Regional News
Nigerian Gov’t Says ISWAP Responsible For Church Massacre In Southwest. Source: HumAngle
On Thursday, June 9, the Nigerian government said the attack on a Catholic church in Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria, which left about 40 people dead and several others injured, was carried out by the Islamic State West Province (ISWAP) terror group. The revelation was made at the end of a security meeting presided over by the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, North-central Nigeria. Rauf Aregbesola, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, told journalists at the end of the meeting that security agencies were still investigating and trailing the terrorists. Aregbesola debunked insinuations that the attacks had ethnic or religious colouration.
Life In The Boko Haram Caliphate For An Abducted Woman. Source: HumAngle
HumAngle understands from interviews with several women that the men were mostly executed or punished for issues surrounding weddings or unions that were not appropriately done and rarely for marital feuds. For example, the concept of rape was only taken seriously and punished by death where the man is not married to the woman. In instances of marriage, rape is not recognised, just as in Nigerian laws. Further, if a man married a woman forcefully without paying her dowry, the marriage would be annulled. When he simply took her into his house as his wife without marrying her with permission from the group, like Amina’s husband, he was to be executed. While the group insisted on not forcefully marrying women off, women who rejected the marriage offers were secluded and sometimes turned into slaves for high-ranking members of the group, Amina says. They were also kept in much worse conditions than other women. For example, Amina says that most of the Chibok girls abducted in 2014 who refused to be married off were kept in these conditions. They were secluded and not allowed to mingle with other captives. Though some of them have been released as a result of negotiations with the government, with others escaping, others are still in captivity.
Soldiers charged with killing nine civilians in Cameroon. Source: BBC
The army in Cameroon has confirmed that soldiers have killed nine civilians, including an 18-month-old girl. An army spokesman said a group of soldiers opened fire when they encountered hostile villagers in Missong, in the country’s North-West region, earlier this month. The spokesman described the use of weapons as “inappropriate and manifestly disproportionate”. Cameroon’s ministry of defence says four soldiers have been arrested following the shooting. An investigation has been launched into the killings. In the same region two years ago, 21 civilians including 13 children and a pregnant woman were killed by Cameroonian soldiers in the village of Ngarbuh.
Mali announces two-year wait before returning to civilian rule. Source: rfi
Junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita signed a decree read out on state television saying that “the duration of the transition is fixed at 24 months (from) March 26, 2022”. Mali has undergone two military coups, the first in August 2020, when the army ousted elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. A second de-facto coup occurred in May 2021, when strongman Goita pushed out an interim civilian government and took over the presidency. He had pledged to return power to civilians by February 2022 but subsequently extended the timetable, incurring hard-hitting sanctions. Regional body ECOWAS announced at the weekend that they would maintain these sanctions unless Mali’s junta made moves to restore civilian rule in the next 16 months. Mali, along with Burkina Faso and Guinea are also currently suspended from the 15-nation body. A new Ecowas summit is expected on 3 July, when further decisions on sanctions will be discussed.
Weeks after “peace meeting,” bandits attack Zamfara community, kill five residents. Source: Premium Times
At least, five residents were confirmed killed and several others severely wounded after bandits attacked Magazu village of the Tsafe local government area in Zamfara State Tuesday evening. The attack came weeks after residents of the predominantly Hausa Community had a peace meeting with the bandits operating in the area. Many of the bandits are of Fulani lineage. Balarabe Shehu, a local in Tsafe town, said he knew two of the residents killed.
Catholic diocese in Nigeria calls for ‘peace and tranquillity’ after gunmen kill at least 50 churchgoers. Source: News24
The Catholic Diocese of Ondo in Nigeria has made a call for peace in the country after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Catholic church on Pentecost Sunday, leaving many dead. Pentecost Sunday is the commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and other disciples following the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. It is commemorated on the 50th day after Easter Sunday, which is the seventh Sunday after Easter. In a statement, the church’s director of social communications, Reverend Father Augustine Ikwu, said “at this point in the dear history of our country Nigeria, we need God’s ultimate intervention to restore peace and tranquillity”.
