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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
Liverpool and Manchester City are reportedly interested in Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina.
Aina is in the final months of his contract with Nottingham Forest.
The Nigerian international is yet to sign an extension and could leave on a free transfer this summer.
Liverpool and Manchester City are closely monitoring his situation at Forest, according to TBR Football.
The 28-year-old has established himself as one of the best full-backs in the Premier League since arriving at the club on a free transfer two years ago.
Ola Aina made his 50th Premier League appearance for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in the 1-0 victory over Manchester City last weekend.
Liverpool are considering him as a replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who could leave for Real Madrid this summer.
Also, City want him to take the place of Kyle Walker, who is expected to move to AC Milan on a permanent deal in the summer.
…set to establish counter terrorism brigade to combat terrorists
A 3-day meeting of Chiefs of Defence Staff((CDS), from the Economic Countries of West African States(ECOWAS), has ended in Abuja with a promise to establish the ECOWAS Standby Force, ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Brigade, and the strategic rotation of peace support officers.
Chiefs of Defence Staff(CDS), General Christopher Musa, gave the assurance at the closing ceremony of the
43rd Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of chiefs of Defence staff in Abuja.
Gen. Musa, who is also the chairman of ECOWAS committee of chiefs of Defence staff, said the three-day meeting deliberated on fostering security cooperation and forging a unified front against insecurity bedeviling the peace and stability of the region.
The CDS, while noting that the meeting identified some critical vulnerabilities to regional security and demonstrated their firm resolve towards addressing these threats, said the meeting also covered the deployment of the ECOWAS Standby Force, the consideration of an ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Brigade, and the strategic rotation of peace support officers.
The CDS, said, “As we wrap up the 43rd Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff, I am delighted to note that this meeting has been most rewarding. Deliberations have been sincere and forthright, with our collective security being accorded the desired priority.
“In the course of our deliberations, we identified critical vulnerabilities to regional security and demonstrated our firm resolve towards addressing these threats. As expected, there were areas of concern between members, but more importantly, there was a firm resolve on the need for collective action.
“This is the spirit of this gathering, which is firmly rooted in a resolute commitment to meeting our primary obligation as members of the armed and defence forces of our respective countries, which is to defend and protect our peoples from harm and insecurities.”
He noted that over the past days, they have deliberated on critical security concerns in the West African subregion.
“Some of these areas include the review of pledges for the ECOWAS Standby Force, consideration of pledges for the ECOWAS Counter-Terrorist Brigade, and the rotation of Staff Officers of Peace Support Operation Divisions and the ECOWAS Standby Force.
“Others were the presentation on the outcome of the Governmental Experts Meeting on the ECOWAS Logistics Concept and Standing Operating Procedures for the ECOWAS Logistics Depot in Lungi. The meeting also provided an opportunity to review the report of the last ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Naval Staff Meeting”.
“It is with great pleasure and honour that I stand before you all to deliver these closing remarks on the occasion of the closing of the 43rd Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff. Our gathering over the past three days has been geared towards promoting regional security and cooperation within the ECOWAS Community and forging a common front in addressing our security challenges.
“I wish to thank the Chairman of ECOWAS Heads of States and Government, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, for his leadership and support in making this meeting a reality. I also wish to thank the Minister of Defence for his presence and support for this meeting.
“I am indeed grateful to all the ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff from Benin Republic, Cape Verde, La Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Togo who took time out of their busy schedules to grace this meeting. The task ahead of us is daunting, but with our collective resolve, we shall overcome”.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State held a closed-door meeting on Thursday.
The purpose of the meeting, which took place at the Ramat House in Bauchi State, could not be immediately ascertained.
However, the meeting between the LP and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts is believed to be connected to political permutations ahead of the 2027 general election.
Obi and Mohammed are expected to address journalists after the meeting.
Obi secured 6,101,533 votes to emerge third in the 2023 presidential election.
Since the presidential election, the former governor has held meetings with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other political heavyweights.
There have been calls for uniting the opposition ahead of the 2027 election.
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