Militants in Nigeria have killed six people, including an army captain, four policemen and a civilian, in the country’s most populous city of Lagos. Nigerian police said the fatalities occurred early on Sunday when the gunmen raided a community in Ikorodu area of Lagos and kidnapped residents after looting their homes and shops.

“Around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, the police received a distress call that a group of militants and kidnappers had entered Owutu-Ishawo in Ikorodu through the thick swampy forest surrounding the area,” said Lagos police spokesman, Olarinde Famous-Cole.

“They were reported to have kidnapped some residents. In response, the police and the army immediately mobilized personnel to the area where the kidnapped victims were rescued,” he added. The spokesman noted that Nigeria’s police had launched a search operation in the surrounding area to find the attackers. Hard economic conditions in Nigeria and high inflation rate have severely impacted the lives of people in the African country.

In a separate incident in Nigeria, two female bombers detonated their explosives near a university campus in the country’s northeastern state of Borno early on Monday, but the explosion left no casualties. A spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said the bombers had blown up their suicide vests close to the perimeter fence of the University of Maiduguri at around 04:00 a.m. (0300 GMT).

No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. The Monday bombing attack, the second such incident in Maiduguri in less than a week, came two days after two other female bombers detonated their explosives at a mosque in Jiddari Polo district in Maiduguri, injuring four people.

Maiduguri, the capital and the largest city of Borno State, has been the epicenter of Boko Haram’s seven-year militancy aimed at toppling the central government in Nigeria. Borno has taken the brunt of Boko Haram’s acts of terror, which started in 2009. The group has recently regained momentum after it was nearly obliterated months ago by a joint military force made up of Nigerian government forces and troops from neighboring countries.

Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which is mainly active in Syria and Iraq. The United Nations has warned that areas affected by Boko Haram faced a humanitarian crisis. Boko Haram terrorists have so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced over 2.7 million others from their homes.

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The Boko Haram terrorist group has attacked and set a military base in northeastern Nigeria on fire, raising fears of a reemergence of the Daesh-linked outfit. Armed men from a Boko Haram faction on Thursday staged an attack on the military base in the Wajirko Village, 150 kilometers from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.

“The gunmen arrived in pickups and engaged soldiers in the base just outside the village in a heavy shootout,” a local resident Bukar Maduye told media. “The soldiers were outgunned and forced to withdraw from the base and allowed the gunmen, who were from Mamman Nur faction, to take over the base, which they looted and set on fire,” he said.

A member of a vigilante group, which is assisting the military in its battle against Boko Haram terrorists, confirmed the incident, adding that the soldiers at the base had moved to another military base 40 kilometers away. “There were no reports of casualties from either side but the base was completely burnt by the Boko Haram terrorists and the soldiers fled,” said Mustapha Karimbe. On Wednesday, Boko Haram militants attacked Abbati, a farming community outside Maiduguri, where they killed seven men and stole 360 heads of livestock.

In recent weeks, the Takfiri militants have intensified their attacks in areas near Lake Chad, stealing food from residents after raiding their farms. They have also killed several civilians they accused of cooperating with the military.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power in 2015 with a pledge to eradicate Boko Haram, claims to have prevailed over Boko Haram’s militancy; however, frequent deadly attacks in the West African country indicate otherwise. In its fight against Boko Haram, the Nigerian military is being assisted by troops from neighboring countries such as Chad and Cameroon.

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Yaounde, Abuja and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have signed a tripartite agreement for the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees settled in Cameroon. The agreement signed in Yaoundé concerns the 84,325 Nigerian refugees who have fled the exactions of the Islamist sect Boko Haram. These refugees are currently living in the Far-North region of Cameroon. Of these, 60,895 are settled in the camp located at Minawao, created on 2 July 2013. A recent profiling by the organization in charge of migration, registered some 20 416 other refugees, who live with foster families.  The High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that there are thousands of other Nigerians who fled the Boko Haram violence but due to insecurity could not be registered.

Two UN surveys carried out between April and September 2016 among refugees at the Minawao camp on return intentions revealed that 70 per cent of the 9,300 sampled wanted to return to their areas of origin, as soon as the situation permits. Only 27% want to stay in Cameroon. The two sides agreed to provide clear and precise information on the situation of their return areas, particularly in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa (Northeastern Nigeria).

Cameroonian authorities say, it is not a forced repatriation, “the Government of Cameroon will continue to ensure the protection of Nigerian refugees on its territory and will spare no effort to help those who wish return to Nigeria in accordance with international agreements, “said René Emmanuel Sadi, the Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization.

