Latest news with #Nigerian
The South African
11 minutes ago
- Business
- The South African
'Nigerian scammers' use Siya Kolisi to dupe public in AI video
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi's likeness has been used by 'Nigerian scammers' who created an AI video featuring the popular player. In the video, 'Siya' appears to encourage his followers to engage in an investment scheme. On the X platform, an AI-created video of Siya Kolisi has left many South Africans amused and confused. The clip features the Springbok captain's likeness, encouraging the public to 'invest' in a programme that could generate high interest. Speaking in a 'Nigerian' accent, the man South Africans recognise as Kolisi says: 'I guarantee that everyone who registers this month and invests the minimum amount of R4 400 will be able to earn their first R100 000 Seemingly trying to convince the public, 'Siya Kolisi' added, 'I have no need to lie. I use this project myself, from which I receive additional high income. It is completely transparent, legal, and has already helped thousands of people around the country. 'I will show proof that it really works'. On X, South Africans have been amused and somewhat amazed at the creativity of scammers. Siya Kolisi has yet to respond to the scam's use of his image. Siya Kolisi is not the first Springbok to be used to prey on the public in a scam. In 2019, SA Rugby issued a stern warning to the public about social media posts using coach Rassie Erasmus to try to lure money from them. The posts featured fake screenshots of articles from reputable publications. SA Rugby shared: 'The authors are trying to steal your money. And for absolute clarity, Rassie – or any other Springbok personality whose identity may be hijacked – does not have investing advice for you; does not want you to send money to him or her, and is not recommending any kind of business opportunity even if it relates to rugby. These are all scams'. It added: 'Please ignore them, keep your money in your pocket and share this advice with any friends who may be in danger of being duped'. SCAM ALERT: Do not be fooled by fake news stories purporting to come from reputable websites and in social media… Posted by Springboks on Tuesday 17 December 2019 Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Daily Maverick
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Piracy decline sparks wave of kidnappings in the Bight of Biafra
A decline in piracy has pushed criminals towards hostage-taking, creating a growing ransom economy in the ocean region from Nigeria to Gabon. Nigerian pirates kidnapped two government officials in Idabato, a Cameroonian border town in the Bakassi Peninsula, on 1 October 2024. One hostage, Ewane Roland Ekeh, was released on 17 March – after six months in captivity in Nigeria. The second, Etongo Ismael, remains in captivity. Since 2021, counterpiracy measures have been in place in the Bight of Biafra (or Bight of Bonny), an ocean region stretching from the Niger River mouth in Nigeria to Cape Lopez in Gabon. This has seen an overall decline in maritime piracy crime, compelling pirates to find alternative criminal activities to support themselves. They have focused primarily on hostage-taking for ransom, the crime to which Ekeh and Etongo fell victim. A rise in hostage-taking incidents in the Bight of Biafra since October 2023 can be associated with its proximity to the Niger Delta, the epicentre of maritime crime in the region, where waters are largely ungoverned. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has reported the presence of Nigerian pirate camps in border areas near Cameroon. This was confirmed by Cameroon's Delta Rapid Intervention Battalion (RIB) commander Colonel Ndikum Azieh, who said there were nine active Nigerian pirate groups operating in the Bakassi Peninsula. Former captives and Cameroonian soldiers told the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) anonymously that the factions operating in the peninsula had established bases near Apka Irok – a Nigerian fishing village across from Kombo a Bedimo, Cameroon. Niger Delta and Bakassi Peninsula These groups have well-developed hierarchical organisational structures. One group, comprising nearly 270 fighters and led by a 'Border King', is organised into nine operational units of about 30 men each, each overseen by a 'general'. These Nigerian groups are known to operate well beyond their home bases, extending their reach to far-off waters, including those of Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Gabon. When not actively engaged in pirating activities, they abduct locals in mangrove regions and on land. Azieh said pirates adapted their tactics based on their targets. For lower-value targets – described as village women and children – kidnappings can happen at any time, often timed after army patrols have passed through an area. For high-value targets, such as government officials, pirates gather intelligence and strike at night with swift boats and teams of about 10 armed with AK-47s or PKM 7.62 machine guns. The operations are usually completed within five minutes. A Bakassi Peninsula municipal official told ISS anonymously that hostages were taken to remote mangroves in Nigeria or fisheries in the peninsula, making escape difficult. This illicit industry generates substantial profits for criminal groups. Reports indicate that in Nigeria alone about $400,000 was paid in ransom to kidnappers between July 2022 and June 2023. The money is divided among various role players, including kingpins, sponsors, group leaders, negotiators, specialised team members, assault teams, camp guards and those providing onshore support. Kidnapping is traumatic for the victims and their families. Moreover, due to the persistent threat, many administrative officials, service personnel and