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☆ She Was Kidnapped a Decade Ago With 275 Girls. Finally, She Escaped.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Ismail Alfa | Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The girls’ boarding school in Chibok, miles behind them, had been set on fire. Then she noticed that some girls were jumping off the back of the truck, she said, some alone, others in pairs, holding hands. They ran and hid in the scrub as the truck trundled on. But before Ms. Dauda could jump, she said, one girl raised the alarm, shouting that others were “dropping and running.” Their abductors stopped, secured the truck and continued toward what, for Ms. Dauda, would prove a life-changing nine years in captivity. “If she hadn’t shouted that, we would have all escaped,” Ms. Dauda said in a series of interviews this past week in the city of Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram’s violent insurgency.

Persons: Saratu Dauda, Dauda, hadn’t, ” Ms Locations: Nigeria, Chibok, Maiduguri

☆ Suspected Militants Kill Four Nigerian Police Officers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - At least four police officers were killed in Nigeria's northeast Borno state after a gun battle with suspected Islamist insurgents, a police spokesperson said on Saturday. Borno state police spokesperson Nahum Daso Kenneth said the militants had on Friday night attacked Gajiram town in the Nganzai local government area, some 82 kilometres (51 miles) from Maiduguri, the state capital. "Our men engaged them in a gun battle (and) they denied the terrorists access to the town, and repelled the attack. Unfortunately, four policemen have paid a supreme price," Kenneth said, adding that calm had returned to the town. ISWAP fighters are known to operate in Nganzai, where they carry out sporadic attacks against security forces and residents.

Persons: Borno, Haram, Nahum Daso Kenneth, Kenneth, herder, Ahmed Kingimi, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters Locations: MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Nigeria's, Borno, West Africa Province, Gajiram, Maiduguri, Nganzai

In 2019, a non-governmental organization set up the camp's health post where Aliyu's ninth child, Hauwa, was delivered in 2021. "There are no special arrangements for pregnant women in IDP and refugee camps [in Nigeria]. But for most of the 64 women recorded in the camp's birth register this year, these costs are prohibitive. Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health oversees health for the country (including provisions provided by the Commission). He tells CNN: "Women's Health services were prioritized and featured strongly in the programs designed to the needs of internally displaced women."

Persons: Aisha Aliyu, Abba, Aliyu, Aisha, Liyatu Ayuba, Ayuba, Fatima Mahmood Jibirilla, Isa Umar, Umar, they've, doesn't, Dr Charles Nzelu, Dolapo Fasawe, Fasawe, Nzelu, Iko Ibanga, Osagie, Ehanire, Ibanga Organizations: CNN, Walden University, Camp, Camp Management, Aliyu, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health, Commission for Refugees, Migrants, Commission, antenatal, Capital Territory, Territory's, Environmental Services, FCT Health Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry, Pro Health, Federal Capital Territory, Health, Pro Health International, Union, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Ministry of Health, National Assembly Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Nigeria's, Wala, Borno State, Maiduguri, Haram, Durumi, Africa, Nigerian, Borno, Adamawa

☆ Suspected Boko Haram kills at least 40 in Nigeria's Yobe state, police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Nov 1 (Reuters) - At least 40 people were killed in Nigeria's Yobe state between Monday and Tuesday after suspected Boko Haram militants shot at villagers and set off a land mine, in the first major attack on the northern eastern state in 18 months, the police said on Wednesday. The attack happened at about 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) on Monday, at Gurokayeya village, Gaidam local government in Yobe State, the state's police spokesperson Abdulkarim Dungus said. He said gunmen opened fire on villagers, killing at least 17 people and that on Tuesday a land mine exploded, killing at least 20 villagers who were returning from burying victims of the previous attack. The last time a bomb exploded in Yobe state was in April 2022. Lawan Ahmed, a resident, told Reuters the militants shot at villagers sporadically from motorbikes, killing about 18 people on Monday.