Owo terror attack: A new phase of insecurity begins in Nigeria. Source: Punch
Sunday’s terror attack at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State in South-West Nigeria opened a new chapter in the parlous security situation in Nigeria. The terrorists tactically chose a church and a location in southern Nigeria to make a statement that its reach had gone beyond the North as was previously assumed. Since 2009 when the Islamic terror group, Boko Haram, adopted suicide bombing as part of its modus operandi, terror attacks on churches, mosques, schools, police stations, military formations, and government agencies, and had occurred mainly in the North. With the Owo massacre, which reportedly killed dozens of worshippers—put at between 30 and 70—worship centres across Nigeria will no longer be at ease. Places where many people gather like shopping malls, schools, markets, public buses, bus stops, etc, will be seen as potential targets. Reports said that the unidentified attackers got to the church when the service was closing, detonated bombs, which created panic, and then began to mow down the worshippers as they burst out of the church in a bid to escape. Many children, as well as women and men, were among those killed.
Nigerian Military Rescue Passengers Abducted Along Highway In Northeast. Source: HumAngle
The Nigerian military’s helicopter gunship and ground forces rescued five abducted passengers after pushing back an ISWAP cell along Damaturu – Maiduguri highway on Monday, June 6. The military had dispatched an MI-35M helicopter after insurgents mounted a checkpoint and abducted commuters at Goni Masari along the route between the Borno state capital of Maiduguri – Damaturu, the capital of Yobe. The insurgents had also burnt two petroleum product tankers and two civilian vehicles before retreating from the location with their victims.
Owo killings: Pope, Osinbajo, Sultan, Ooni, others mourn as police recover three unexploded IEDs. Source: Guardian
As the dust settles on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owaluwa in Owo, Ondo State after the brutal invasion by yet-to-be-identified gunmen around 11:30.a.m on Sunday, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered full-scale investigation into the incident to bring to book perpetrators of the gruesome killing of the worshippers at the church. Extending his grief on the incident, leader of the Catholic Church worldwide, Pope Francis, has expressed his “spiritual closeness” to Nigerian Catholics mourning the victims of the massacre on Pentecost Sunday.
ISWAP Fighters Kidnap 5, Burn 4 Vehicles On Borno Highway. Source: Daily Trust
At least four vehicles including a petrol tanker were burnt down along Maiduguri-Damaturu Road when Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters attacked commuters in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State yesterday, sources said. It was learnt that the motorists came under attack at exactly 10am around the axis of Goni Matari located between Minok and Jakana.
2,000 Residents Flee As Bandits Hijack Truck In Zamfara. Source: Daily Trust
Suspected armed bandits on Sunday hijacked a truck loaded with goods along Gusau-Magami Road in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The truck heading to Magami from Kano was intercepted by the criminals who asked the driver to move the vehicle inside the forest.
NAF Jets Thwart ISWAP Road Blockade, Kill 13 Terrorists, Rescue 5 Captives. Source: PRNigeria
NAF Jets Thwart ISWAP Road Blockade, Kill 13 Terrorists, Rescue 5 Captives. Nigerian Air Force, NAF, alpha jets have killed no fewer than 13 Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, terrorists in the North East, reports PRNigeria. The ISWAP fighters eliminated, early Monday, had mounted a road block at Goni Masari, along Maiduguri – Damaturu Road, in Borno State, it was learnt. According to an intelligence report obtained by NAF, the terrorists, after successfully mounting the road blockade, abducted some motorists and passengers, before military airstrikes pounded them. According to a Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, involved in the operation, five civilians were rescued by the air troops, in the military onslaught. The Commander, who declined mentioning his name to PRNigeria, recalled how troops neutralized over 13 ISWAP terrorists, injured many others and also recovered their abandoned gun trucks.
Bandits abduct over 20 persons in Zamfara. Source: Premium Times
At least, 20 people were abducted when bandits attacked Furfuri community in Bungudu local government area of Zamfara on Sunday night. Among those abducted were two wives of a former Accountant-General of Zamfara State, Abu – Bello Furfuri. Sources, however, said the two wives, Hajia Khadija and Hajia Ade were rescued by members of a vigilante group in the area. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that two of his female children and some domestic staff are still being held by the bandits. The two abducted daughters are Zulaihat Abu – Bello and Zainab Abu – Bello. Furfuri community is less than 10 kilometres away from the capital city, Gusau. Abdullahi Shehu, a resident of Bungudu town, said the bandits attacked the community around 11 p.m. Sunday night and went straight to the former accountant-general’s residence.