We gathered that Abuja was pleased with the agreement, “Nigeria is pleased to be part of this agreement by stressing the importance of working together to bring about a lasting solution to the situation of refugees, who are our fellow citizens . As a government, we will remain committed to ensuring  a conducive atmosphere to facilitate the return of our fellow citizens in safety and dignity and in accordance with the principles of international protection, “said Lieutenant-General Abdulrahman Bello Dambazu, the Nigerian Minister of the Interior.

For his part, the High Commissioner’s Special Representative, Kouassi Lazare Etien, said he was satisfied with the agreement. He further pointed out that the agreement reveals a real desire of Cameroon and Nigeria to find a durable solution for refugees who are willing to return safely and in dignity with the support of the UN.

Chi Prudence Asong

Hundreds of Nigerians have taken to the streets in the country’s most populous city of Lagos to protest against the government’s handling of the West African country’s economic crisis. Some 500 angry protesters gathered from early morning at the National Stadium in the commercial capital to protest against the prevailing economic hardships, high cost of living and poor government handling of the economic crisis in the country.

The demonstrators, who marched through the streets to the rhythm of drums and trumpets, demanded solutions to the ongoing crippling recession. Protesters held placards and banners that read, “The unemployed are hungry and angry” and “I will not be silent.” They also chanted slogans such as “enough is enough.”

Elias Ozikpu, a student who attended the rally in Lagos, complained about skyrocketing prices. “Everything is very expensive today: the price of food, the price of gasoline has increased. We suffer but politicians do not care,” Ozikpu said, adding, “Two years ago we elected a new government because the previous one was corrupt but we don’t see any change, it’s even worse now.”

Meanwhile, in the administrative capital of Abuja, dozens of people also marched to the presidential villa in protest at President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policies. The protest rallies took place despite warnings by the police not to assemble because of fears of a “breakdown of law and order with attendant loss of lives and property.” Responding to Monday’s rallies, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the protest was noted.

“We hear you loud and clear, those who are on the streets protesting the economic situation and even those who are not, but feel the pain of economic hardship,” Osinbajo said.

“We hear you loud and clear. You deserve a decent life and we are working night and day to make life easier.” Nigerians have been suffering after a fall in oil prices since mid-2014 slashed government revenue. The developments have pushed up inflation to more than 20 percent and weakened the naira currency.

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The United Nations World Food Programme has sounded the alarm for millions of people who are at risk of dying from starvation in the militant-infested northeastern region of Nigeria. The Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists are obstructing efforts to deliver food to the crisis-hit region, the WFP warned on Friday.

Ertharin Cousin, the WFP executive director, said there were areas unreachable to the UN agency. “The challenge is that there are areas in Borno state, in particular, that are still inaccessible, and we have no idea of the food security situation,” she said, adding that an estimated 4.4 million people needed food assistance in the northeast.

Even in parts of the northeast held and defended by the army, Boko Haram attacks were jeopardizing aid programs, Cousin said. Ending the insurgency will require a political as well as a military solution, said Cousin, adding, “Until we resolve those issues the humanitarian situation will not improve to a level that allows us to reach all of those in need.”

The government has told aid agencies it expects the conflict to end in six months, she said. “I am imploring the international community to continue to provide us with the support that is necessary,” said Cousin. The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

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Nigerian authorities have warned that female Takfiri bombers are using babies to thwart detection before their attacks. According to a new report, Nigerian officials stated that terrorist groups have been using women to carry out bombing attacks for some time but the use of babies in attacks signals a “dangerous” trend.

The report, published by the state-run BBC on Monday, called these bombings “suicide attacks,” but the fact that the innocent infants have no forethought or deliberation for killing themselves and others render the terminology null and void. On January 13, two women wearing concealed explosives managed to slip past a checkpoint in the town of Madagali and detonate their bombs, killing themselves and four other people. The assailants were able to slip past security because they were mistaken for civilians as they were carrying infants.

The main suspect for the blast is the Takfiri Boko Haram terrorist group, which is known for using women and young girls in their attacks. Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to Daesh, another Takfiri group, which has been wreaking havoc in the Middle East and North Africa over the past few years.   In 2015, four women attempted to launch another attack on the town. Two were stopped at a checkpoint, but the two other, who were carrying babies, managed to pass the checkpoints and explode their explosives.

