Nigeria.
At about 11:30 p.m. on March 20, they raided the Gidan-Zuma community, shooting sporadically and asking villagers to “bring out all the Ramadan relief aid.”
“This led to the setting of about four houses and seven shops on fire,” Naziru Abubakar, a villager who survived the night raid, told HumAngle.
The previous evening, they had attacked Ruwan-Bore, a neighbouring community, raining a hail of bullets at mud houses and looting food items donated to the villagers by a politician.
1 killed, 2 injured as suicide bombing returns to Borno – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng)
The police in Borno on Monday confirmed that a suicide bomber injured two persons in Biu Local Government Area of the state.
ASP Daso Nahum, the command’s Public Relations Officer, PPRO, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday.
Mr Nahum, said that the incident occurred at about 8pm on Sunday, when the Muslim faithful were observing their night prayers.
”The male suicide bomber, who was suspected to be heading to the mosque, detonated the Improvised Explosive Device(IED) close to the roundabout, killing himself.
”Two passersby who were wounded by the explosive were immediately rushed to a hospital for treatment.
The plan by the British majority owner of consumer goods company PZ Cussons Nigeria to fully acquire the Lagos-listed organisation and take it private fell apart after a key regulator withheld an assent necessary to take the transaction further.
“The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has declined the company’s request for its No Objection to PZ Cussons (Holdings) Limited’s (“the majority shareholder”) intention to acquire the shares held by all the other shareholders,” a statement published on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on Wednesday said.
Shares in the company, which had constantly traded at N40 over the past twelve days, had fallen by 7.5 per cent on Lagos Customs Street as of 09:33 WAT after the news reached the public.
The House of Representatives Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control has summoned the Minister of Health and Social Development, Muhammed Pate over the alleged mismanagement of the $300 million malaria fund by the ministry.
The lawmakers issued the summon on Tuesday during a hearing on the mismanagement of the fund after the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Daju Kachollom, failed to honour the invitation of the committee.
The Nigerian government had in 2018 announced plans to secure $300 million in new financing from the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank and African Development Bank to eradicate malaria in the country.
Military combs terrorists’ hideouts in Niger, destroys logistics base – Daily Trust
Troops of the Nigerian military attached to Operation WHIRL PUNCH have raided a hideout in Palele near the Shiroro community in Niger State where terrorists and their logistics suppliers are hibernating.
The troops, while acting on credible intelligence that showed the presence of terrorists’ weapons cache in the East of Palele, were ordered to deploy air assets to neutralise the threats.
The spokesman for the Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet, who disclosed this to journalists, said there was significant damage to the target area, including a secondary explosion confirming the destruction of arms and ammunition.
Gabkwet, an Air Vice Marshal, explained that the weapons were believed to be affiliated with a particular terrorist’s kingpin who is on the most wanted lists of terrorists.
Some residents of the Okuama and Okoloba communities in Delta State, South-south Nigeria, have reportedly fled their homes over fear of reprisal attacks from the military.
The two warring communities have been in dispute over the ownership of a controversial land lying on their border since January. The warfare between the two communities have led to killing of many people including children.
There have also been cases of abductions and injuries on both sides.
On Thursday, March 14, the communities had another fight that led to the death of three people. While many others sustained injuries, hundreds of residents were left homeless. In a bid to curb the menace, the Nigerian Army deployed soldiers for a peacekeeping mission to the communities.
Attackers shoot 15 dead in South Sudan | Africanews
Unidentified assailants have taken the lives of 15 individuals in South Sudan’s Pibor region, including the commissioner, according to a senior official on Wednesday. This incident marks an escalation of violence within the country.
South Sudan, battling with internal conflicts, has faced significant turmoil since gaining independence from Sudan. The strife, primarily along ethnic lines between Dinkas and Nuers, resulted in widespread casualties from 2013 to 2018.
The fatal attack occurred on Tuesday as the commissioner of Boma County in Pibor was returning from a village visit. “The commissioner and his team visited Nyat village, and upon their return, they were ambushed, resulting in the deaths of 15 individuals, including the commissioner,” stated Abraham Kelang, the information minister of Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
Tinubu orders manhunt for killers of soldiers in Delta | Africanews
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Nigerian army to bring the perpetrators of the tragic killing of 16 soldiers during a peacekeeping mission in Nigeria’s southern Delta state to justice.
The soldiers were deployed to control clashes between the Okuama and Okoloba communities, stemming from disputes over land and fishing rights in the oil-rich region. However, they were ambushed by youth from one of the communities, as confirmed by the army.
President Tinubu condemned the attack, labelling it as a direct assault on the nation. He vowed that those responsible would face consequences for their actions.