ECOWAS maintains sanctions on Mali, calls for transition in Burkina Faso, Guinea. Source: rfi
West African leaders meeting in Accra have decided to uphold sanctions against Mali, along with the suspension of Burkina Faso and Guinea from the bloc. The measures could be lifted if the military rulers in all three countries speed up plans for a return to civilian rule. Sunday’s comment came a day after the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) met in the Ghanaian capital Accra to decide how to deal with Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, where the military has seized power with no plans to return to civilian rule for several years. All three nations are currently suspended from the 15-nation body – which imposed strict economic and financial sanctions on Mali in January – and is threatening to do likewise to Burkina and Guinea. Saturday’s meeting failed to come to a decision on the suspended countries, with the issue set to be addressed at the next Ecowas summit on 3 July 2022.
Nigeria Catholic church massacre: At least 50 people killed by gunmen during Sunday mass. Source: news24
At least 50 people, including women and children, were killed when gunmen attacked a Catholic church in Nigeria during Sunday mass. The identities and motive of the attackers were not immediately clear. Nigeria is battling an Islamist insurgency in the northeast, but attacks such as this in the southwest are rare.
Relatives Of Victims, Survivors Recount Ordeal After Owo Church Attack. Source: HumAngle
Twenty-four hours after the gruesome murder of innocent Nigerians at a Catholic Church in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, NEMA says 11 children and 22 adults are on admission at the emergency wards of the FMC Owo. It was a black Sunday when tears flowed freely after terrorists unleashed havoc on St Francis Catholic Church members, Owa-luwa Street, in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria. The terrorists invaded the church while Sunday service was going on and shot sporadically at the congregation that scampered for safety. The attack took place without any rescue from the security operatives. Police posts around the church were said to have no patrol vehicle to respond to distress calls. Although authorities have not issued official casualties figures from the attack, the assailants killed many people and injured several others.
Catholic Church, Ondo Gov’t, Others React As Eyewitnesses Give Account Of Horrific Killings In Owo. Source: HumAngle
Some persons who witnessed the terrorist attacks on St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria, have given an account of the horrific killings on the morning of Sunday, June 5. HumAngle earlier reported that terrorists killed a yet to be ascertained number of persons during a morning mass. Several videos on social media showed victims lying on the church floor in a pool of their blood. Many others sustained severe injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Federal Medical Centre in Owo.
Ondo Catholic Church Set For Mass Burial As Survivors Narrate Ordeals. Source: Daily Trust
“The mass just ended, the Rev Fr just said ‘go in peace’ and we were waiting for him and other priests to leave so that we can follow. Suddenly we heard the explosion and before we knew it there were shots from different directions. Some people lay down flat on the floor while others ran helter-skelter.”
Owo massacre: Survivors, victims’ families groan as CAN, NGF protest. Source: Punch
Owo community in Ondo State wore a mourning look on Monday, 24 hours after some gunmen attacked Saint Francis Catholic Church, Owa-Luwa Street in the town which is the headquarters of Owo Local Government Area. The Sunday attack on the church in Owo, the hometown of the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, left many parishioners dead and several others injured. As of Monday, survivors of the attack were groaning at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, where they are currently receiving treatment. This is just as some victim’s families have been hospitalised due to the trauma from the attack.
What We Know About Nigeria Separatist Group’s Weapons Stockpile. HumAngle
Smuggled shotguns and assault rifles captured or stolen from security forces, particularly the police, make up a significant portion of the weapons stockpile of the separatist group terrorising southeastern Nigeria. Photosets from press briefings by security forces and open source information, including online videos, provide a glance into the types and possible origins of the weapons used by the separatists. Over the past few years, the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have led to increasing tension and insecurity in the region. The situation further deteriorated with a surge in attacks on security forces and government facilities after the group established an armed wing known as the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in Dec. 2020. The most prevalent weapon types in the group’s inventory appear to be pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns with pistol grips sourced from transnational smuggling networks and locally fabricated shotguns and pistols acquired from blacksmiths.
