Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in northeast Nigeria after an increase in violence in the Boko Haram conflict, the United Nations said on Wednesday. “More than 30,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have arrived in Maiduguri, mainly from Baga, in recent weeks,” …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari accepts setbacks in Boko Haram fight
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged setbacks in the fight against Boko Haram as the jihadists launched fresh attacks in the restive northeast. The 76-year-old head of state was elected in 2015 on a promise to end the Islamist insurgency, which has killed more than …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari hands key colleague re-election role
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday handed responsibility for his re-election campaign to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a sign of rapprochement with the man who masterminded his landmark 2015 election win. Former Lagos state governor Tinubu, head of the All Progressives Congress (APC), helped Buhari become …
Read More »Nigeria arrests two reporters over Boko Haram coverage
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian security forces on Sunday arrested two journalists over their coverage of the jihadist group Boko Haram, sources at the newspaper told AFP. A combined team of secret police, soldiers and civil defence paramilitary stormed the office of the Daily Trust in the northern …
Read More »Five dead as Nigeria chopper crashes during Boko Haram attack
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Five members of the Nigerian air force were killed when a helicopter crashed as Boko Haram militants ambushed a military base in northeastern Nigeria, a spokesman said Thursday. Air force spokesman Ibikunle Daramola said the five crew members had died when the helicopter “crashed in …
Read More »Niger army kills at least 280 Boko Haram militants: ministry
Niamey, Niger | AFP | Niger’s army killed more than 280 Boko Haram militants near the southeast border with Nigeria in days of land and air raids, the defence ministry said Wednesday. More than 200 jihadists were killed in air strikes and a further 87 by ground troops since the …
Read More »10 troops killed in Niger border clash with ‘bandits’
Niamey, Niger | AFP | Ten troops have been killed on Niger’s border with Nigeria in a joint operation by the two countries against “bandits”, Nigerien Defence Minister Kalla Moutari said on Monday. “Five Nigerien and five Nigerian” troops and 11 enemy fighters were killed in the operation, launched against …
Read More »Boko Haram sacks two military bases in northeast Nigeria
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram sacked two military bases in northeast Nigeria overnight as the jihadist fighters battle for control of a strategic town on Lake Chad, military sources said Thursday. Jihadists from the IS-supported Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) overran a naval base and a multinational …
Read More »13 Nigerian troops, policeman killed in Boko Haram attack
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram jihadists ambushed a military convoy in northeastern Nigeria, killing 13 soldiers and a policeman, the army said Wednesday. But an officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the militants had overrun an army base, and put the death toll at 18. An army …
Read More »MTN pays $53 million penalty, resolves $8 bln Nigeria row
Nigeria resolves $8 bln row with MTN Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria said it has resolved a dispute with Africa’s largest mobile operator over $8.13 billion (6.96 billion euros) which it accused MTN of illegally repatriating to South Africa. Africa’s biggest telecoms market Nigeria shocked MTN and foreign investors …
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