Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Military top brass from across Africa on Monday kicked off a conference co-hosted by the United States aimed at boosting cooperation between countries fighting extremist groups. The African Land Forces Summit brings together “land force chiefs from across Africa for candid dialogue” to improve security, …
Read More »Trump to host Nigerian president April 30: White House
6666, United States | AFP | President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria will meet Donald Trump in Washington on April 30 to discuss issues including “fighting terrorism” and economic growth, the White House announced Sunday. “President Trump looks forward to discussing ways to enhance our strategic partnership and advance our shared …
Read More »Nine arrested after fatal Nigeria bank robbery, attack
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nine people have been arrested after 15 people were killed when armed men attacked two banks and a police station in central Nigeria, police said on Friday. The gang struck in broad daylight in a busy commercial district in Offa, Kwara state, on April 6, …
Read More »Boko Haram has abducted over 1,000 children in Nigeria since 2013: UNICEF
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | As Nigeria prepares to mark the fourth anniversary of the Chibok kidnapping, UNICEF reported on Friday that over 1,000 children have been abducted by jihadists since 2013. “Since 2013, more than 1,000 children have been abducted by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria, including 276 girls …
Read More »Buhari’s re-election bid kicks off Nigeria’s presidential race
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Now that Muhammadu Buhari has ended months of suspense over whether he will seek re-election as Nigeria’s president, all eyes are on the ruling party to see whether it will give him a clear shot at the nation’s top job. Buhari made history in 2015 …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari ignores health concerns, to run for re-election
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari declared Monday he would seek re-election next year, in a move that put an end to months of speculation. “President @Buhari has just announced his intention to seek the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and contest for a …
Read More »13 die of cholera in NE Nigeria: official
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Thirteen people have died of cholera in the northeast Nigerian state of Yobe in the past week, the state health commissioner said Friday, blaming the outbreak on contaminated water. Yobe is among the three states worst-hit by the Boko Haram insurgency, with many people living …
Read More »1,200 people displaced by Boko Haram return to Bama
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | At least 1,200 of the more than 100,000 people displaced by Boko Haram violence in Nigeria’s northeastern town of Bama have returned, officials and returnees said Thursday. Bama, a major trading hub on the road to Cameroon and home to 270,000 people, was captured in …
Read More »Why are South Africa and Nigeria cautious about Africa’s free trade deal?
Liesl Louw-Vaudran | ISS AFRICA | The impressive turnout at the African Union’s Extraordinary Summit on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on 21 March showed the continent’s united fervour to boost its economic opportunities. Delegations from 50 countries, including 27 heads of state, attended the summit in …
Read More »Nigeria ex-president ‘unaware’ of Cambridge Analytica campaign role
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian former President Goodluck Jonathan “wasn’t aware” of any use of Cambridge Analytica in his 2015 bid for re-election, his spokesman said Thursday. The Nigerian government is probing claims that Cambridge Analytica, a British-based political consultancy, illegally used Facebook data in past election campaigns. In …
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