Cameroonian Senator Pleads With Separatist Fighters To Embrace Peace. Source: HumAngle
Regina Mundi, Cameroonian Senator representing the Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) party in the country’s upper legislative arm, has called on the young separatist fighters who kidnapped her to lay down their arms. Separatist fighters abducted Mundi recently before she regained freedom following a military operation. The abduction took place on April 30, 2022. Mundi was rescued by Cameroon’s elite Rapid Intervention Battalion of the Cameroon army, BIR, on May 30, 2022. “I saw boys in their adolescence and some aged about 20. They must rethink what they are doing in the bushes, follow the head of state’s call to leave the bushes and return to normal life,” the lawmaker said in Yaounde on Friday, June 3.
Lake Chad’s Military Coalition Commander Says Enhanced Operations Is Enabling Resettlement. Source: HumAngle
The regional Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has conducted a series of intense operations around Lake Chad that have enabled commercial activities and resettlement; the coalition commander Abdul-Khalifa Ibrahim said on Thursday, Jun. 2. “Today our coordination with the air component is better, we have killed many of the terrorists. The fact that we are achieving this has allowed freedom of movement, it has allowed commerce to pick up, allowing people to be resettled back to their areas and has allowed the people to become more resilient” Ibrahim, a General with the Nigerian Army, told journalists at the MNJTF headquarters in Ndjamena, Chad. According to the commander, the offensive had killed at least 805 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents during the months of operation around the shores of Lake Chad. Under its current operation code name, Lake Sanity, the Joint Task Force has reportedly carried out 17 major attacks on strategic enclaves in the area, during which over 4000 of the fighters surrendered.
The Different Factions Of IPOB Insurgents Tormenting Nigeria’s Southeast. Source: HumAngle
Terrorists suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have continued to perpetrate all forms of attacks in Southeast Nigeria. The emergence of rival factions among the group’s members is contributing to the insurgency. The armed wing of the separatist group, Eastern Security Network (ESN), has been at the forefront of armed conflict to secure the southeastern region’s independence from Nigeria and create an independent state of Biafra. This comes decades after the first declaration of the Biafra Republic led to a devastating civil war between 1967 and 1970 and eventually failed. Most of the recent attacks by IPOB and ESN fighters have resulted in the murder of state security personnel and civilians. The attacks have targeted police stations, markets, and other public properties, including Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices and custodial centres. On Sunday, May 22, 11 people, including a pregnant woman, Harira Jubril, and her four kids, were killed in the Orumba and Onocha areas of Anambra. The incidents triggered public outrage and led to the government’s declaration of curfew in seven local government areas of the state.
Nigerian Police Kill Kidnap Kingpin In Anambra, Arrest Native Doctor, Four Others. Source: Sahara reporters
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Anambra State Command, have killed a leader of a kidnapping gang, arrested a native doctor and four others in Oba area in the Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
The kidnap kingpin was said to be a former member of a vigilante group who decamped and joined armed kidnappers terrorizing the state.
Farmers Flee Northwest Village Following Quit Notice By Terrorists. Source: HumAngle
Farmers from the Magami area of Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria, have been seen leaving their communities to safer areas they can farm as terror groups issued them quit notice and warned of continued attacks. A video posted on Twitter and seen by HumAngle shows a vehicle hauling motorcycles and other farming equipment with the person who recorded it explaining the scenario that led the farmers to flee the area.
Peace and Security
Over 820 Killed, Kidnapped In Nigeria In May, Electoral Violence On The Rise. Source: HumAngle
Statistics show that the country has heightened political tension and conflict due to activities leading up to the general elections next year. Analysis of data collected by the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) for May 2022 shows that at least 594 people were killed while 227 were kidnapped over one month. The data is an improvement on the security situation in the previous month when 917 persons were killed and 343 others abducted. In May, 321 of the people killed were civilians, and 25 were security agents, especially soldiers and police officers. Other people who died were 106 Boko Haram terrorists, 14 kidnappers, two robbers, and 115 other armed persons. As Nigeria’s 2023 general elections approach, there has been heightened political tension and conflict.