Persons: Boko Haram, Abdulkarim Dungus, Bola Tinubu, Lawan Ahmed, Ahmed, Lanre Ola, Ahmed Kingimi, Chijioke Ohuocha, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Franklin Paul, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Yobe, Gurokayeya, Yobe State, Borno

☆ Nigeria's Paramilitary Raids Birthday Party for Gay People, 76 Arrested
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Ahmed KingimiMAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Seventy-six people were arrested for attending a birthday party for gay people in northern Nigeria, the country's paramilitary agency said on Monday, adding that the organiser had also planned to hold a same sex wedding, which is illegal. There are the latest arrests targeting LGBTQ Nigerians after police in August raided a gay wedding in the southern city of Warri in Delta state, and arrested dozens of people. He said 59 men had been arrested, including 21 who confessed to being homosexual, and 17 women. The Gombe NSCDC said in a statement that the organiser of the birthday party had also planned to wed another man, who was still at large, before police raided the event. The case was expected to be heard in the Gombe state High Court on Tuesday, Saad said.

Persons: Ahmed Kingimi MAIDUGURI, Buhari Saad, Saad, Ahmed Kingimi, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Nigeria Security, Civil Defence Corps Locations: Nigeria, Warri, Delta, Africa, Gombe, Africa's

☆ Gunmen Kill 14, Kidnap 60 in Attacks in Northern Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Ahmed KingimiMAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) -Gunmen in Nigeria killed eight people on Sunday and abducted at least 60 others in two communities of northwest Zamfara state, residents and a local traditional leader said, two days after armed men kidnapped dozens from a university in the state. The attackers set fire to five vehicles and drove off with one truck, the witness said. Residents said gunmen early on Sunday tried to attack a forward army base in a rural Magami community of Zamfara, but were repelled. Zamfara is one of the states worst affected by kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs known locally as bandits. Attacks in the northwest are part of widespread insecurity in Nigeria.

Persons: Ahmed Kingimi MAIDUGURI, Bola Tinubu, Shuaibu Haruna, Haruna, Isa Mohd, Ahmed Kingimi, MacDonald Dzirutwe, David Holmes Organizations: Reuters, Gunmen, Residents, Sunday, Police Locations: Nigeria, Zamfara, Magami, Kabasa, Maiduguri

☆ Gunmen kill seven worshippers in Nigeria's northern Kaduna state
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Ahmed Kingimi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Sept 2 (Reuters) - At least seven worshippers were killed in an attack on a mosque by a gang of armed men in Nigeria's northwest Kaduna state, police said on Saturday. The attack, in the remote Saya village of the Ikara local government area of the state, occurred late on Friday as worshippers gathered for prayer, Kaduna police spokesman Mansur Haruna said by phone. A resident of the village, Haruna Ismail, told Reuters by phone: "Five people were shot inside the mosque while praying and the other two were shot within the village community." Gangs of heavily armed men have wreaked havoc across Nigeria's northwest in the past three years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds and making it unsafe in some areas to travel by road or to farm. Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mansur Haruna, Haruna, Haruna Ismail, Ahmed Kingimi, Elisha Bala, David Holmes Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Nigeria's, Kaduna

☆ Boko Haram frees 49 women kidnapped in Nigeria's Borno state
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Ahmed Kingimi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bukar Isa, from the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), shows displaced victims of the Boko Haram insurgence how to identify marked objects of danger on the street, during a safety training at the Gubio camp in Maiduguri, Nigeria May 6, 2022. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Forty-nine women kidnapped by Boko Haram earlier in the week near Maiduguri, in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state, regained their freedom early on Friday after a state official paid a ransom for their release, two of the victims and a local leader said. "We were all released at midnight after Boko Haram said our families secured our release after meeting their demands," one of the victims said. Borno commissioner for youth and police spokesman Sani Kamilu Shatambaya didn't immediately respond to calls for comment. ($1 = 770.8400 naira)Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi; Editing Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bukar Isa, Afolabi, Boko Haram, wasn't, Sani Kamilu Shatambaya didn't, Ahmed Kingimi, Elisha Bala, Gbogbo, Sandra Maler Organizations: Mines Advisory, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Maiduguri, Nigeria, Nigeria's, Borno, Shuwaei Kawuri, Chad, Niger, Cameroon

