Nigeria

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Nigeria Attacks Leave 67 Dead

Islamist sect claims responsibility

(Newser) - An Islamist sect is claiming responsibility for bomb blasts and gun battles that claimed at least 67 lives in northern Nigeria yesterday, AFP reports. Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked churches, an army base, and police stations, leaving scenes of devastation across four towns. The town of "Damaturu is looking...

21 Dead in Nigeria Religious Riots

Violence has spanned almost a week

(Newser) - Religious rioting in the troubled central Nigeria city of Jos has killed at least 21 people in recent days, as authorities seem to be unable to curb the rising violence. An AP journalist counted the bodies awaiting burial at the city's central mosque today. Doctors at a university hospital...

Car Bomb Rocks UN Building in Nigeria; 7 Dead

'We believe there are many casualties,' says a UN official

(Newser) - A car laden with explosives rammed through two gates and blew up at the United Nations' offices in Nigeria's capital today, killing at least seven people and shattering part of the concrete structure. The brazen attack, carried out as the UN offices teemed with staff, comes as Africa's...

Wrong-Way Drivers in Lagos Must Go See a Shrink

Penalty is part of city's effort to rein in traffic

(Newser) - Psychiatrists in New York would probably love to see this legislation passed in the US. In Lagos, Nigeria—where traffic has reached epidemic levels—if you're caught going the wrong way on a one-way street, you face a $160 fine, but you also have to receive a psychiatric evaluation,...

25 Killed in Nigeria Bomb Blasts

Beer gardens targeted

(Newser) - Suspected members of an Islamic sect bombed three beer gardens in northeastern Nigeria, killing 25 people and wounding 12 others today, authorities say. Police blame the attack on a group known locally as Boko Haram, which earlier this month carried out an attack on the nation's police headquarters. Authorities...

32 Teen Moms Rescued From Nigerian 'Baby Factory'

Babies sold for use in occult rituals or as slaves

(Newser) - Nigerian police have rescued 32 pregnant girls aged 15 to 17 from what they termed a “baby factory” in the southern city of Aba. Police allege that the women who went to the Cross Foundation clinic were forced to sell their babies for around $170 to $190. The hospital’...

Nigeria Prez Sworn In, Bomb Blast Rocks City

Several die as Goodluck Jonathan starts term

(Newser) - A bomb blast rocked the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi within hours of the inauguration of President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday. Several people were killed, but an exact death toll was not released. A second minor blast hit a beer hall just outside the capital of Abuja, where the president was...

Meet the 87-Year-Old With 86 Wives

Faith healer Bello Masaba finds himself at the center of controversies

(Newser) - Bello Masaba demands absolute obedience from his wives—all 86 of them. The 87-year-old Nigerian faith healer has been marrying a woman every few weeks for decades, assembling an extended family of around 5,000 people, many of whom live in the sprawling compound around his house. That huge harem...

Sesame Street Hits Nigeria, With HIV-Positive Muppet

A Nigerian adaptation of children's show deals with local issues

(Newser) - It's finally ready to go live : A Nigerian adaptation of Sesame Street will debut later this month in Africa's most populous country, according to US officials. It will be called Sesame Square and will feature Kami, an inquisitive female Muppet living with HIV, and Zobi, a blue Muppet...

Nigerian Riots Leave Charred Corpses, Houses, Cars

At least 31 bodies found in Kaduna alone

(Newser) - The deadly rioting following Nigeria's presidential election has gotten worse: Mobs yesterday ran the streets of Kaduna, which separates the country's Muslim north from the Christian south, burning homes, churches, and police stations and leaving charred bodies in the streets. The AP reports that Muslim rioters started the...

Thousands Flee Nigeria Election Riots

Many killed as Buhari supporters torch homes, churches

(Newser) - Goodluck Jonathan's victory in Nigeria's presidential election has sparked deadly rioting across the nation's predominately Muslim north. The Nigerian Red Cross says many people have been killed and thousands more displaced by violence involving supporters of Jonathan's defeated rival Muhammadu Buhari, Reuters reports. Homes and churches...

Goodluck Jonathan Elected Nigeria Prez

But irregularities raise questions

(Newser) - Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling People's Democratic Party appears to have won a decisive victory in Nigeria's most peaceful elections ever, with 20.3 million votes. The tally is nearly double that of his closest rival, according to an early report by the BBC . Jonathan, who has been...

10 Years Later, Cops Make ID in Thames Murder Case

British police traveling to Nigeria to probe child killing

(Newser) - London police have finally made a breakthrough in a horrifying murder case almost a decade after a young boy's torso was found floating in the Thames. A Nigerian woman says she cared for the 5-year-old boy in Germany for a year before she handed him over to people who killed...

Goodluck Jonathan Wins Nigeria Primary

Incumbent's victory lays bare north-south tensions

(Newser) - Incumbent Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has won a landslide victory in his party's primary, but his defeated opponent warns that instability looms in Africa's most populous country. Jonathan—who came to power when the elected president died last year —is a Christian from Nigeria's south. His candidacy violates an...

Sotheby's Halts Sale of Looted Nigerian Mask

Protests, complaints cause withdrawal of $7M piece

(Newser) - Sotheby's has canceled the planned auction of a 16th-century ivory mask from West Africa after online protesters and the Nigerian government complained that the precious artifact had been looted from the country by British troops, reports the Independent . The mask, believed to have been worn by the king of Benin...

Christmas Bombings Spark Unrest in Nigeria

Some fear escalating violence ahead of elections

(Newser) - State police are swarming into central Nigeria following a series of Christmas church bombings that killed 38, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Following Saturday's explosions, angry youths barricaded roads and attacked people passing by yesterday, and houses and a truck also were set ablaze. UN chief Ban Ki-moon blasted the...

Nigeria Charges Cheney in Bribery Case

Ex-VP's lawyers reject 'baseless' charges

(Newser) - Nigeria has indicted former vice president Dick Cheney and several other executives in a bribery case dating back to Cheney's time in charge of Halliburton. Prosecutors from Nigeria's anti-corruption unit allege that Halliburton and other firms paid $180 million in bribes to win a $6 billion contract for a natural...

Majority of World Muslims: Islam Belongs in Politics

Majority of world's Muslims say Islam has place in politics

(Newser) - A majority of the world’s Muslims want their religion to influence politics, a Pew Research poll finds. In Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, and Nigeria, majorities would back the legalization of stoning to punish adultery, the amputation of thieves’ hands, and the death penalty for converts from Islam to other religions,...

Nigeria to Charge Dick Cheney With Bribery

Also duly noted: It's election season there

(Newser) - Nigeria plans to charge Dick Cheney in a bribery scandal going back to his days as CEO of Halliburton, BusinessWeek reports. Cheney headed the company from 1995 until he became vice president in 2000, and prosecutors say Halliburton and two other foreign companies funneled $180 million into the pockets of...

Car Bombs Kill 7 at Nigerian Celebration

Militant group from oil-rich Delta region claims responsibility

(Newser) - Two car bombs blew up as Nigeria celebrated its 50th independence anniversary today, killing at least seven people in an unprecedented attack on the capital by suspected militants from the country's oil region. A third and smaller explosion hit a venue at Eagle Square where President Goodluck Jonathan stood with...

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