ReportWire

Tag: northern Nigeria

  • Two schoolgirls escape Nigeria kidnap ordeal, official says

    [ad_1]

    Two girls, who were among at least 25 children and a teacher kidnapped from their boarding school in north-western Nigeria’s Kebbi state on Monday, have managed to escape, a local official has told the BBC.

    The pair ran away as their armed captors were leading them into the bushes before escaping across farmland, Hussaini Aliyu of Danko Wasagu council said.

    He added that the girls were “back and are safe”, but one of them needed medical treatment as she had wounded her leg while fleeing.

    A team of soldiers, police and volunteers are combing forested areas in attempt to rescue the captives who were seized by gunmen.

    “You must continue day and night fighting. We must find these children,” Maj Gen Waidi Shaibu, Nigeria’s army chief of staff, told troops sent to Kebbi state.

    Over the past decade, schools in northern Nigeria have become frequent targets for armed groups, who often carry out abductions to seek ransom payments or leverage deals with the government.

    Police say the gunmen, described locally as “bandits”, invaded the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town at about 04:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Monday.

    Parents face an agonising wait.

    One inconsolable father, whose daughter is still being held captive, told BBC Hausa that his family had been crying non-stop and “it’s hard to go back home and look at their faces”.

    He said he had two daughters enrolled at the school – one of whom successfully hid from the attackers, but the other was not so lucky.

    “My two daughters hid in the toilet when the armed men invaded their hostel.

    “When the [gunmen] ordered all those hiding to come out, or else they’ll kill them, one of my daughters got scared and came out,” the father said.

    He added that he heard of the abductions after the Muslim early-morning prayer on Monday, and he rushed to the school and has been there ever since.

    “My daughter is a very bright and easy-going person,” he said.

    Police say the attackers “engaged police personnel on duty in a gun duel” before climbing over the perimeter fence and taking the girls from their hostel.

    The assault left two members of staff dead – they were a teacher who was killed while trying to protect the girls, and a security guard who later died in hospital from gunshot wounds.

    The attack highlights the persistent security crisis plaguing the region, leaving families in a state of fear.

    Nigeria’s central government says it is “deeply concerned” by the abductions.

    In a statement on Monday, Information Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi said the authorities “share in the pain” of the affected families and were working urgently to rescue the girls.

    He added that President Bola Tinubu remained “unwavering in his commitment to protect every Nigerian, especially schoolchildren”.

    More stories from the BBC:

    [Getty Images/BBC]

    Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

    Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

    BBC Africa podcasts

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Nigerian fuel tanker explosion kills 35, road safety agency says

    [ad_1]

    A fuel tanker has overturned and exploded in Nigeria’s northern Niger State, killing at least 35 people, according to the country’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

    The vehicle skidded off the road and spilled petrol, which ignited shortly after the crash, Aishatu Saadu, the state’s FRSC sector commander, said on Tuesday.

    Nigeria’s TVC News reported that several more people who were injured in the crash were taken to the Federal Medical Centre Bida for medical attention, with Nigeria’s Channels Television reporting that people were suffering from severe burns.

    Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago offered his “deepest condolences” to the people of Essa in the Katcha local government area, where he said in a statement the tanker explosion “claimed many lives and left several others injured”.

    The governor’s chief press secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, added in the statement that several of the people who were caught up in the explosion had approached the tanker after it turned on its side, to try to retrieve its contents.

    “This is yet another painful, difficult, and tragic one for the people and the state government,” Bago said in the statement.

    The chairman of the Niger State tanker drivers’ association, Farouk Mohammed Kawo, said that the tragedy was “devastating and avoidable,” according to Channels Television.

    The tanker was transporting petrol from Lagos in northern Nigeria when it crashed, Kawo said, adding that some 30 crashes have been recorded on the same route in the month of October alone, and that the high rate of accidents is due to the “deplorable state of the road”.

    Deadly incidents involving petroleum products are common in Africa’s most populous country, where a lack of pipeline infrastructure means fossil fuels are transported by road.

    Poorly maintained roads riddled with potholes contribute to frequent accidents that kill dozens of people annually.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Mob burns Nigerian woman to death for alleged blasphemy

    [ad_1]

    A woman has been burnt to death by a mob in northern Nigeria’s Niger state after she was accused of blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad, police have said.

    Police condemned the killing of the woman – identified in local media as a food vendor named Amaye – as “jungle justice”, saying that an investigation was under way to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.

    Local media quoted eyewitnesses as saying a man jokingly proposed marriage to the vendor, and her response was considered blasphemous by some people in the area.

    “Unfortunately, it led to a mob attack, and [she] was set ablaze before a reinforcement of security teams could arrive at the scene,” state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said.

    He appealed to members of the public to remain calm and not to take the law into their own hands following the killing on Saturday in Kasuwan-Garba town.

    Such killings are not uncommon in northern Nigeria, where blasphemy is regarded as a criminal offence under Islamic (Sharia) law, which operates alongside secular law in 12 mainly Muslim states.

    Rights group Amnesty International said that blasphemy was often “weaponised to settle personal scores” in northern Nigeria.

    A minor disagreement or argument, often “deliberately orchestrated”, leads to accusations of blasphemy, “and then the mob lynches the accused instantly”, it said.

    At least two other people have been lynched over such accusations in the last three years, with critics pointing out that not enough is being done to prevent the killings that have targeted both Muslims and Christians.

    In 2022, student Deborah Samuel was beaten and burned alive in Sokoto state after being accused of making blasphemous comments.

    Last year, a butcher, Usman Buda, was stoned to death in the same state under similar circumstances.

    Though Nigeria’s constitution upholds freedom of speech, the country remains deeply divided on matters of faith and justice.

    Nigeria’s Supreme Court has in the past ruled that blasphemy allegations must be proven in a court of law.

    You may also be interested in:

    [Getty Images/BBC]

    Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

    Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

    BBC Africa podcasts

    [ad_2]

    Source link