Tag Archives: Nigeria

“Gunmen” kidnapped a German citizen in Kano in northern Nigeria, where Boko Haram has been active. The home town of the recently sacked inspector general of police has been locked down to prevent an attack by Boko Haram.

Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, claimed that Nigerian police and soldiers, and not his fighters, killed the 186 people in Kano last week. President Jonathan Goodluck called for negotiations with Boko Haram.

Police said that Boko Haram killed 186 people in the attack in Kano on Jan 20. Boko Haram has killed 935 people since it launched its insurgency in 2009, according to Human Rights Watch.

Boko Haram claimed that it was receiving payments from several governors in northern Nigeria; the governors rejected the charges. Police found eight car bombs in Kano.

The death toll in Boko Haram’s rampage in Kano has risen to 178 and is expected to climb. Boko Haram spokesman Abul Qaqa said that the group is retaliating for government attacks against its members in Kano.

Boko Haram killed more than 140 people during a series of blasts, including a suicide bombing, and shootings in Kano. Boko Haram claimed credit for the attacks, which targeted police and immigration buildings. A curfew has been imposed in the city.

Authorities offered a bounty of $310,000 for information leading to the recapture of Boko Haram bomber Kabiru Umar, a.k.a. Kabiru Sotoko, who escaped shortly after his arrest on Tuesday. The head of Nigeria’s police is likely to lose his job over the incident.

Bail has been granted for six Boko Haram fighters who are accused of executing a bombing at the Independent National Electoral Commission in Suleja last April. The attack killed 16 people.

Kabiru Sokoto, the Boko Haram operative who planned the Dec. 25 bombing at a church outside of Abuja that killed 38 people, escaped custody. Sokoto, who was arrested at a governor’s compound, was freed as he was being transferred to a new prison.

“Gunmen” killed a police corporal in Mubi and three Chadian nationals in Damaturu. No group has claimed the murders but Boko Haram has been active in the cities over the past several months.

Nigerian authorities arrested a Boko Haram operative, Alhaji Nuhu Babawo, known as “Intelligent.” The raid netted various arms, ammunition, and military and police uniforms. Authorities also arrested Kabir Sokoto, the lead suspect in the deadly Christmas Day bombings carried out by Boko Haram.

The nationwide strike drew tens of thousands of protesters to the streets chanting anti-government slogans and setting fires. A mob burned an Islamic school in the southern city of Benin where clashes earlier killed five people. Two Christians were killed by suspected Boko Haram gunmen in Maiduguri.

Boko Haram fighters killed three men who were playing poker near a church in Biu in Borno state. Boko Haram fighters also carried out a bombing and shooting attack in Mubi; no one was hurt.

Boko Haram spokesman Abdul Qaqa claimed credit for the recent attacks and bombings in Gombe, Damaturu, Maiduguri, and Adamawa over the past two days. The government imposed a curfew in Adamawa after Boko Haram killed 12 Christians in a church.

Suspected Boko Haram fighters killed 20 Christians at a town hall in Mubi, and “gunmen” opened fire in a church in Gombe, killing six Christian worshippers. Thousands of people attacked and wounded more than 50 Muslims in Sapale in protest of Boko Haram attacks in the north.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility for two bombings in Maiduguri and Damaturu; no casualties were reported. Archbishop John Olurunfemi Onaiyekan denounced Boko Haram as “terrorists who cause problems for anyone in Nigeria who stands in their way,” and criticized media reports that depict the ongoing violence as a civil war between Muslims and Christians.

Boko Haram fighters killed a girl and overran a police station in Jigawa. Boko Haram killed three civilians during attacks in Damaturu and Maiduguri.

Nigeria has sent government troops to the country’s troubled northern areas, where the radical Islamist group Boko Haram has launched a string of attacks on Christians that killed 43 people. A former warlord in southern Nigeria warned that Nigeria is “on the precipice of a civil war.”

A Boko Haram spokesman said southerners who live in northern Nigeria have three days to leave or they would be the target of attacks. Abdul Qaqa also vowed to defend Muslims in the north and said the terror group’s forces would attack the military, which is enforcing a state of emergency.

President Jonathan declared a state of emergency in areas of Yobe, Borno, Plateau, and Niger states after attacks on Dec. 25 by al Qaeda-linked Boko Haram killed over 40 people. A counterterrorism force will be deployed to those four states, and portions of the Nigerian border with Niger, Chad, and Cameroon have been temporarily closed.

Four people were killed in a bombing at a mosque in Maiduguri. The Army has accused the al Qaeda linked Boko Haram of carrying out the attack.