CSO faults EU’s position on Nigeria’s Expatriate Employment Levy – Daily Trust
The national convener of Labour and Civil Society Coalition, Tony Erha, has faulted the European Union’s position on the Expatriate Employment Levy (EEL) launched by President Bola Tinubu on February 27.
The EU had expressed concern that the manner in which the policy came up would erode investors’ confidence in the system.
But in a statement Tuesday, Erha alleged that the EU overlooked the necessity and rationale behind the introduction of the EEL in Nigeria.
He said the Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the EU to Nigeria, Massimo De Luca, who raised the concerns at the fourth session of the steering committee of the support programme for Fiscal Transition in West Africa (PATF) in Abuja, failed to realise that the levy was a strategic measure to promote local employment opportunities and address challenges related to expatriate employment.
dailytrust.com/army-rescues-kidnapped-women-children-after-46-days-in-captivity/
Troops of Combat Team 3 deployed to Maraban Maigora, Katsina State, have rescued 10 women and six minors held captive by bandits since February 3, 2024.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, said a reliable source within the military revealed that the rescue operation took place on Monday, March 18, 2024, during a routine patrol in Rimi community, after 46 days of captivity by the criminals.
Those rescued were among the 54 women kidnapped along the Gamji-Dandume road in early February 2024, the military officer confirmed.
Upon their release, the rescued women and children were quickly handed over to the Chairman of Sabuwa LGA, who facilitated their reunion with their families.
CDS storms Kaduna over rising cases of abductions, warns terrorists – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng)
Kidnappers and their supporters will have no peace, General CG Musa, Nigeria’s chief of defence staff, has vowed.
The general issued the stern warning on Monday while meeting with Sen. Uba Sani, the Governor of Kaduna few hours after 87 people were kidnapped.
Bandits carted away with the victims in a fresh attack on Kajuru-Station community in Kajuru, a local government in the state.
Two days ago, 15 women and a man were kidnapped in Dogon-Noma, another community within the local government area.
New cases of Lassa fever reported across Nigeria | Africanews
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported fresh cases of Lassa fever, along with 20 deaths spanning 16 states over the course of one week, from February 26 to March 3.
During the ninth week of 2024, the NCDC observed a rise in confirmed cases, with 96 cases recorded in the previous week.
Lassa fever is a severe viral disease transmitted to humans via contact with contaminated food or objects, usually from infected rodents or individuals. Symptoms range from fever, headache, and sore throat to more severe manifestations like bleeding from different body parts.
Despite extensive efforts, Nigeria continues to grapple with new cases and deaths, indicating the ongoing threat posed by Lassa fever. The country recorded a total of 109 cases within one week.
Peace and Security
Did Russia, Iran provoke Niger walkout from US military pact? | Politics News | Al Jazeera
Niger has suspended a military agreement with the United States that gave American troops a key base and launchpad in Africa’s Sahel region.
The move, announced on Sunday, follows a row about the African nation’s ties to Russia and Iran, which erupted when US officials visited Niger last week to express their concerns.
US holds out hope for partnership with Niger | Africanews
The Pentagon is working with Nigerien authorities to find a way to keep U.S. troops in the country – a key base for counterterrorism operations in sub-Saharan Africa – following a weekend directive ordering them to leave the country.
Last week, a high-level delegation of U.S. officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander and Head of State Command -United for Africa, General Michael Langley, travelled to Niger to meet members of the military junta.
African ‘friends’ congratulate Putin for his 89% election victory | News24
Western countries may not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin secured 87.8% of the vote from a record turnout of 77.5%, but these aren’t strange numbers for African countries.
This week, those countries congratulated Putin on his achievement, vowing their continued friendship with Russia.
Putin (71) stood as an independent, faced with what critics called token opposition, which attracted only about a tenth of the vote.
That’s not shocking in Africa, where Rwandan President Paul Kagame received 99% of the votes to extend his stay in power in 2017.
U.S. relations with former key ally in African crisis region hit new low | Africanews
Diplomatic and military relations between the United States and the West African nation of Niger hit a new low this weekend.
In a statement on state television, a spokesman for Niger’s junta said Saturday the U.S. military presence in the country is no longer justified. The announcement followed high-level talks with U.S. diplomatic and military officials this week.
Niger plays a central role in the U.S. military’s operations in Africa’s Sahel region and is home to a major airbase. The U.S. is concerned about the spread of jihadist violence in the region, where local groups have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida and the Islamic State extremist groups.
In the heart of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, a poster advertising free Russian language courses has been attached to the large, iconic model of a globe on a road intersection which locals refer to as the “United Nations roundabout”.
