The head of Nigeria’s Christians says the U.S. decision last month to declare only three Boko Haram leaders as terrorists does not go far enough. Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, told a U.S. congressional committee Tuesday that refusing to list the whole group as a foreign terrorist organization was equivalent to […]
Nigeria’s Christian Leader Criticizes US Decision On Islamist Group
Nigeria’s Boko Haram Claims Responsibility for Funeral Attack
The radical Islamist group, Boko Haram, says it was behind Sunday’s attack on a funeral in northeastern Nigeria that killed dozens of people, including two prominent politicians. Police had blamed ethnic Fulani herdsmen for raiding villages over the weekend and the later attack on the funeral. In an emailed statement to journalists, Boko Haram claimed […]
Two Politicians Killed in Central Nigeria
Two Nigerian politicians were killed in central Nigeria Sunday while attending a mass burial for victims of an attack on Saturday. Officials say a federal senator and a state legislator were among more than 20 people killed in the funeral procession near the Plateau state capital, Jos. They say one politician escaped the attack. Officials […]
Two Nigerian Men Charged With Al-Qaida Links
A court in Nigeria has charged two men with having links to the terrorist group al-Qaida and planning to recruit new members and transport them to Yemen. The two Nigerians, Olaniyi Lawal and Luqman Babatunde, pleaded not guilty Thursday at a federal court in the capital, Abuja. Prosecutors accuse the two men of receiving more […]
Nigerian Construction Workers Killed in Northeast
Nigeria’s military says nine construction workers have been killed in the country’s northeast, where militants from the Islamist group Boko Haram are active. Military officials say the victims were working on a mosque in the city of Maiduguri. A military spokesman told the Associated Press that the victims’ throats were slashed in the attack early […]
Bomb Blast Hits Nigeria’s Capital
Nigerian authorities say a bomb exploded outside a nightclub in the capital, Abuja, late Friday. Officials say no one was injured, but the windows of nearby buildings were shattered and a number of cars were damaged. The explosion came just hours after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan fired his national security adviser and defense minister. Nigeria […]
US Puts 3 Boko Haram Members on Terrorist List
The United States has placed three members of the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram on its list of designated terrorists. The U.S. State Department announced Thursday it was adding Abubakar Shekau, Abubakar Adam Kambar and Khalid al-Barnawi to the terrorist list. A statement described Shekau as the “most visible leader” of Boko Haram. It said […]
More Clashes in North Nigeria as Violence Kills Close to 100
Violent clashes between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria’s north flared again Wednesday, bringing the death toll from four days of unrest close to 100. The clashes took place despite a round-the-clock curfew in the cities of Kaduna and Damaturu. Witnesses reported a large number of soldiers patrolling the streets. The wave of unrest began Sunday, […]
Nigeria Curfews in Place After Violence Kills Dozens
Residents in two northern Nigeria cities remained under curfews Wednesday, after three days of violence that killed dozens. Nigerians in the cities of Kaduna and Damaturu were confined to their homes 24 hours-a-day, leaving the streets virtually deserted. Witnesses report a large number of soldiers patrolling the streets. There were conflicting death toll estimates Wednesday, […]
3 Days of Sectarian Clashes in Nigeria Leave More Than 70 Dead
At least 70 people have been killed in the past three days in Nigeria after church bombings sparked violence in two northern Nigerian cities. Suicide bomb attacks on churches in Kaduna and Zaria Sunday left more than 20 people dead and sparked reprisals by Christian mobs. Officials say 52 people were killed and more than […]