☆ Nigeria boat capsize death toll rises to more than 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Ahmed Kingimi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, June 14 (Reuters) - The death toll from an overloaded boat that capsized in a remote part of Nigeria's north central region has risen to more than 100, police and officials said on Wednesday, in one of the worst such disasters in recent years. The wooden boat was ferrying people to Kwara state across a river from neighbouring Niger state after a wedding ceremony when it capsized on Monday night. Kwara state police spokesperson Ajayi Okasanmi told Reuters on Wednesday that 103 people had been confirmed dead. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the boat, but some residents put the figure at more than 200. Overcrowding and poor maintenance are responsible for most boat accidents on Nigerian waterways.

Persons: Ajayi Okasanmi, Okasami, Alhaji Bologi, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Nigeria's, Kwara, Niger, Patigi

☆ Nigeria boat accident kills 50 people, several missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, June 13 (Reuters) - At least 50 people drowned and several others were missing after an overloaded boat capsized in Nigeria's north central region, residents and state officials said on Tuesday. The wooden boat was ferrying people across a river to Kwara state after a wedding ceremony in neighbouring Niger state when it capsized on Monday night, local residents said. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the boat, but Kwara state government in a statement said the people were from five villages and rescue efforts for possible survivors were still underway. The statement said the Kwara state governor commiserated with the people "on the devastating news of a boat mishap in which dozens of people were feared killed and many others still missing." A Kwara state police spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Persons: commiserated, Ahmed Kingimi, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Thomson Locations: MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Nigeria's, Kwara, Niger

☆ Gunmen in Nigeria free 74 children after ransoms paid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MAIDUGURI, April 29 (Reuters) - Gunmen in Nigeria have released 74 children out of more than 80 people who were abducted earlier this month in northwestern Zamfara state, after ransoms were paid, parents and a village head said on Saturday. Gangs of armed men have attacked hundreds of local communities across northwestern Nigeria in recent years, while Islamist militants continue to stage attacks in the northeast. Two parents from Zamfara's Wadzamai village said they paid 20,000 naira ($43.50) each and their children were among those released on Friday and had suffered from severe malnutrition. A village head in Wadzamai said 11 people were still being held but two were killed trying to escape from their captors. Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ More women describe having forced abortions in Nigerian Army programme
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

And both lost their pregnancies after they were taken into custody by Nigerian soldiers and given unidentified pills and injections. Nigerian military leaders previously have adamantly denied the existence of the abortion programme and the deliberate killing of unarmed children. We respect every living soul.”Asked about the military’s comments on the programme, Yau replied: “This happened to me, and they are denying it. After she was put into a room with three other pregnant women, Yau said, army personnel gave her pills and more injections. Reuters was unable to determine if this tally overlapped with others cited in its December story about the abortion programme.

☆ Gunmen kidnap 80, including children, in northwest Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Ardo Hazzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAUCHI, Nigeria, April 8 (Reuters) - Gunmen abducted at least 80 people, mostly women and children, in Nigeria's Zamfara state, a hotspot for kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs targeting remote villages, residents said on Saturday. Gangs of armed men have attacked hundreds of local communities across northwestern Nigeria in recent years, while Islamist militants continue to stage attacks in the northeast. The latest kidnapping took place on Friday in Wanzamai village in Tsafe local government area in Zamfara, three residents said. The gunmen had not yet made ransom demands, the residents said. Amina Tsafe said her daughter was also abducted and that most of the children taken were aged between 12 and 17 years.