In the 1980s, the Soviet Union (USSR) had a strong presence in Africa through diplomatic representation and cultural centres, including in Burkina Faso. Three decades since Russia left large parts of Africa amid the breakup of the Soviet Union, however, signs of its return are visible in Burkina Faso, where the capital’s walls are adorned with pro-Russian graffiti, and Russian flags fly in the streets.
Over 7 million Senegalese registered to vote in unpredictable presidential poll | Africanews
In the alleyways of Dakar’s fabric market Wednesday (Mar. 20), supporters of Ousmane Sonko’s protege Bassirous Diomaye Faye and Senegal’s only female presidential candidate, Anta Babacar were confident.
“We trust Diomaye, he will help us, so that young people stop taking to the sea to live abroad. What they are looking for there, we have here. Senegal is rich, but we don’t have good leadership,” market seller Samba said.
Isseu is part of a minority that supports Anta Babacar.
Putting on a Babacar hat and proudly showing off footage of a rally she attended, Diack says: “We women must organise. We can get all the women together. Everything men take on, women can take on too. Anta is capable.”
Humanitarian
Hardship Worsens As Fire Engulfs IDP Camp In North East Nigeria – HumAngle (humanglemedia.com)
On Tuesday, March 12, a fire outbreak at the Muna Kumburi displacement camp in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, North East Nigeria, destroyed 3200 shelters, killing two teenagers.
A significant number of people who participated in the fight against the raging fire ended up with various degrees of injuries.
Over 7000 displaced persons have been rendered homeless after the incident, according to Malam Yasami, chairman of the camp.
The cause of the fire is unknown at the time of filing this report. Eyewitnesses told HumAngle that the fire broke out around 11 a.m. on Tuesday and before the state fire service arrived to put it out, it had spread wildly.
Sudan is suffering one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history after nearly a year of war, the United Nations has warned.
Fighting between the army, headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, since last April has killed tens of thousands of people, as the threat of famine looms amid international inaction.
Criminals making billions a year from sex trade, slavery – UN | Africanews
Illegal profits from forced labor worldwide have risen to the “obscene” amount of $236 billion per year, the U.N. labor agency reported Tuesday, with sexual exploitation to blame for three-fourths of the take from a business that deprives migrants of money they can send home, swipes jobs from legal workers, and allows the criminals behind it to dodge taxes.
The International Labor Organization said the tally for 2021, the most recent year covered in the painstaking international study, marked an increase of 37%, or $64 billion, compared with its last estimate published a decade ago. That’s a result of both more people being exploited and more cash generated from each victim, ILO said.
On March 4, the Nigerian Police arrested Adamu Garba Hudu, a Mental Health Psychiatric Nursing lecturer at the Al-Ma’arif College of Health Science and Technology, a private school of nursing in the Potiskum town of Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria, over a suspected rape case involving one of his students.
The lecturer, who doubles as an employee of the State General Hospital in Potiskum, reportedly perpetrated the crime at his office at the General Hospital. According to the police, at least four students had been his victims as he’s fond of sexually exploiting them for grades.
A few days after the arrest, Fareeda Azeez*, a survivor recently harassed by him in February, told HumAngle that she was stunned when news broke out that her lecturer was in police custody.
Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, 4 others spend N28.3bn on Ramadan feeding – Daily Trust
As Ramadan fast progresses, seven states of the federation have budgeted over N28. 3 billion to feed residents during the period, figures released by the states and put together by Daily Trust revealed.
The states include Katsina, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Niger and Yobe.
It was gathered that many other states, especially in the North, have earmarked various sums for the project but have refused to make the actual amount public.
This has elicited anxiety in many quarters, with some clerics calling for accountability, considering the humongous amount set aside.
UN reports a 35% increase in people affected by violence in South Sudan | Africanews
The number of people affected by violence in South Sudan increased by 35% in the last three months of 2023, according to the United Nations.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, has documented 233 incidents of violence affecting 862 people. Among them, 406 were killed, 293 were injured, 100 were kidnapped and 63 suffered conflict-related sexual violence, she said in a report released Monday.
This is a 35% increase in casualties compared to the previous quarter.
South Sudan is due to hold elections later this year, the first since the 2018 peace deal between President Salva Kiir and his former rival, Riek Machar, which ended a five-year conflict causing hundreds of thousands of deaths.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has suspended two members of a third-party support team after investigating allegations of fraudulent activities in a cash distribution project in Bama, North East Nigeria.
The multi-purpose cash assistance programme (MCAP) is managed by IOM and Mercy Corps to support a thousand people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno state and promote sustainable living solutions.
The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), which oversees IDP camps in the state, confirmed the allegations to HumAngle.
