Latest news with #Maiduguri
Japan Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Millions go hungry in Nigeria as aid dries up and jihadists surge
Resurgent jihadist attacks, huge cuts in foreign aid and a spiraling cost of living: hunger is looming in northeastern Nigeria, where more than a million people face starvation. Before insurgency upended daily life, Damboa was a regional farming hub. Today it stands on the frontline of survival. Located around 90 kilometers south of Borno state capital Maiduguri, the town lies on the fringes of the Sambisa forest, a game reserve turned jihadist enclave. While Nigeria's 16-year-old insurgency has slowed since violence peaked around 2015, attacks have picked up since the beginning of the year due to myriad factors that saw jihadist groups strengthen and security forces stretched thin. Almata Modu, 25, joined thousands of others fleeing the countryside into town in May, after jihadists overran her village. Rations are already meager — and set to run out as Western aid dries up. "We are safe, but the food is not enough," Modu said, wearing a purple hijab, approaching an aid distribution center in a police station. Aminata Adamu, 36, agreed. She fled her home a decade ago and receives monthly rations for four registered family members — even though the family has since grown to 11. 'Lives will be lost' The limited food will soon run out by the end of July as Western aid cuts — including President Donald Trump's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development — send humanitarian programs into a tailspin. "This is our last rice from USAID," said Chi Lael, Nigeria spokeswoman for the World Food Program, pointing at a stack of white bags at another distribution center in Mafa, around 150 kilometers from Damboa. There are 5 million "severely hungry" people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states — the three worst affected by the jihadist insurgency waged by Boko Haram and rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). WFP has until now only been able to feed 1.3 million who now face starvation as food handouts run out. "There is no food left in the warehouses," said Lael. "Lives will be lost." The timing couldn't be worse. June to September is known as the "lean season", the time between planting and harvest when families have little food reserves. Normally, rural farmers would buy food — but amid mass inflation from an economic crisis, coupled with forced displacement, many "can't afford much", said Diana Japaridze, of the International Committee of the Red Cross. A child gets a temperature check in Borno State, Nigeria, on July 14. | WFP Nigeria Communications Service / via REUTERS Flying into Damboa shows vast swathes of farmland abandoned because of the violence. The IS-aligned ISWAP has become better organised. Concurrently, the Niger-Nigeria counterterrorism collaboration has been strained as the military is stretched thin by a separate banditry crisis and an economic crunch has stiffened rural grievances that such groups feed off, according to analysts. A farmer was killed in his field just days ago, residents said. Meanwhile, Damboa has the highest and most severe cases of malnutrition among children under five years in northeast Nigeria, said Kevin Akwawa, a doctor with the International Medical Corps. 150 nutrition centers shutting down Fanna Abdulraman, 39, mother of eight, brought her six-month-old, severely malnourished twins to a nutrition center. She latched them to her breasts but, malnourished herself, she can't produce milk. Of the 500 nutrition centers that the WFP operates in northeast Nigeria, 150 are to be shut at the end of July due to shortage of funding. That leaves the lives of some 300,000 children at risk, according to WFP nutrition officer Dr. John Ala. Two imposing banners bearing the trademark blue-and-red USAID logo still hang on the front gate, where stocks will soon run out. A sign of the insecurity in the area, everyone entering the center is frisked with a handheld metal detector. Looming food shortages threaten to make matters worse. "When you see food insecurity, poverty, the next thing ... is more insecurity, because people will resort to very terrible coping mechanisms to survive," Ala said. Across the country a record nearly 31 million people face acute hunger, according to David Stevenson, WFP chief in Nigeria. With WFP operations collapsing in northeast Nigeria, "this is no longer just a humanitarian crisis, it's a growing threat to regional stability", said Stevenson. Fanna Mohammed, a 30-year-old mother of nine, was oblivious to the fact that food aid and child nutrition treatment will soon end. "I can't imagine that we will live," she said when she found out, an eight-month-old strapped on her back, a two-year-old shyly fidgeting next to her. In a June-to-September outlook report, the WFP and Food and Agriculture Organization warn "critical levels of acute food insecurity are expected to deteriorate" as the conflict intensifies, economic hardships persist and floods are expected. Despite the desperate need for more food, only a few farmers dare to venture out. They tend their fields under the protection of armed militias, stationed a few kilometers apart along the Maiduguri-Mafa highway.
