All posts tagged: Islamic State West Africa Province

23 killed, 108 wounded in suspected suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria

23 killed, 108 wounded in suspected suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria

Published by Sam Flores

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Three suspected suicide bombings have killed at least 23 people and wounded 108 others in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday. It was one of the deadliest attacks targeting the city of Maiduguri in recent history. Residents and emergency services earlier told The Associated Press that the explosions were reported on Monday night in crowded places in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, including at a major market and the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. The wounded “sustained varying degrees of injuries,” Borno police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso said in a statement, which blamed the attacks on suspected suicide bombers. President Bola Tinubu, who left the country on Tuesday for a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom, expressed his condolences for the victims and directed security chiefs to “take charge of the situation” in Maiduguri. “The Monday attacks were desperate acts of the evil-minded terrorist groups,” Tinubu said. “Our gallant military and civilian task forces will curtail and put them down.” No group has claimed responsibility for the …

Jihadis intensify attacks against Nigeria’s military, killing officers and carting away weapons

Jihadis intensify attacks against Nigeria’s military, killing officers and carting away weapons

Published by Sam Flores

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Jihadi extremist groups, including Boko Haram and one of its factions, have been blamed for intensified attacks targeting Nigeria’s military bases in the northeast of the country in the last week. At least two officers and several soldiers have been killed in the attacks, which analysts say shows a remarkable level of coordination. Over the weekend, Islamic extremists launched at least six attacks in Borno and Yobe states and in the wider Lake Chad region, spiriting away trucks and military hardware from the bases, according to security analysts and security reports. The Nigerian military said in a statement that the latest attacks between Sunday and Monday were an “attempt by the terrorists to overwhelm troop positions.” Military spokesman Sani Uba said late Monday that the troops lost an unspecified number of soldiers and a military officer, without providing further details. It adds to a death toll of several soldiers and at least one officer in the past week. Security analysts estimate at least four military officers have been killed in that …

In Nigeria’s protracted violence, debate over whether religion is the cause, or the casualty

In Nigeria’s protracted violence, debate over whether religion is the cause, or the casualty

Published by Sam Flores

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — When gunmen stormed villages near Makurdi in Nigeria’s Benue state last year, Pastor Emmanuel Ochefu said the attack felt personal. “They came at night, shouting and burning homes,” said Ochefu, who leads a small Pentecostal church outside the city and spoke with RNS by phone. “Most of the people killed were Christians. We cannot pretend that our faith is not part of why we are targeted.” Nigeria was the first country mentioned in the introduction of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s annual report that was released on Wednesday (March 4), describing its “terrifying crisis of religious violence” and connecting it to the politics of the country. “Nigeria’s religious freedom environment is contextually unique in terms of its violent and complex perfect storm of religious, political, social, and economic factors, but it is representative of the alarming persistence of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) violations that continue to plague millions of people across the globe,” reads the report from the independent bipartisan agency. The report details sacrifices of many …