Nigerian army frees 360 abducted people in north-eastern Borno state

Nigerian army frees 360 abducted people in north-eastern Borno state

Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group and known as Islamic State West Africa Province.

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Armed gangs kidnap seven from school in northwestern Nigeria to bring number of abducted students to 1,900

Armed gangs kidnap seven from school in northwestern Nigeria to bring number of abducted students to 1,900

Gunmen raided an off-campus residence in northwest Nigeria and kidnapped seven students, police said. The attack occurred early on Wednesday in the Kaura Namoda area of conflict-battered Zamfara state, police spokesman Yazid Abubakar said in a statement. One of the students escaped and was in custody. The police spokesman said...

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Sixteen Nigerian military officers arrested over coup attempt to be tried for mutiny

Sixteen Nigerian military officers arrested over coup attempt to be tried for mutiny

The officers, detained since October 2025, are accused of acts of indiscipline and violations of service regulations, Samaila Uba, a military spokesperson, said on Monday in a statement in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

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Kenya prepares strategy to counter terrorism and extremism as tensions soar in neighbouring Somalia

Kenya prepares strategy to counter terrorism and extremism as tensions soar in neighbouring Somalia

The government reiterated its commitment to inclusive, whole-of-society approaches that combine security operations with community engagement, strategic communication and international cooperation to counter terrorism and violent extremism.

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Kenya’s police chief pledges to crack down on organised criminal gangs in run up 2027 elections

Kenya’s police chief pledges to crack down on organised criminal gangs in run up 2027 elections

Statistics presented at the session showed fatalities from road accidents had risen from 4,479 in 2024 to 4,682 in 2025. In the first two weeks of December alone, 28 people lost their lives in accidents across the country. Kenya loses at least 4,000 people annually to road accidents.

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Controversial Religious Organisations Bill draws resentment in coastal Kenya as clergy read malice

Controversial Religious Organisations Bill draws resentment in coastal Kenya as clergy read malice

The government introduced the Bill following recommendations from a Presidential Taskforce on Religious Organisations that was formed after the Shakahola tragedy in which hundreds of people died in a cult led by controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie.

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Nigerian government tight-lipped after release of 100 schoolchildren abducted by suspected Islamists

Nigerian government tight-lipped after release of 100 schoolchildren abducted by suspected Islamists

The Niger state governor, Mohammed Bago, said health workers and experts would “thoroughly examine” the children before they are returned to their parents in Papiri.

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A hundred schoolchildren abducted in Nigeria are released but more are still held

A hundred schoolchildren abducted in Nigeria are released but more are still held

At least 303 schoolchildren were seized at the Niger state school together with 12 of their teachers when gunmen attacked the St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri community on November 21. Fifty escaped in the hours that followed.

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Trouble with Nigeria: State negligence created terror mobs that in turn fuelled political and economic crises

Trouble with Nigeria: State negligence created terror mobs that in turn fuelled political and economic crises

In the northeast, Boko Haram jihadi extremists and, more recently, an Islamic State-backed breakaway faction have since 2009 waged an insurgency to enforce their brutal interpretation of Shariah. In 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls – mostly Christian, but some Muslim – from a school in Chibok, in Borno State.

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How Nigeria’s Boko Haram terrorists run kidnapping, roadblocks and rustling livestock as key sources of revenue

How Nigeria’s Boko Haram terrorists run kidnapping, roadblocks and rustling livestock as key sources of revenue

A decade ago, the Borno conflict forced more than three million people from their homes. The terrifying scenario today is that if the security situation continues to deteriorate, a fresh wave of IDPs – including those newly resettled – will head to Maiduguri, where the camps that could support them are now closed.

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