France 24
7 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Millions go hungry in Nigeria as aid dries up, jihadists surge
Before insurgency upended daily life, Damboa was a regional farming hub. Today it stands on the frontline of survival. Located around 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Borno state capital Maiduguri, the town lies on the fringes of the Sambisa forest, a game reserve turned jihadist enclave. While Nigeria's 16-year-old insurgency has slowed since violence peaked around 2015, attacks have picked up since the beginning of the year due to a myriad of factors that saw jihadist groups strengthen and security forces stretched thin. Almata Modu, 25, joined thousands of others fleeing the countryside into town in May, after jihadists overran her village. Rations are already meagre -- and set to run out as Western aid dries up. "We are safe, but the food is not enough," Modu told AFP, wearing a purple hijab, approaching an aid distribution centre in a police station. Aminata Adamu, 36, agreed. She fled her home a decade ago and receives monthly rations for four registered family members -- even though the family has since grown to 11. 'Lives will be lost' The limited food will soon run out by the end of July as Western aid cuts -- including President Donald Trump's dismantling of the US Agency for International Development -- send humanitarian programmes into a tailspin. "This is our last rice from USAID," said Chi Lael, Nigeria spokeswoman for the World Food Programme, pointing at a stack of white bags at another distribution centre in Mafa, around 150 kilometres from Damboa. There are five million "severely hungry" people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states -- the three worst affected by the jihadist insurgency waged by Boko Haram and rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). WFP has until now only been able to feed 1.3 million who now face starvation as food handouts run out. "There is no food left in the warehouses," said Lael. "Lives will be lost." The timing couldn't be worse. June to September is known as the "lean season", the time between planting and harvest when families have little food reserves. Normally, rural farmers would buy food -- but amid mass inflation from an economic crisis, coupled with forced displacement, many "can't afford much", said Diana Japaridze, of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Flying into Damboa shows vast swathes of farmland, abandoned because of the violence. The IS-aligned ISWAP has become better organised. Concurrently, the Niger-Nigeria counter-terrorism collaboration has been strained as the military is stretched thin by a separate banditry crisis and an economic crunch has stiffened rural grievances that such groups feed off, according to analysts. A farmer was killed in his field just days ago, residents said. Meanwhile, Damboa has the highest and most severe cases of malnutrition among children under five years in northeast Nigeria, said Kevin Akwawa, a doctor with the International Medical Corps. 150 nutrition centres shutting down Fanna Abdulraman, 39, mother of eight, brought her six-month-old, severely malnourished twins to a nutrition centre. She latched them to her breasts but, malnourished herself, she can't produce milk. Of the 500 nutrition centres that the WFP operates in northeast Nigeria, 150 are to be shut at the end of July due to shortage of funding. That leaves the lives of some 300,000 children at risk, according to WFP nutrition officer Dr John Ala. Two imposing banners bearing the trademark blue-and-red USAID logo still hang on the front gate, where stocks will soon run out. A sign of the insecurity in the area, everyone entering the centre is frisked with a handheld metal detector. Looming food shortages threaten to make matters worse. "When you see food insecurity, poverty, the next thing... is more insecurity, because people will resort to very terrible coping mechanisms to survive," Ala said. Across the country a record nearly 31 million people face acute hunger, according to David Stevenson, WFP chief in Nigeria. With WFP operations collapsing in northeast Nigeria, "this is no longer just a humanitarian crisis, it's a growing threat to regional stability", said Stevenson. Fanna Mohammed, a 30-year-old mother of nine, was oblivious food aid and child nutrition treatment will soon end. "I can't imagine that we will live," she said when she found out, an eight-month-old strapped on her back, a two-year-old shyly fidgeting next to her. In a June-to-September outlook report, the WFP and Food and Agriculture Organization warn "critical levels of acute food insecurity are expected to deteriorate" as the conflict intensifies, economic hardships persist and floods are expected. Despite the desperate need for more food, only a few farmers dare to venture out. They tend their fields under the protection of armed militias, stationed a few kilometres apart along the Maiduguri-Mafa highway.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Public facilities wey don get new name since 2023
Within two years wey di Nigeria president office, President Bola Tinubu start im administration e don commission and rename several goment properties afta im name, politicians and popular figures for Nigeria. On Thursday, president Bola Tinubu rename di University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) afta di late former President Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari die at di age of 82 for one London clinic on Sunday and im family bury am on Tuesday for Daura, Katsina state. During di Federal Executive Council (FEC) wey hold in honour of di late former president on Thursday, Tinubu rename UNIMAID to Muhammadu Buhari University, Maiduguri. "Di ceremony for di special session of di Federal Executive Council honour di eighth Nigerian leader— civil war hero, former military head of state, and anti-corruption advocate — passing on July 13, with legacy of discipline and patriotism," di statement tok. "President Tinubu, open di floodgates of tributes in di presence of later leader children, e rename di 50-year-old University of Maiduguri Muhammadu Buhari University." UNIMAID to Muhammadu Buhari University Dem establish di university in 1975, under military goment in di capital city of Borno State, in northeast Nigeria. UNIMAID get 16 faculties and 127 programmes, wit 26 000 students. Now, di president don rename am as