Nigeria has been at war with Boko Haram since the group started an insurgency in Borno about eight years ago. Almost 15,000 people have been killed while the violence has displaced more than two million. In recent months, army troops and civilian fighters in Nigeria have managed to foil many bomb attacks involving terrorists wearing explosive vests before the assailants were able to reach heavily-populated targets and detonate their bombs of their own accord. In response to the government’s actions, the terrorists have increased their bombing attacks.

On January 16, at least four people, including a university professor, were killed after a young girl, accompanied by a small child, detonated her explosive-laden vest at a university campus in Nigeria’s northeastern province of Borno. Meanwhile, the UN’s West African humanitarian coordinator, Toby Lanzer announced that Boko Haram’s actions in the region have put the lives of over half a million children in danger of severe malnutrition.

He stressed that if these children do not receive aid soon, they will die, adding that several communities have already lost all their infants. “If they don’t get the help they need on time, they die.” “What we have seen is extraordinary…I have seen adults sapped of all energy, who are almost unable to walk. We have had villages and towns devoid of 2- and 3- and 4-year-old children because they’ve died,” he added.

While noting that Nigeria and the Lake Chad region have been hit worst by the crisis, he stressed that there are about 11 million people there are “in desperate need” of aid while some 7.1 million more of them are “severely food-insecure.”

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At least 100 civilians have been killed in what Nigeria’s army calls a mistaken airstrike in the north of the country. Nigerian military commander, Major General Lucky Irabor, confirmed on Tuesday that the attack in the northeastern area of Rann, near the border with Cameroon, had mistakenly targeted a refugee camp.

The general had earlier declined to give a toll of casualties. “Many civilians, including personnel of International Committee of the Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) were wounded,” he said of the Tuesday morning attack, which was carried out in Borno state.Local officials said the air force fighter jet that carried out the attack was on a mission to bombard suspected positions of Boko Haram, a Takfiri group operating in northern Nigeria and some neighboring countries.

Several other people, including aid workers, were injured in the airstrike. Later reports said those injured were all Nigerian nationals working for international aid organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC said in a later statement that six of its workers were killed in the airstrike. “We regret that among the casualties of today’s airstrikes in Rann, there are six Nigerian RC members killed and 13 wounded,” said the aid group. Hours later, the MSF issued a statement condemning the airstrike.

“This large-scale attack on vulnerable people who have already fled from extreme violence is shocking and unacceptable,” said MSF director of operations, Jean-Clement Cabrol. Nigeria has been at war with Boko Haram since the group started an insurgency in Borno about eight years ago. Almost 15,000 people have been killed while the violence has displaced more than two million, including those refugees killed in the mistaken airstrike.

Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to Daesh, another Takfiri group, which has been wreaking havoc in the Middle East and North Africa over the past few years. A task force established by the African Union to help Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram has almost contained the violence. However, Boko Haram has used the end of the rainy season to step up attacks over the past weeks as its militants could move easier in the bush. On Tuesday, the terror group claimed bombings that rocked the University of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, a day earlier. A professor and a child were killed in the attack while 17 others were wounded.

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Unknown gunmen have abducted five students and two teachers, including a Turkish national, from an international school in southwestern Nigeria, police say. The incident occurred on Friday evening when some unidentified gunmen gained entrance through the back fence of the Turkish Tulip International School, located in the Isheri area of Ogun State and took the students and teachers away at gunpoint on the school premises, said Ogun police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi on Saturday.

“We have deployed police operatives and are making serious efforts to release the victims unhurt and bring the culprits to book,” Oyeyemi further said, adding that the kidnappers had not made any contact with police or school authorities so far and no arrest has been made. Other reports maintained that the kidnappers came in a white Hilux pickup and fled through a swamp. No group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions, but It is unlikely for the Takfiri Boko Haram terrorist group, which is active in the northern and northeastern parts of Nigeria, to have been involved in the raid. Thus, local criminal gangs, which kidnap people for ransom, may be to blame.

On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from their secondary school in the northeastern town of Chibok in Borno. About 80 of the girls managed to escape afterward or were swapped for a number of Boko Harm prisoners, but the fate of the rest remains unknown. On September 8, police announced that they had managed to rescue two Chinese nationals, a week after they had been kidnapped by unknown gunmen, in the town of Odeda in Ogun. On October 6, unidentified gunmen also invaded Lagos Model College in the town of Igbonla in Epe area in the southwestern state of Lagos, abducting four students, a vice president and a teacher from the school.

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