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Boko Haram Kidnaps 50 Loggers In Borno

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Boko Haram Bombs Mosque In Borno

Boko Haram jihadists abducted around 50 loggers in northeastern Nigerian close to the border with Cameroon, civilian militia and residents told AFP Thursday.

The hostages who were mostly from a camp for people displaced by jihadist violence were on Saturday rounded up by fighters loyal to factional leader Abubakar Shekau while collecting wood

“The men were rounded up and taken away by Boko Haram insurgents and nothing has been heard from them,” militia leader Umar Kachalla said.

“Two of the loggers escaped and returned home and broke the news.

“We don’t have a precise number of those taken but usually the loggers move in a group of more than 50 men,” Kachalla said.

The abduction took place at Bulakesa village, 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the town of Gamboru in Borno state.

The Boko Haram Islamist uprising in the region has claimed thousands of lives and displaced more than two million since 2009 in Nigeria alone.

In 2014, in a case that shocked the world, Boko Haram gunmen seized 276 girls aged 12 to 17 from a secondary school in the remote town of Chibok, also in Borno state.

The loggers taken in the latest incident had been encouraged to venture deep into the bush to collect firewood by a recent military operation that pushed the jihadists out of the area, another militia Shehu Mada said.

– Repeated attacks –

Last month troops dislodged the militants from the nearby town of Wulgo and surrounding areas following repeated attacks on loggers.

“The general assumption was that the insurgents had left the area only to suddenly appear and encircle the loggers,” Mada said.

“We believe the number of the those abducted exceeds 50,” said Gamboru resident Babagana Musa.

The story was slow to emerge due to limited communications with Gamboru residents.

The area has for several years been without telecom facilities following the destruction of telecom masts in Boko Haram attacks, forcing residents to rely on Cameroon mobile phone networks.

Gamboru loggers have suffered repeated Boko Haram attacks and abductions especially around Wulgo forest which was a known Boko Haram hideout.

In April Boko Haram militants gunned down 18 loggers on the edge of the forest, close to Gamboru.

Boko Haram has increasingly targeted loggers and farmers, accusing them of spying and passing information to the military and the local militia fighting them.

On Monday the jihadists killed nine farmers and abducted 12 others when they opened fire as they worked on their fields outside Mammanti village, near the regional capital Maiduguri.

In August 2014 the group seized Gamboru, a trading hub, along with the neighbouring town of Ngala.

– Troops ambushed –

Nigerian troops retook both towns in September 2015 with the help of Chadian forces following offensives lasting months.

Despite the recapture of the area which saw residents moving back, Boko Haram fighters continue to launch sporadic attacks, ambushing troops and vehicles, as well as attacking and abducting farmers.

News of the latest attack near Gamboru came few days after a Boko Haram splinter group killed at least 44 soldiers in attacks on three military bases in Metele, a remote village near the border with Niger.

On Thursday, seven employees of a French mineral and water drilling firm and a local official were also killed when gunmen attacked their site in southeastern Niger.

The Nigerian Senate said on Thursday it would visit government troops fighting the insurgents in the volatile region.

Senate president Bukola Saraki said on his Twitter account the visit was aimed at boosting the morale of troops on the frontline.

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Third Explosion In A Week Rocks Dansadau-Gusau Road, Claims Lives Of Travellers

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Tragedy struck yet again on the Dansadau-Gusau road as another explosion killed multiple travellers on Friday, marking the third such incident in less than a week.

The explosion occurred between Dansadau to Malele road, causing significant damage.

A resident of the area who pleaded anonymity for security reasons told Channels Television that a truck vehicle conveying about 100 bags of grains and passengers to Dansadau market hit an improvised explosive device (IED) planted along the route, resulting in a devastating explosion.

Authorities and locals have yet to confirm the exact number of casualties, but the resident said several travellers killed during the blast.

“Till now, we are yet to confirm the exact number of people killed, we are waiting for the people from Malele community to give us the actual figures,” the source said.

“The incident happened around 8:30 am, the distance between the scene of the explosion to Dansadau is just few kilometres.”

The source added that the second explosive planted by the terrorists was discovered by the troops who defused it.

“The soldiers who rushed to the scene of the bomb discovered another bomb that was yet to detonate, they used their machine to check and took it inside the bush to defuse it,” he stated.

The recurring blasts have heightened fears among residents and commuters, who now consider the highway a death trap.

Just two days ago, a similar incident claimed the lives of six persons, sparking widespread calls for urgent government intervention.

The police authorities in the state had earlier accused the newly formed terror group Lakurawa as the mastermind of the recent explosions that occurred along the Dansadau-Gusau Road.

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Nigeria’s Economy Still Facing Crisis, CBN Admits

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The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Yemi Cardoso has acknowledged that Nigeria remains in a financial and economic crisis, a situation inherited by the current CBN administration.

Speaking at the 14th Annual Bankers’ Committee Retreat in Abuja, Cardoso explained that the role of the bankers’ committee remains critical towards addressing the challenge as well as reflating the economy.

The CBN boss said that the nation faces challenges in how to address poverty, rising inflation, infrastructure deficits, insecurity, and unemployment, among others.

He called on members of the bankers’ committee to reflect on the past year’s challenges and devise actionable tools to address them effectively.

On his part, the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs Tope Fasua expressed concerns over excess charges by point of sale operators (PoS) while calling on the apex bank as well as deposit money banks to make cash available at all ATM points.

The three-day event brings together key players in the banking sector and has the theme “Contract and Commitment to National Development and Economic Growth”.

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Alleged Mass Killings: NHRC Demands Justice For Victims

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A member of the NHRC Governing Council, Kemi Okonyedo, speaks in Abuja on December 6, 2024 at the presentation of the report from the investigative panel on human rights violations in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, to the army.


The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has demanded justice and accountability for civilian victims who were allegedly killed by operatives of the Nigerian Army in the Abisari community in Borno state.

A member of the NHRC Governing Council, Kemi Okonyedo, made the demand at the presentation of the report from the investigative panel on human rights violations in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, to the army.

The report had vindicated the military of forced systemic abortions administered on women but indicted them of intentionally killing civilians in the Abasari community

Okonyedo is demanding that those affected, be compensated.

“The killing of civilians in Abisari remains a grave violation that demands justice, accountability and immediate action,” she said.

“These are not abstract issues, they are real. Lives affected are real, families impacted exist, and communities impacted are still suffering and must be acknowledged and addressed.

“The recommendations of the panel provide a roadmap for addressing these violations, holding perpetrators accountable and ensuring that similar violations do not occur in the future.

“Among the panel’s key recommendations is compensation for the victims of the Abisari killings with the Federal Government ensuring that the families and communities affected are provided adequate reparations.”

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