civil servants only stay intermittently on the Bakassi Peninsula, while their families live elsewhere for safety. Thus, they are frequently absent from their official duties, affecting essential services. The kidnappings threaten both local and regional security. The area is a critical shipping zone and plays a vital role in the region's transportation of goods, fishing activities and extraction of hydrocarbon resources. As with local officials, security forces are reluctant to confront the pirates. In Nigeria, security forces sometimes lack essential resources, like fuel, hampering their ability to address piracy effectively. In Cameroon, particularly in towns like Idabato, the police and gendarmerie units are severely understaffed. Cameroon's South-West governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, declared a total lockdown in the Bakassi Peninsula last October, but this angered local residents, who then couldn't earn a living, and elevated tensions between Nigerian and Cameroonian residents in the area. There is also an absence of effective cross-border cooperation at the tactical level. This is despite a robust political and strategic partnership established under the 2013 Yaoundé maritime security architecture, which created multinational centres for cooperation, and information and intelligence sharing. These security cooperation agreements have not cascaded to lower administrative and security units. RIB soldiers say they are unable to carry out operations against pirates who are often just across the border in Nigeria. While Nigeria has honed its negotiating skills with kidnappers and criminal networks, other countries in the region don't yet have the capacity to negotiate the release of hostages. For example, family sources say Ekeh's release took a while, despite attempts by the local negotiator and Cameroonian security forces. In 2022, Nigeria enacted a law against paying ransoms, while Cameroon insists it 'does not negotiate with terrorists'. However, the reality that ransoms have been paid for the release of Western hostages creates a perception of double standards and fosters feelings of abandonment and hopelessness among local hostages' families. Ekeh's family and local journalists told ISS that his family managed to raise $100,000 from local residents, relatives, colleagues and local elites to pay his ransom. Insecurity in the Bight of Biafra was recently heightened following an announcement by the Biafra Nations League (BNL) – a Nigerian secessionist armed group operating in northeastern Nigeria and the Bakassi Peninsula – that it was launching significant operations in the area. Faced with the continuation and possibly an increase in kidnapping for ransom by pirates and threats from the BNL, states along the Bight of Biafra must actively enforce existing bilateral and multilateral security arrangements. Ensuring these agreements are implemented at the level of local security and administrative units to allow for real-time cross-border security collaboration is imperative. Both policies and operations should aim to address a range of maritime crimes, such as piracy, sea robbery and kidnapping for ransom, akin to Nigeria's Deep Blue Project. Here a regional legal framework allowing for the right of pursuit or creating a combined maritime task force would help foster cooperation across different operational maritime and coastal zones. DM
Kuwait Times
44 minutes ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Nigerian garrison town offers haven for people fleeing jihadists
MONGUNO, Nigeria: From the air, Monguno looks like a fortress, with deep trenches slashing into the sand around this garrison town in northeast Nigeria's volatile Borno State. These defenses have kept the Monguno largely secure despite the region witnessing a recent surge in attacks on military bases by jihadists fighting a grinding 16-year war. Fighting in Borno may have eased since the conflict's peak in 2015, as jihadists have been forced back. But militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province group or its rival, Boko Haram, have attacked or temporarily overrun a dozen army bases this year in Borno and neighboring Yobe state. Monguno itself fell briefly to the jihadists in 2015. Since 2019, the Nigerian army has withdrawn from villages and smaller bases to hunker down in so-called 'supercamps', or garrison towns, to protect its troops. But critics argue this gives the jihadists free rein in rural areas. The roads leading to Monguno are dotted with barriers to slow down vehicles approaching it. As soon as they pass the last trenches to the north and towards the shores of Lake Chad, where attacks are most frequent, two soldiers equipped with metal detectors sweep the road. 'We clear this 10-kilometre (six-mile) route every day to neutralize any explosive devices that may have been hidden there during the night,' said Major Oluwafemi Seyingbo, 37, who heads this demining unit. According to the United Nations Mine Action Service, the number of improvised explosive device blasts skyrocketed in 2024 in Nigeria's three northeastern states, resulting in 418 civilian casualties in 2024, twice as many as in 2023. Twelve checkpoints manned by the Nigerian army control the various entrances to Monguno. Major Friday Feekwe, 37, commands one of them. 'In March, we repelled two attacks in a few weeks. The attackers arrived in large numbers, equipped with heavy weapons,' he said. Since then, the checkpoint has been equipped with an imposing watchtower covered with camouflage netting and a 12.7 mm machine gun. Monguno has been barricaded for the past four years to ward off attacks by Boko Haram. At its peak in 2013 and 2014 the group made global headlines for kidnapping nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok, also located in Borno. Then, the jihadists controlled a 30,000-square-kilometre (12,600-square-mile) area straddling the countries surrounding Lake Chad. Monguno has become a refuge for the people of Borno thanks to the presence of the Multinational Joint Task Force, which groups troops from three Lake Chad countries: Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Benin. The vast base houses the force's Nigerian sector command. Outside the Monguno base, Umar Bullam, spade in hand, was at work in complete safety. 