Burkina Faso and US DC National Guard Sign Partnership

The District of Columbia National Guard and the National Armed Forces of Burkina Faso signed a partnership agreement on 1 February. This initiative occurs under the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program (SPP) which brings together different National Guards with U.S. partners around the world. The deal occurs at a critical moment as violence in Burkina Faso continues.

Rampaging Pirates Unleash Terror on Ships, Crew On Nigerian Waters

Nigeria has recorded the highest number of pirate attacks on ships in the past two years, according to the International Maritime Bureau while the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel put the country’s revenue loss to maritime crimes in 2018 at $2.8bn.

Ghana Expels 723 Nigerians Over Cybercrime, Prostitution And Illegal Residence

No fewer than seven hundred and twenty-three (723) Nigerians have been deported from Ghana within the last 12 months, according to statistics from the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana.

Election Security: Nigerian Army Launches Election Monitoring & Security Room

The Chief of Army Staff Nigerian Army (NA), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has today Wednesday the 13th of February 2019 launched Elections Monitoring and Security Situation Room with the view to safeguarding and strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.

Fears of Violence in Nigeria Ahead of Saturday Election

Lagos, Nigeria - Fears of violence have gripped many in Nigeria days before the presidential and legislative elections on February 16 with at least five deaths reported so far in pre-poll clashes.

Geopolitics: How Russia Is Bolstering Its Strategic Influence In Africa

Much has been made about China’s role and profile in Africa and the factors underlying its activities on the continent. Less debated is the spread and depth of Russia’s contemporary presence and profile in Africa.

Six Russian Sailors Seized By Pirates Released in Nigeria — Embassy

Six Russian sailors, seized by pirates near Benin’s territorial waters in early January during an attack against the container ship The MSC Mandy, have been released in Nigeria, the Russian embassy in Nigeria told TASS on Wednesday.

United Nations Office on Drugs And Crime Reports 'Alarming' Trends in Drug Trafficking in Africa

UNITED NATIONS — 

The U.N. drugs and crime chief said Wednesday that his office is registering “new, alarming trends” in drug trafficking in western and central Africa that are destabilizing the ability of country’s to govern as well as security, economic growth and public health.

Nigeria Declares Lassa Fever Outbreak, Activates Emergency Response

Lassa Fever Outbreak in Nigeria - Image credit: BellaNaija

Nigeria on Tuesday declared a Lassa Fever outbreak in the country. This followed the increase in the number of Lassa Fever cases reported in states since the beginning of the year, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said.

20,000 Nigerian Girls Trafficked To Mali For Prostitution - NAPTIP

Nigeria's anti-trafficking agency, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it has received concrete intelligence that around 20,000 Nigerian girls have been forced into prostitution in Mali.

National Security Under Scrutiny As Nigeria Votes

Recent Killings in Nigeria_Credit_Vanguard Newspaper

In Nigeria, where religious and ethnic identity often determines support for a candidate, Mudi Bawa might well have been expected to vote for Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. Both are northern Muslims. 

Boko Haram Insurgents Attack Damasak, Rann Villages, Borno State

Reports reaching PREMIUM TIMES from credible military sources say that Boko Haram insurgents last night carried out yet another attack on two Borno villages.

Piracy: Russian Embassy, Nigerian Authorities Track Kidnapped Sailors

The Russian Embassy in Nigeria is collaborating with the government to track down the location of crew members taken hostage from the “MSC Mandy” near the coast of the Republic of Benin between January 1 and 2.

Eurasia Group Forecasts The Biggest Geopolitical Risks of 2019: The Nigeria, Buhari, Atiku Connection

Leading geopolitical and political risk advisory firm, Eurasia Group founded by Ian Bremmer asserts that, the global geopolitical environment is at its most dangerous in decades. Here is a look at Eurasia’s top predictions for risks that could impact the world in 2019. Risk number 10 on the list chronicles what might pan out if either of the two top presidential candidates in Nigeria's forthcoming presidential election, Buhari or Atiku wins.

Boko Haram Insurgents Give Borno Community 3-Day Ultimatum To Relocate

Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly given residents of Jakana village along Maiduguri, Damaturu road till Wednesday to relocate or face its wrath.

Nigeria Lost $2.8bn To Oil-Related Crimes in 2018 —UN Report

The United Nations says Nigeria lost an estimated 2.8 billion dollars in revenues in 2018, mainly due to oil-related crimes.

The ISWAP Blitzkrieg on Baga: Matters Arising

The year 2018 ended on a sour note along the shoreline of Lake Chad. For the last fortnight the reports of conflict near the town of Baga have caught analysts by surprise.

2 Catholic Priests Kidnapped in Anambra, Southeast Nigeria

Gunmen have kidnapped two Catholic priests at Nneyi Umeri area of Anambra. A source in Umeri on Tuesday in Awka said that the clergymen were abducted while on their way back from Onitsha on Monday evening. 

13 Soldiers, Police Officer Killed In Boko Haram Ambush in Borno

The Nigerian Army says Boko Haram terrorists have killed at least 10 soldiers and one police officer in an ambush in Borno State, Northeast Nigeria.

Why Nigeria is struggling To Defeat Boko Haram

Muna Custom House camp lies on the edge of Maiduguri, near one of many trenches surrounding the northern Nigerian city dug to help keep Boko Haram at bay. It is often the first port of call for internally displaced people fleeing from the largely lawless hinterlands that surround the city at the centre of one of the world’s deadliest jihadi insurgencies.