☆ Partial results of disputed Nigeria election show Tinubu in lead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAGOS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Provisional results from Nigeria's disputed presidential election over the weekend showed Bola Tinubu from the ruling party in the lead, a Reuters tally of votes in 25 of the country's 36 states showed on Tuesday. Electoral commission results from the states showed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress party (APC) was ahead with about 36% or 7 million of valid votes counted, with Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) trailing close behind with 30% or nearly 6 million valid votes. Peter Obi of the smaller Labour Party got 20% or about 3.8 million votes. More results were expected to show the winner later on Tuesday. INEC had promised to upload results directly from each polling unit to its website in the election to replace outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, but most were unable to do so immediately.

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu has unassailable lead in provisional election results - Reuters tally
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAGOS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Nigeria's ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has an unassailable lead in the presidential election held over the weekend, a Reuters tally of provisional results from all 36 states and the federal capital Abuja showed on Tuesday. Tinubu of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) of outgoing president Muhammadu Buhari got about 35% of the vote, trailed by Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) with 30%. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, an outsider popular with the youth and educated voters, got 26%. Tinubu's potential victory extends the All Progressives Congress party's (APC) grip on power in Africa's top oil producer and most populous nation, though he inherits a litany of problems from outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari. Reporting by Hamza Ibrahim in Kano, Ahmed Kingimi in Maiduguri, Anamesere Igboeroteonwu in Onitsha Tife Owolabi in Yenagoa, Tim Cocks and Macdonald Dzirutwe in Lagos; Writing by Tim CocksOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigerians vote for new president, delays seen at some polling stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Anamasere Igboereteonwu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] People looks for their names on voters list put up on a wall at a polling unit, during Nigeria's Presidential election in Agulu, Anambra state, Nigeria February 25, 2023. Polling stations were scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), though Reuters reporters at locations across the country saw a mixed picture, with delays of several hours in some places while voting got underway more swiftly at others. In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the vice presidential candidate from the ruling party, Kashim Shettima, arrived to cast his ballot but was unable to do so as his designated polling station had not opened. In another northeastern city, Yola, opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was able to vote, surrounded by a chaotic scrum of media and supporters. Vote-counting will begin as soon as polls close and results will be posted outside polling stations, according to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).

☆ Catholic priest burned to death, another shot in north Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 15 (Reuters) - Gunmen burned a Catholic priest to death and shot and injured his colleague in northwest Nigeria on Sunday, police said, the latest violence raising concerns about security ahead of an election next month. The motive for the latest attack was not immediately clear but gunmen have previously targeted priests in the largely Muslim north. For a priest to be killed in such a manner means that we are not all safe. These terrorists have lost it, and drastic action is needed to end this ongoing carnage," said Niger state governor Sani Bello. Reporting by Maiduguri newsroom, writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe, editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ West backs Nigeria's war on extremists, and backs off on human rights
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

“While respect for human rights is unquestionably a high priority, we have many other equities at stake,” McCulley wrote. He said the focus on human rights had sent relations between the two countries into the “lowest ebb” in his three years there. Nigeria’s human rights record wasn’t only a moral issue – it was a legal one. Working under these laws provided “openings to incentivise and institutionalise” human rights protections within the Nigerian military, the State Department said. The pact also noted that London and Abuja had agreed on an “enhanced human rights dialogue” to ensure compliance with international rights standards.

☆ In Nigeria's long war, a young woman is brutalised by both sides
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

It was a pleasant evening in the summer of 2014, in her Nigerian village near the Cameroon border. Reuters could not reach representatives of Boko Haram or its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, for comment. But by October 2014, the militants were enforcing extreme sharia law in her village, Aisha said. Boko Haram men often came looking for them, knocking on their door and forcing them to hide. But she did not believe she could do so with Bana, as boys were particularly valued in the Boko Haram community.

☆ Nigerian Army massacred children in war on insurgents, witnesses say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

CJTF members provide the army with intelligence on suspected insurgents, serve as interpreters and help soldiers navigate sometimes unfamiliar terrain. Bello Danbatta, a spokesman for the CJTF, told Reuters that the military and CJTF forces did not target civilians. During combat operations, soldiers told Reuters, it was common to take aim at anyone they came across in areas the army did not fully control. And in a war in which insurgents have forced minors to fight, soldiers said they couldn't even trust in the innocence of children. Soldiers told the women that their children needed injections for malaria and other afflictions, she said.

☆ Nigeria military ran secret mass abortion program in war on Boko Haram
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

The existence of the army-run abortion programme hasn’t been previously reported. The conflict zone The abortion programme has taken place in the northeastern states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, where the Nigerian military has been fighting Islamist insurgents. A spokesperson for Jonathan told Reuters that the former president had “no knowledge of any allegation of such heinous acts” by the Nigerian Army. Some of the most powerful military leaders in Nigeria oversaw counterinsurgency operations in the northeast as the abortion programme grew. Waging war on Boko Haram The abortion programme began during the presidency of Jonathan.

☆ Gunmen in Nigeria kill a dozen people, abduct others from mosque
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Gunmen in Nigeria killed a dozen worshippers, including an imam, and kidnapped several others from a mosque on Saturday night, local residents said on Sunday, in the latest attack by armed gangs in the north of the country. Armed gangs, known as bandits, attack communities where security is stretched, killing people or kidnapping them for ransom. The gangs also demand villagers pay protection fees to be allowed to farm and harvest their crops. About 12, who were attending night prayers, were caught in the gunfire and killed, including the chief imam, said Haruna. I'm praying that the bandits release the innocent people they abducted," said Abdullahi Mohammed, another resident of Funtua.

☆ Boko Haram: How Ngarannam community attacked by terror group was rebuilt
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It was the night in 2015 that Boko Haram militants attacked Ngarannam town in Borno State, northeast Nigeria. Ngarannam, a village of around 3,000 people, became desolate after the attack as displaced residents fled to Borno’s capital Maiduguri and surrounding areas. Her husband Bulama is the community leader for Ngarannam, which afforded them a certain privilege in the town. ‘Rebuilding Ngarannam ‘The project was conceived and led by Mohamed Yahaya, the UNDP’s Resident Representative for Nigeria. Nigerian architect Tosin Oshinowo meets some residents of Ngarannam community.

☆ Gunmen abduct at least 10 hospital workers in Nigeria's Niger state
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Gunmen have abducted at least 10 healthcare workers in Nigeria's Niger state and killed an unspecified number after bandits invaded a general hospital early on Tuesday, a hospital and military source said. Armed bandits operating for cash have kidnapped or killed hundreds across northwest Nigeria. Niger state officials have said that Islamist militant group Boko Haram had taken over multiple communities in the state, offering villagers money and incorporating them in their ranks to fight the government. read moreThe hospital source said more than 20 staff were kidnapped, including patient relatives, while the security source said two people had been killed after the gunmen invaded the general hospital in Lapai local government in large numbers. Niger state governor, Sani Bello said a number of people were killed during Tuesday's attack at Gulu General Hospital and unspecified number abducted including medical workers.

☆ Armed bandits kill 15 at mosque in northwest Nigeria, residents say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterMAIDUGURI, Nigeria Sept 24 (Reuters) - A gang of armed men killed at least 15 people at a mosque in northwest Nigeria's Zamfara state, residents said on Saturday. "The armed bandits came on motorbikes while holding their guns and moved straight to the mosque and began to shoot sporadically us," resident Amimu Mustapha said. Gangs of heavily armed men, known locally as bandits, have wreaked havoc across northwest Nigeria in the past two years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds and making it unsafe to travel by road or farm in some areas. The military last week warned residents in Zamfara and two other states to leave forested areas ahead of a bombing campaign targeting bandits and terrorists. ($1 = 430.0500 naira)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting By Maiduguri newsroom, writing by Libby George, editing by Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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