All articles tagged with #nigeria
The government says students abducted in May in Nigeria’s Oyo state by Islamic militants have been rescued, with security forces continuing operations to prevent further abductions and ensure broader stability.
Nigeria says two of its nationals were killed in South Africa amid a rise in anti-migrant attacks: Emeka Charles Iroegbu was reportedly killed in Pretoria by police officers using gruesome interrogation techniques, and Musa Yunana Joe was killed in eMalahleni on 28 June. Abuja says the incidents come as foreigners face increasing hostility, with about 25,000 Africans repatriated (including around 700 Nigerians). Nigeria plans to seek compensation and is documenting businesses left behind, while South Africa has signaled it will not pay compensation. Anti-migrant protests and a 30 June deadline for foreigners to leave have heightened tension in a country with high unemployment.
Nigerian migrants repatriated from South Africa are returning to the same economic pressures they fled, as inflation soars after fuel subsidy removal and naira reforms, leaving many with scarce job prospects and a sense that 'home' no longer feels familiar.
Mercy and Goodness, Nigerian twins fused at the skull, were separated through four AI-guided surgeries totaling about 40 hours, with the final 12-hour operation performed in Abu Dhabi. A multidisciplinary team from around 20 countries, led by Professor Jeelani, carried out the procedures over four months, funded entirely by the UK charity Gemini Untwined. Now three-year-olds, the sisters are healthy and thriving in Nigeria, marking a landmark achievement in craniopagus separation.
Former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke was cleared of five counts of accepting bribes and a conspiracy to commit bribery in a London court after a 13-year National Crime Agency probe. The jury acquitted her and two co-defendants, with prosecutors arguing bribes funded a lavish lifestyle. The defense contended evidence and delays were flawed. Alison-Madueke called the ruling a long-overdue end to a decade-long nightmare, while the verdict marked a setback for the NCA.
A Nigerian man living in Rathcoole, County Antrim, says his car was set on fire as part of ongoing racially motivated attacks on his home, leaving him fearing for his life and considering leaving Northern Ireland. Police are treating the latest arson as a hate crime, with graffiti, bricks and repeated targeting of his house reported over the past months. The incidents come amid a broader wave of racially charged violence and protests in Northern Ireland, with authorities and housing officials scrambling to assist affected families and address displacement.
Nigeria evacuated 268 citizens from Johannesburg to Lagos as part of a broader plan to repatriate up to about 1,000 Nigerians amid rising anti-migrant sentiment and xenophobic violence in South Africa; other African states have also evacuated nationals, while Nigerians abroad coordinate transport and support and South Africa’s government moves to crack down on illegal migration.
The Nigerian army freed 360 abducted people in Borno state’s northeast, as nationwide protests continue urging the government to rescue kidnapped schoolchildren.
The third-largest Ebola outbreak is sweeping the Democratic Republic of Congo with over 1,000 cases and 233 deaths; experts warn the true scope may be far larger due to undetected infections and 'unrecognized chains of transmission,' stressing that rapid, comprehensive contact tracing and sustained funding are needed as the outbreak spills into Uganda and poses a risk of reaching Nigeria.
A Nigerian court in Abuja sentenced four men to death for the 2022 Owo St Francis Catholic Church attack that killed 41 worshippers and injured more than 100, while also handing them 20 years for belonging to a terrorist group; a fifth defendant was acquitted. Death sentences require presidential assent in Nigeria, and there have been no executions in years. The accelerated trial (begun in 2025) featured witnesses including victims, and the defendants alleged torture; they plan to appeal.
Nigeria is seeing a surge in influencer-promoted, unverified herbal remedies sold online, fueling self-medication, adverse reactions and late hospital visits. While some products show short-term safety at tested doses, higher doses or prolonged use can stress kidneys and liver. Regulators like NAFDAC struggle to police online sales, prompting calls for stronger regulation, improved access to care, and platform accountability to curb the online “algorithmic apothecary.”
U.S. Africa Command, in coordination with the Government of Nigeria, conducted additional kinetic strikes against ISIS militants in Northeastern Nigeria on May 17, 2026. Intelligence confirmed targets, no U.S. or Nigerian forces were harmed, and assessments are ongoing to evaluate the impact on ISIS capabilities.
Militant attacks on Nigerian schools have left more than 80 children missing, officials say, with abductions traced to late April; some abductees have been released, but dozens remain unaccounted for as violence disrupts education.
A U.S.-Nigerian operation killed Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, a senior ISIS West Africa Province leader aligned with IS leadership, during a night strike in the Lake Chad Basin. President Trump announced the kill, Nigerian officials described it as a highly complex precision mission with no casualties, and analysts say the move could disrupt ISWAP’s leadership while highlighting the new security partnership between the two countries amid Nigeria’s ongoing insurgency.
The United States and Nigeria said they killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by Trump as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, during a midnight strike on his fortified base in the Lake Chad Basin (Metele, Borno state), taking out Minuki and several lieutenants. Minuki led IS operations across Sahel/West Africa and was linked to major attacks, with ISWAP and Boko Haram activity in the region. The operation followed months of intelligence gathering and marks a boost in US-Nigerian security cooperation, though earlier claims of his death had been retracted. Nigerian President Tinubu hailed the strike as a heavy blow to IS networks and emphasized pragmatic international partnerships to improve security across the region.