Muhammadu Buhari University, Maiduguri. Buhari serve as Nigeria democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023, e also rule as military head of state from January 1984 to August 1985. Abuja International Conference Centre to Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Centre Recently, dem rename Abuja International Conference Centre wey former President Ibrahim Babangida Tinubu to Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Centre. Di Nigeria Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike also name halls inside di centre afta some politicians. Im name halls afta Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief Justice of Nigeria Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of di House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas. According to di FCT Minister, dis na im way to say thank you to dem for supporting im FCT Administration and for how di Judiciary and Legislative arms of goment dey collabo wit executive. Former President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida bin build di Abuja International Conference Centre for 1991. According to Wike, Babangida bin build to ICC to host one Organization of African Unity meeting. Oda tins goments don rename since 2023 In March 2024, Niger State govnor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, rename di Minna International Airport from Abubakar Imam Kagara International Airport to Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport. Many residents of di state para ova di new changes accusing di govnor of operating Tinubu-led goment for dia state. In June 2025, president Bola Tinubu also name one 300-bed specialist hospital for Millennium Square in Kaduna state as Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital. In January 2025, president Bola Tinubu commission newly built military barracks in Abuja and name di facility afta imsef "Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks." Di barrack go accommodate military personnel and provide dem facilities like sport center, clinic, worship centers, roads, among others. During di commission, president Tinubu describe di officers of di Nigerian Armed Forces as "heroes" of Nigeria. In December 2024, dem rename di Immigration Headquarters afta Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex. Di president also name, di Murtala Mohammed Expressway for Abuja afta Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka in June 2024.
The Independent
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Boko Haram militants kill 9 people and injure 4 in northeastern Nigeria, authorities say
Islamic extremists killed nine people and injured four in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, authorities said Sunday. The attack was carried out by Boko Haram militants on the Malam Fatori community, Babagana Zulum, the state governor, said. He did not say when the attack happened. The community, very close to the border of Chad, is about 270 kilometers (167 miles) from Maiduguri, Borno's capital city. The governor, represented by Sugun Mai Mele, the commissioner for local governments, visited the community and warned residents against collaborating with Boko Haram militants. 'Anyone found collaborating with the insurgents to bring harm or attack to the people of Malam Fatori will be cursed,' he said, adding that there are measures being put in place to fortify the town against future attacks. A resurgence of Boko Haram attacks has been shaking Nigeria's northeast in recent months, as Islamic extremists have repeatedly overrun military outposts, mined roads with bombs and raided civilian communities, raising fears of a possible return to peak Boko Haram-era insecurity despite the military's claims of successes. Last month, a suicide bomber suspected to be female killed at least 10 people and injured several others in an explosion in a restaurant in the Konduga area of Borno, as the state struggles to curb attacks by the extremists. Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict also has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbors. Some 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced in Nigeria's northeastern region, according to the U.N. Apart from the insurgency in the northeast, Africa's most populous country is also facing serious security challenges in the north-central and northwest regions, where hundreds have been killed and injured in recent months.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Boko Haram militants kill 9 people and injure 4 in northeastern Nigeria, authorities say
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Islamic extremists killed nine people and injured four in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, authorities said Sunday. The attack was carried out by Boko Haram militants on the Malam Fatori community, Babagana Zulum, the state governor, said. He did not say when the attack happened. The community, very close to the border of Chad, is about 270 kilometers (167 miles) from Maiduguri, Borno's capital city. The governor, represented by Sugun Mai Mele, the commissioner for local governments, visited the community and warned residents against collaborating with Boko Haram militants. 'Anyone found collaborating with the insurgents to bring harm or attack to the people of Malam Fatori will be cursed,' he said, adding that there are measures being put in place to fortify the town against future attacks. A resurgence of Boko Haram attacks has been shaking Nigeria's northeast in recent months, as Islamic extremists have repeatedly overrun military outposts, mined roads with bombs and raided civilian communities, raising fears of a possible return to peak Boko Haram-era insecurity despite the military's claims of successes. Last month, a suicide bomber suspected to be female killed at least 10 people and injured several others in an explosion in a restaurant in the Konduga area of Borno, as the state struggles to curb attacks by the extremists. Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict also has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbors. Some 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced in Nigeria's northeastern region, according to the U.N. Apart from the insurgency in the northeast, Africa's most populous country is also facing serious security challenges in the north-central and northwest regions, where hundreds have been killed and injured in recent months.