Reps seek 5-month leave for widows – Daily Trust
The House of Representatives has passed for second reading, a bill to provide a proposed leave for spouses to mourn one another after his or death.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Sa’idu Musa Abdullahi (APC, Niger) was titled, “A Bill for an Act to make Provision for Widowhood Leave to be given to Man or Woman whose Spouse died during the Subsistence of the Marriage to enable the Widow and Widower mourn the deceased Spouse and make immediate arrangements for the challenges ahead and for Related Matters (HB.401)”
The bill proposed that, a widow is eligible for five months Widowhood leave, while a Widower is eligible for Widowhood leave of one month with full pay in any of the two instances.
It stated, “This bill shall apply to employees of both public and private sectors of the federation”.
IGP presents N1.6bn to 727 families of deceased police officers – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng)
The Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun has presented N1.6 billion to 727 families of deceased police officers.
The money is the insurance claim for the deceased officers covering 2018/2019, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 under the Group Life Assurance Policy of the Nigeria Police Force.
The IGP explained that the gesture was a way of showing the gratitude of the Nigeria Police to the fallen heroes.
According to him, the presentation of the insurance claim is the fifth since his appointment in 2023.
Mobilization and economic development
Reps extend N2.17trn 2023 supplementary budget implementation to June – Daily Trust
The House of Representatives on Wednesday extended the implementation of the capital component of the N2.17 trillion 2023 supplementary budget from January 31, 2024 to June 30, 2024.
Daily Trust reports that the Senate and the House of Representatives had on November 2, 2023 passed the N2.17trn 2023 supplementary appropriation bill after a third reading which implementation is due to elapse on March 31, 2024.
The extension of the budget implementation followed the consideration of “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Appropriations Act, 2023 to Extend the Implementation year from 31 March, 2024 to 30 June, 2024 and for Related Matters (HB. 1285)” transmitted to the House by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday.
Zenith Bank appoints first female GMD/CEO – Yerwa Express News (yen.ng)
Zenith Bank Plc on Tuesday announced the appointment of Dr Adaora Umeoji as its Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, CEO, effective June 1.
This was disclosed in a notification sent to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd., NGX, by the bank’s Company Secretary, Michael Otu.
Mr Otu said that the appointment is subject to approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
He stated that Umeoji takes over from Dr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, whose five-year term expires on May 31, after a very successful tenure. The company secretary noted that Umeoji is the first female GMD/CEO since the inception of the bank.
A Federal High Court, Abuja has ordered Binance Holdings Limited to provide the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission with the comprehensive data or information of all persons from Nigeria trading on its platform.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted the interim order after ruling on the ex-parte motion moved by the EFCC’s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho.
“The applicant’s application dated and filed 29th February, 2024, is hereby granted as prayed.
“That an order of this honourable court is hereby made directing the operators of Binance to provide the commission with comprehensive data/information relating to all persons from Nigeria trading on its platform,” the judge ordered.
Gates institute continues vaccine trial against tuberculosis (premiumtimesng.com)
The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) has announced the commencement of the third phase clinical trial evaluating the M72/AS01E tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate.
According to an official statement Tuesday from the foundation, the initial doses of the vaccine are administered in South Africa, where TB takes a heavy toll and should it prove to be “well-tolerated and effective,” the vaccine could potentially become the first vaccine to help prevent pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults.
It explained that the efforts could mark the first new TB vaccine in over a century to reduce the incidence of pulmonary TB, which is the most common and contagious form of the disease.
Tinubu suspends public-funded foreign trips by ministers, govt officials | Africanews
Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu will from April 1st place a three-month ban on ministers and other government officials from publicly funded overseas travel. This is aimed at curbing government spending on foreign trips.
This decision comes as a response to President Tinubu’s concerns regarding the escalating costs associated with such trips by public officials. His chief of staff highlighted the necessity of this move against the backdrop of mounting travel expenses incurred by the government.
Criticism has been directed at President Tinubu and his administration for their frequent international visits. Particularly contentious was the sponsorship of over 400 individuals to attend the COP28 climate conference in Dubai last November, drawing ire, particularly on social media platforms.
Naira appreciates to N1,382/$ after $7bn FX settlement – Daily Trust
The local currency continued on a recovery note on Thursday with naira appreciating significantly against the dollar on the strength of recent interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Daily Trust can report.
From N1,536.83 in the previous day, the naira appreciated to N1,382.35/$ at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM), the first time in a long while that the local currency would record such a massive gain.
This was coming 24 hours after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced it had cleared $7bn valid foreign exchange claims while increasing the country’s forex reserves.
CBN’s Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement partly reads, “The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced that all valid foreign exchange backlogs have now been settled, fulfilling a key pledge of the CBN Governor, Mr Olayemi Cardoso, to process an inherited backlog of $7bn in claims.
