The suspected leader of the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram is denying government claims that the group is involved in peace talks. In a video posted on YouTube, Abubakar Shekau says group members have not sat down with government officials in a dialogue. The video could not be independently authenticated. Shekau also said Abul […]
Islamic Sect Says No Peace Talks With Nigerian Government
Boko Haram Spokesman Reported Killed in Nigeria
Nigerian soldiers say troops have killed a man suspected of being a spokesman for the Islamist sect Boko Haram and arrested two of its field commanders. A soldier who participated Monday in the operation in the northern part of the country told VOA that troops, acting on a tip, stopped a car at a checkpoint […]
Nigerian Police Watch Phone Towers After Attacks
Nigeria’s police chief has ordered 24-hour surveillance of all telecommunication facilities, after attacks that destroyed mobile phone towers in the country’s north. The Islamist militant group known as Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attacks Thursday, saying telecom companies are helping security agents track and arrest the group’s members, apparently through their cellphones. In a […]
Boko Haram Threatens VOA Reporters
A radical Nigerian sect is again threatening reporters working with Voice of America. The warning issued Thursday by Boko Haram came in the same statement in which it claimed responsibility for attacking and destroying mobile phone towers in the northern part of the country. Boko Haram spokesman Abu Qaqa said in the statement the group […]
Boko Haram Threatens VOA Reporters
A radical Nigerian sect is again threatening reporters working with Voice of America. The warning issued Thursday by Boko Haram came in the same statement in which it claimed responsibility for attacking and destroying mobile phone towers in the northern part of the country. Boko Haram spokesman Abu Qaqa said in the statement the group […]
Nigeria Presidency Confirms ‘Backroom’ Talks With Boko Haram
A spokesman for Nigeria’s president has confirmed the government is engaged in talks with Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group blamed for killing hundreds of people. Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said “backroom” negotiations are being held to bring peace and stability, particularly in the north where most of the violence has taken place. Abati told […]
Nigerian Militant Group Claims Talks With Government
A purported spokesman for the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram says the group is engaged in direct talks with the government on ending violence in the country’s north. In a statement obtained by VOA , Habu Mohammed, who claims to be a deputy to Boko Haram leader Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, says the militant group decided […]
Nigeria’s Christian Leader Criticizes US Decision On Islamist Group
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 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 […]
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 […]