Uncategorized
Nigeria: ‘Children used’ as suicide bombers in Borno attack
Children were used as suicide bombers in a triple attack in Nigeria on Monday, Unicef has said.
Two girls and a boy carried out the bombing outside a video hall in Konduga village in north-eastern Borno State, the UN children’s charity said. Their ages are not yet known.
Officials say at least 30 people were killed and 40 injured in the attack.
The bombing is believed to have been carried out by the Boko Haram jihadist group. It has not yet commented.
According to Unicef, five children have been used in suicide attacks since the beginning of the year.
In 2018, 48 children were used as human bombs in Nigeria, including 38 girls.
“Unicef appeals to all those involved in this terrible conflict to protect children at all times and to keep them out of harm’s way,” the organisation said.
Formed in Borno State, Boko Haram has waged a brutal insurgency across the north-east for a decade.
As part of the ongoing armed conflict, thousands of children have been recruited and used by armed groups as combatants and non-combatants.
Unicef said girls are raped and forced to marry, with some becoming pregnant in captivity and giving birth without medical care.
What happened in the attack?
The blast took place outside a hall as a group of people gathered to watch television.
Ali Hassan, leader of a self-defence group in Konduga, told AFP news agency that the owner of the hall had prevented one bomber from entering.
“There was a heated argument between the operator and the bomber who blew himself up,” he said.
Two other attackers who were nearby then set off their devices.
The number of casualties was high because emergency services arrived late at the site of the blast. They were not adequately equipped to deal with such a large number of wounded people, Usman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency (Sema) told AFP.
Video halls are common across northern Nigeria. They are usually rudimentary buildings where people pay a small fee to watch football matches or films.
Boko Haram has targeted them on several occasions, saying they are un-Islamic.
Konduga has been targeted before. In July 2018, eight people were killed after a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a mosque.
President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the families of the victims and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.
At least 27,000 lives have been lost and about two million people forced to flee their homes in the conflict with Boko Haram.
‘Daunting and complex security challenges’
This latest attack came at the end of a bloody weekend in northern Nigeria. There is rising concern of insecurity in other parts of the country.
On Friday night an armed gang killed at least 34 people in the north-western state of Zamfara, which has been at the centre of a wave of attacks by bandits since the beginning of the year.
The Boko Haram insurgency has been terrorising people in the north-east for the past decade, and has been the main area of focus for Nigeria’s armed forces.
But the triple suicide bombings in Borno on Sunday reflect just how complex the security challenges are.
The government has said that Boko Haram and the rival Islamic State of West Africa Province (Iswap) group are on their last legs. But both the military and population of the north-east continue to suffer regular attacks.
Although Boko Haram has lost a lot of the territory it held in the north-east in the last four years, it is still attacking soft targets in mosques, markets and public gatherings.
Combine this with the ongoing banditry attacks in the north-west, and kidnappings across the country’s highways, and the scale of the security challenge is daunting.
This was first published by bbc.com
President Donald Trump of the United States has threatened the BRICS group of emerging economies with tariffs of 100 per cent if they move away from the US dollar as an international means of payment.
Trump issued the threat on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar, while we stand by and watch, is over.
“We are going to require a commitment from these seemingly hostile Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty US Dollar.
“If not, they will face 100 per cent Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US Economy,” Trump said.
@ Villagers scramble for safety
@ Four bodies recover from the scene
With barely one week after fuel Tanker explosion rocked Dikko, Gurara local government area of Niger state killing over 100 people and injured 69 others, another explosion has rocked the state, this time around at a mining site at Sabon Pegi in Mashegun local government area of the state.
The explosion was said to have occurred in the early hour of Sunday when the miner had just resumed for the day work at the mining site.
The explosion was said to have sent shockwave to the entire Sabon Pegi and its neighboring villages, including New Bussa, headquarters of Borgu local government area of the state, leaving the people scrambling for safety.
A source close to the community who confirmed the incident to Daily Sun on phone, said although the cause of the explosion could not be immediately ascertained, poor handling of explosive devices being used by the mining company in the area for mining activities must have been responsible for the blast.
According to him, four bodies have been recovered from the scene of the blast but the numbers of casualties could be more than that “because the explosion occurred when the miners were just resuming work in the morning.
“Everybody is afraid to go close to the area for now because nobody knows what will happen next, especially when we didn’t know what must have triggered the explosion that shook the entire village, including New Bussa.
“People were just running into the bush because initially they thought the explosion was from the hydro electricity dam in the area because it was very loud. It was later that we were told that the explosion occurred at a mining site at Sabon Pegi in Mashegun local government area which shares border with some villages in Borgu local government area”, he added.
He however ruled out any possible link to terrorist attack in the area, stressing that “no, the explosion occurred at a mining site, the mining company usually use explosives devices for mining activities, so it must be poor handling of these devices that must have resulted in the explosion.
“Although there is history of terrorists activities in the area here but this very incident has nothing to do with terrorists. There is serious mining activities going on in that particular village, and it has been long”, he said.
Meanwhile there is no statement yet from either the state government or the state police command on the latest incident as at the time of filing this report.
Daily Sun
Controversial rapper, Darlington Achakpo, better known as Speed Darlington has been released by police after spending two months in custody.
His lawyer announced the news on Instagram, thanking everyone who helped secure his release.
He wrote, “Delighted to announce that our client, Mr Darlington Achakpo Aka Speed Darlington (Akpi) has regained his freedom after two months of illegal incarceration.
“For the record, as his team of lawyers, we will be exploring every angle of the law to ensure that he gets justice for his fundamental human right which was deprived of him by the Nigerian Police Force and for the unfair/unjust treatment he was subjected to.
“Mr Achakpo extends his gratitude to everyone who threw in their support and Special thanks to my colleagues, Mr Marshal Abubakar Esq, Barr Deji Adeyanju, Barr Hamza Nuh, Barr David.”
It should be recalled that Speed Darlington was arrested on 27th of November, 2024, during a performance in Owerri, Imo State.
Reports suggest the arrest was connected to an alleged verbal attack on Afrofusion star Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ogulu.
2025 Grammy: Your achievement is historic – Sanwo-Olu congratulates Tems
Peter Obi congratulates Tems on Grammy win
Electricity, telecom tariffs increase unconscionable, should be stopped – Shehu Sani
Know The Airlines, Departure And Arrival Terminals In Lagos Airports By Ayodeji Awokunmi
Know the Airlines, departure, and arrival terminals in Lagos Domestic Airports
Dissecting Caritas CEO’S ‘Public Relations Thoughts And Deeds’ By Stanley Olisa
-
Business1 week agoSA billionaire Johann Rupert maintains Africa’s richest man record, Dangote New position revealed
-
News1 week agoUvisuals Studios and Ark and Rainbow Development Foundation screens short film – LOTUS
-
Entertainment1 week ago‘Eezee Concept vowed to destroy my career’ – Mercy Chinwo
-
News1 week ago15 feared dead in Enugu fuel tanker explosion
-
Politics1 week agoInsubordination: Gov Okpebholo suspends FEWMA boss, Ahmed Musa Momoh indefinitely
-
News1 week agoFour arrested in Anambra for burning 74-yr-old woman to death
-
News6 days ago2027: I’m not against coalition – Peter Obi
-
News5 days agoLAGOS BEGINS 3-DAY FREE HIV TESTING AND COUNSELLING SERVICES IN 19 RIVERINE COMMUNITIES