'I had land more than five kilometers from here that I had to abandon after Boko Haram looted my crops and fertilizer,' the 30-year-old said. 'There is peace and security here,' said Hauwa Garba. The 35-year-old arrived at the Monguno registration centre for displaced people two months ago from neighboring southern Niger, where she had lived for 11 years. The jihadists arrived in her village 'in the middle of the night and killed the adults and kidnapped the children', the mother of seven said in a low voice. She has no news of one of her daughters, 15-year-old Aisha, who was captured that night. — AFP Borno State alone accounts for nearly half of Nigeria's 3.6 million displaced people, according to the UN. 'Nigeria has managed to prevent jihadist groups from capturing major cities as they did in 2013-2014 or 2016,' said Vincent Foucher, a researcher at the CNRS, or the French Institute for Scientific Research. But despite a reinforced trench system and aerial surveillance, the country 'still has great difficulty attacking jihadists in the heart of their territories in more remote areas', he said. The resurgence of attacks is all the more worrying given that the groups now have new means at their disposal, as demonstrated by the first use of drones on December 24 against the Wajiroko military base in northeast Nigeria. – AFP
Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Nigerian troops kill 150 'bandits' in ambush, air strikes
Nigerian soldiers killed at least 150 members of a criminal gang in an ambush in northwestern Kebbi state this week, a local official said Thursday. For years, heavily armed kidnapping gangs known as "bandits" have been intensifying attacks in the northwest and central areas of the west African country with impunity, killing thousands and abducting people for ransom. Troops laid ambush on a massive convoy of bandits as they rode through villages in Kebbi state's Danko-Wasagu district on Wednesday, leading to a two-hour gunfight, said Husaini Bena, the political administrator of Danko-Wasagu. The heavily armed bandits, riding on around 350 motorcycles, were heading to their base in neighbouring Niger state when they were ambushed by the troops, Bena said. "More than 150 bandits were killed in the military operation which involved ground troops and fighter jets," he said. The military forced the bandits to retreat, but jets "bombed them as they fled", he added. Nigeria's air force has come under scrutiny in the past for bombing civilians in its campaigns against bandits and jihadists, as the country slogs through conflicts across multiple fronts. A Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) military escort accompanying an excavator digging trenches passes through a checkpoint at the entrance to Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria. AFP AbdulRahman Zagga, director of security in the Kebbi state governor's office, confirmed the incident in a statement. He said troops fought around 400 bandits, "resulting in the elimination of many" of them, without giving a toll. Both sides trade losses Zagga said that bandits were suspected to be the same group that recently attacked a military base in Niger state, killing 20 soldiers. Troops continued to comb the countryside on Thursday. Nigeria's banditry crisis has evolved from clashes between Fulani herders and farmers over resources into a broader conflict fuelled by arms trafficking, with gangs taking advantage of security vacuums in rural swaths of Nigeria that have long had little formal state presence. The gangs launch attacks from their camps in a vast forest which straddles several northwestern and central states. Security analysts have noted increasing cooperation between the criminal gangs, who are motivated primarily by financial gains in the impoverished country, and jihadists, who are waging a 16-year-old insurrection in the northeast. As the insurgent campaign by Boko Haram and rival Daesh West Africa Province drags on, the Nigerian military said Thursday it killed 24 jihadists in northeastern Borno state following days-long military operations. But gains against bandits and jihadists are repeatedly offset by the killing of troops and civilians. Last month, authorities in Zamfara state in the northwest said a government-supported militia killed 100 bandits in a raid on their stronghold. On Wednesday, Katsina state authorities claimed at least 30 bandits were killed in air strikes. But over the weekend, bandits killed more than 40 vigilantes who had mobilised to fight them, in an ambush in central Plateau state. Agence France-Presse
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Drugs worth Rs 5.7 crore seized by Customs
Mumbai: In two separate cases, the Customs seized drugs worth Rs 5.7 crore with the arrest of a Nigerian national and a Roorkee resident. In the first case, the Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch recently intercepted an export parcel at the foreign post office consignment. The SIIB found of 590 grams of methamphetamine worth Rs 50 lakh in the parcel. A Nigerian, Pascal Nzube, was arrested under the NDPS Act. In the second case, the Air Intelligence Unit arrested Roorkee resident Haseeb Ali for smuggling 5.3 grams of marijuana or weed from Bangkok, worth Rs 5.2 crore. He was booked under the NDPS Act. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai
