DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Nigeria: More than 100 prisoners on the run after heavy rainfall destroys part of prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —More than 100 prisoners have escaped from a medium security prison in Nigeria after heavy rainfall destroyed part of the facility, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) said in a press release on Thursday. In 2022, more than 300 inmates broke free after Boko Haram militants raided a prison in Nigeria’s capital Abuja. Authorities said at the time that some operatives of the jihadist group who had been held in the prison escaped during the raid. A year earlier, over 200 prisoners fled a prison in the neighboring Kogi State after gunmen invaded the correctional facility, killing a policeman. Five months before the invasion, more than 2000 inmates escaped during a similar attack by armed men at another prison in the southeastern Imo State.

Persons: “ Organizations: CNN, Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS, Authorities Locations: Nigeria, Suleja, Niger, Nigeria’s, Abuja, Kogi State, Imo State

☆ Nigerian Army Hunts for Kidnapped Students, Parents Seek Answers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The source said the army's Kaduna-based One Division was leading the operation and "will soon have the bandits in their sights". "The security agencies and the state government are working tirelessly to ensure the freedom of all the abducted students and pupils. We are making progress," said Muhammad Shehu Lawal, a spokesperson for Kaduna state governor, without giving details. Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesThe mass kidnapping last Thursday, the first since July 2021, shattered the dusty town of Kuriga, 90 km from Kaduna state capital, with parents waiting for answers from authorities. According to Lagos-based consultancy SBM Intelligence 4,500 people have been kidnapped throughout Nigeria since Tinubu took office last May.

Persons: Garba Muhammad, Hamza Ibrahim, Muhammad Shehu Lawal, Bola Tinubu, Bala Ibrahim, Ibrahim, Tinubu, Ikemesit Effiong, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, SBM Intelligence, Security Locations: Hamza Ibrahim KADUNA, Nigeria, Kaduna, Nigerian, Kuriga, Chibok, Borno, Niger, Birnin, Lagos

☆ Nigeria: Children among 26 people dead in Nigeria boating accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —At least 26 people, mostly women and children died when a boat carrying more than 100 farmers capsized early Sunday in north-central Nigeria, the region’s second boat tragedy in three months, authorities said. “The victims … were going for farming activities when the incident occurred between 7:30 and 8 Sunday morning,” spokesperson for the Niger state governor, Bologi Ibrahim, said in a statement. “Twenty-six persons mostly women and children have been confirmed dead and over 30 people rescued,” the statement added. The government statement encouraged the use of life jackets and urged locals to “desist from overcrowding boats.”Boat accidents are common in northern Nigeria. At least 15 people had died a month before in another boat mishap in northwestern Sokoto State.

Persons: ”, Bologi Ibrahim, “ Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, CNN Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Niger, Mokwa, Sokoto State

☆ At least 26 killed in Nigeria ferry accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, Sept 10 (Reuters) - At least 26 people died and several others were missing after a ferry capsized on a reservoir in north central Nigeria on Sunday, local officials said, the second such major accident to hit the region in three months. Bologi Ibrahim, the spokesperson for the governor of Niger state, said the boat was carrying more than 100 people, including women and children, in the Mokwa local government area of the state. The victims were going to their farms across a major dam, said Ibrahim. In July, more than 100 people died when an overloaded boat capsized in a remote part of Niger state, in one of the worst such disasters in recent years. Reporting by Camillus Eboh Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bologi Ibrahim, Ibrahim, Camillus Eboh, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Peter Graff Organizations: Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Niger

☆ Niger junta says it will not back down despite 'inhumane' sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In a televised address, Abdourahamane Tiani said the junta "rejects these sanctions altogether and refuses to give into any threats, wherever they come from. Nigeria cut power supplies to Niger, a Niger state utility document showed on Wednesday, while truckers in Niamey were stranded by border closures - early signs of fallout from the bloc's sweeping sanctions that Tiani described as "illegal, unjust, and inhumane." "The task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications," said General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs. In a further sign of the mounting pressure on the junta, the World Bank on Wednesday suspended disbursements to Niger until further notice. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Christopher Musa, James, Bola Tinubu, Annalena Baerbock, Camillus Eboh, Felix Onuah, Christophe Van Der Perre, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Alessandra Prentice, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie, Grant McCool Organizations: Islamists, West African, West African States, ECOWAS, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Defence, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs, REUTERS, British, World Bank, European Union, Islamic, Union, Thomson Locations: Niger, Abuja Niger, Islamists Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, West Africa, Mali, Guinea, Bissau, Nigerian, Abuja, Nigeria, Niamey, Nigeria's, Nigerien, disbursements, States, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, United States, Germany, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ Nigeria: More than 100 dead after wedding party as boat capsizes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —More than 100 people are now confirmed dead after a boat ferrying hundreds of wedding guests overturned Monday in the river Niger around north-central Nigeria, local police said. The vessel was carrying around 250 passengers traveling back to Patigi in northcentral Kwara State after attending a wedding party in Gboti, in neighboring Niger State, when it sank early Monday, killing 106 on board, according to police. Heavy rains and floodingThe overcrowded boat capsized after hitting a tree trunk, he said of the accident which happened at around 3:00am Monday. Niger and Kwara states lay along the banks of the River Niger, West Africa’s main river, and surrounding communities remain vulnerable when it overflows. Last month, at least 15 people died after a boat capsized in northwestern Sokoto State, authorities told CNN.

Persons: Nigeria CNN —, Ajayi Okasanmi, Abdul Gana Lukpada, Patigi, ” Lukpada, ”, ” “ Organizations: Nigeria CNN, CNN, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Police Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Niger, northcentral Kwara State, Gboti, Niger State, Kwara, Patigi, Egboti, West, Sokoto State

☆ 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: Hundreds of wedding party guests feared dead as boat capsizes in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Hundreds of people, including wedding guests, are feared dead in north-central Nigeria after a boat they were traveling in capsized in the river Niger early Monday, a local chief told CNN on Tuesday. “There was a marriage ceremony in a nearby village … Egboti village which is by the river Niger. As they sailed, the boat hit a tree branch hiding in the water and it split into two. Boat accidents are common in northern Nigeria. Last month, at least 15 people died after a boat capsized in northwestern Sokoto State, authorities told CNN.

Persons: Abdul Gana Lukpada, Lukpada, ”, I’ve, Ajayi Okasanmi, Rafiu Ajakaye Organizations: Nigeria CNN, CNN, Kwara State Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Niger, Kpada, Patigi district, Kwara State, Egboti, Niger State, Kwara, Sokoto State

☆ 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

☆ 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.

☆ Nigeria offers concession on $1.3 billion China-funded hydro power plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Nigeria plans to grant a concession on its $1.3 billion hydropower plant now under construction and is seeking bids from private investors to operate the China-funded plant, authorities said on Friday. The Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant (ZHPP), the biggest of its type in Nigeria, is expected to generate 700 megawatts and is being funded by loans from China's Exim Bank, the Bureau of Public Entreprises (BPE), Nigeria's privatisation agency, said. Diesel prices have soared in Nigeria since the start of the year as global oil prices surged after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The privatisation agency said it expects bids to be submitted by Nov. 24 and hopes to complete the concession by March next year. The private partner will be responsible for repaying the Chinese loan, the privatisation agency told investors in an online roadshow on Thursday, because it wanted to reduce government's financing of the plant.

☆ 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.

☆ Nigeria floods: 76 die in Anambra fleeing rising water levels
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

People stranded due to floods following several days of downpours In Kogi Nigeria, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. Lokoja the capital city of Kogi state is experiencing the worse flood ever, and body is saying anything. In neighboring Nasarawa state, which is also grappling with flood water cascading down the River Benue, farmers are counting their losses from ravaged farmlands. Pictures from Kogi state flood. pic.twitter.com/frjiyBOYkr — Adenike Titilope Oladosu (@the_ecofeminist) October 5, 2022Climate activists are intensifying the call for climate finance to address Nigeria’s climate crisis.

Search resuls for: "Niger State"

13 mentions found