Journalism Under Threat As 9 West African Media Houses Suffer Attacks In 5 Months. Source: HumAngle
At least nine media houses have suffered massive attacks in four West African countries, including Nigeria, in the first five months of 2022. Besides the destruction of several media equipment in the affected newsrooms, at least 13 journalists were also assaulted between Jan. and May this year. Ghana, Guinea Bissau, and Liberia are other countries where the attacks occurred.
Humanitarian
WFP, FAO List Nigeria, 19 Others Hunger Hotspot. Source: HumAngle
A new joint report by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has warned that acute food insecurity will likely worsen in Nigeria and 19 countries from June to Sept. 2022. The report came out on Monday, June 6. It issued an early warning for humanitarian action in 20 “Hunger Hotspots”, where parts of the population will face hunger crises in the coming months. According to the report, in their last available assessment in May 2022, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Yemen remain at the “highest alert” with catastrophic conditions. In addition, Afghanistan and Somalia are new entries since the previous hotspots report in Jan. 2022. According to the report, organised violence, climate change, global and national economic disruption, and high food prices are expected to intensify hunger crises, displacement and migration and push millions to the rim in countries across the world in the outlook period from June to Sept. 2022
What Norway’s Proposed Aid Cut Could Mean For Nigeria. Source: HumAngle
The Government of Norway is reportedly planning to reallocate its development funds to support more in-donor refugee costs. The in-donor refugee costs are being used to accommodate refugees from Ukraine amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. But the move has raised concerns over a diversion of funds from existing commitments in low-income countries like Nigeria. In a statement by the Norwegian government in May, the revised budget proposal would see an estimated 4 billion Norwegian krone ($415.7 million) in development funds reallocated to in-donor refugee costs, a project founded by 37 member-state of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) seeking to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The in-donor refugee project is to allow members to assist refugees in their countries.
More Unattended Children Join Borno IDP Camps But Provisions Aren’t Enough. Source: HumAngle
Children constitute the more significant number of civilians rescued by the military from dislodged terrorist hideouts. Many of them are coming to freedom as unaccompanied toddlers with little or no knowledge of who their parents are. The Borno state government had established a specialised school solely for the education and accommodation of displaced children orphaned by the Boko Haram conflict. An estimated 57,000 children at IDP camps in the state have lost their parents to the insurgency. However, at the time it was to open the school for classes in Aug. 2021, only 5,361 kids had been enrolled.
UN Coalition Calls For Actions To Address Global Rise Of Child Labour. Source: HumAngle
A coalition of UN human rights experts has called for measures to address and eliminate child labour. The experts made the call during the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in South Africa. They stressed the need for urgent action because the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, food insecurity, and humanitarian and climate change have threatened to alter years of progress against child labour. “Tens of millions of children are engaged in hazardous work,” the UN human rights experts said. In 2020, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated that the number of children in child labour around the world rose to 160 million – the first increase recorded in 20 years.
Humanitarian needs: How Zulum received UN chief scribe in Borno. Source: Blue Print
The UN secretary general was in Borno recently on fact-finding mission. In this report, SADIQ ABUBAKAR reports on the visit and the take away. Not too long ago, Borno state governor Babagana Umara Zulum received the United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, who was in Maiduguri to assess the humanitarian situation in the state. Guterres arrived at the Maiduguri International Airport onboard a UN humanitarian aircraft at about 2:30 pm. The secretary-general was accorded a presidential welcome with cultural troops on display and he was presented a welcome gift by a traditionally-dressed boy and girl. During the visit, the UN chief visited an IDP camp along Gubio road and also at UN-supported Bulumkutu Interim Care Centre (ICC) which serves the purposes of Disarmament, Deradicalisation, and Reintegration (DDR) for repentant insurgents, provides interim services to children and women in need of care and protection and others affected by conflict in the North-east. Guterres interacted with humanitarian actors, internally displaced persons and government officials as part of his assessment. He called on the international communities to sustain support to Borno towards addressing humanitarian needs.
