Ghana: Mahama cancels visit to WEF in Abuja

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a three-day lockdown of Abuja during the upcoming World Economic Forum.

This week, President John Mahama wrote a letter, in his capacity as ECOWAS chairman, to his Nigerian counterpart expressing deep sadness at the recent bomb attacks in Abuja as well as the abduction by Boko Haram of around 300 schoolgirls from Borno State. We have heard, however, that Mahama has cancelled his planned visit to the WEF in Abuja citing pressure of work in Accra.  A government spokesperson told Ghana Politics & Security that the country will instead be represented at the meeting by a range of officials and leading local business people.

The meeting in Abuja, themed Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating Jobs, is scheduled to take place from 7-9 May and will be attended by world leaders and business executives around the world, including President Mahama, the presidents of Rwanda, Senegal and Kenya, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Jonathan has ordered officers and equipment to be deployed all over the city and its outskirts, and security has been increased at all strategic locations, entry and exit points, airports and highways. This is the result of Boko Haram’s recent attacks in Abuja. Last week, a car bomb exploded in the suburb of Nyanya, killing at least 19 people. In mid-April, there was an attack at a busy bus station in the same location which killed at least 75 people.

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President Jonathan keen to stop religious conflict in Plateau state

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has instructed the military to take “all necessary actions" in order to stop religious conflict in Plateau state. The initiative follows two bomb explosions in the state capital city of Jos.

It is estimated that as many as 100 people have been killed in the past two weeks during violent clashes between Muslim and Christian rival groups. The ongoing tensions have continued despite a strong police presence in the state.

Rival gangs have clashed in Plateau state repeatedly over the last 10 years.

Jonathan's office issued a statement saying the President has ordered Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshall Oluseyi Petinrin "to take full charge of the security situation in Plateau State immediately and take all necessary actions to stop the recent spate of killings in the state".

According to Nigerian officials, the two blasts went off at a packed outdoor eatery in the centre of Jos on Sunday night. According to AFP, at least one person was injured in the process. More than 1,000 people have been killed in religious and ethnic violence in Jos over the past two years.

Plateau state is situated in Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt, between the mainly Muslim north and the Christian south. Hausa-speaking Muslims are seen as supporters of the opposition in Plateau state, while ethnic Beroms, who are mostly Christian, are perceived to favour the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Sources: BBC News, Bloomberg, WSJ

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Nigeria's army to investigate human rights abuses

Nigeria's army has been instructed to investigate alleged human rights abuses by soldiers fighting Boko Haram. Nigeria's Defence Minister Bello Mohammed called for an investigation after a woman was shot dead on Wednesday 10th August in clashes between soldiers and suspected members of the Islamist sect.

A number of human rights groups have accused the army of abusing and killing civilians. The violence in and around Maiduguri has intensified in recent months, causing thousands of people to leave their homes.

Mohammed said the army was "doing a very good job" in protecting the people throughout Borno state. He added: “However, a few bad eggs amongst them sometimes overreact to situations and create discontent amongst the civilian population thereby dragging the name of the military to disrepute."

Speaking after a woman was killed during riots in Born State, Mohammed asked the army to "investigate all incidents of military misconduct against law abiding citizens".

Last month, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima admitted that the army had been guilty of excesses in Maiduguri.

Next week a committee is due to report back to Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan on the security situation in Borno State and the prospects for opening negotiations with Boko Haram.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, WSJ, AFP

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Nigerian army accused of killing 23 in Maiduguri

Amnesty International believes Nigeria's security forces have killed 23 people in the city of Maiduguri. The organisation said the Nigerian army opened fire without provocation on Saturday 23rd July, after a bomb explosion in the northern city. It also accused army members of burning a marketplace. A military spokesman dismissed the allegations as "outright lies".

AFP news agency quoted army spokesman Lt Col Hassan Isijeh Mohammed as saying: "The fire that burnt homes, shops and vehicles was caused by the impact of the explosion of the bomb detonated by the Boko Haram attackers."

Maiduguri is home to one of Nigeria's biggest militant Islamist group's, Boko Haram, which has recently carried out a number of bombings and attacks across Nigeria.

Amnesty International has urged Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan to look into the shootings, saying: "The Nigerian authorities must immediately put a stop to unlawful killings by the security forces."

According to a number of sources, the bomb blast killed at least three security officials. Some speculate that the residents of Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, are now more fearful of the army than the Islamist militants.

Just last month, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima admitted that the army had been guilty of excesses in the city and has potentially killed innocent civilians while battling with Boko Haram.

Sources: BBC News, The Nation Newspaper, AFP

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Nigeria: Jonathan's win marred by deadly riots

Rioting in northern Nigeria has prompted thousands of people to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. In the town of Kano, Christian youths burned a mosque, after deadly riots that followed the election of incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan . The Muslims retaliated by destroying local shops and causing havoc on the streets.

The riots broke out across 14 northern cities, leaving hundreds of people injured. The number of dead has not yet been disclosed. An estimated 15,000 people have been displaced by the riots that began over the weekend with people claiming rigging in the presidential elections.

Nigeria Red Cross disaster management co-ordinator Umar Abdul Mairiga said: "Things are relatively calm right now, but violent protests went on last night, especially in Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara (states)…Our volunteers are out there and we expect details in the coming hour or so. What may come out of there is not very palatable because many people were killed, especially in southern Kaduna…The displaced people are getting hostile because nothing is coming up in terms of relief."

For his part, Jonathan has called for calm in the country. In a televised address to the nation, he urged all Nigerians to, "quickly move away from partisan battlegrounds and find a national common ground", adding: "Nobody's political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian."

Religious tensions in Nigeria have been a source of strife for a number of years, however, in this instance the conflict came to the fore over election results showing Jonathan's overwhelming lead by more than 10 million votes over Muslim candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

Election chairman Attahiru Jega announced the result on Monday 18th April, revealing that Jonathan had won 22.4 million votes, compared to the 12.2 million of his main opponent, former military ruler Buhari.

Sources: BBC, AFP, AP, Bloomberg

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Niger Delta election overseen by 20,000 police officers

On Thursday 6th January Nigerians in the Niger Delta voted in a key state governor's ballot, ahead of the presidential elections in April. An estimated 20,000 police officers were deployed to the oil rich Niger Delta amid fears of violence and further bomb attacks, which occurred last week.

Nigerian police reported no violence but said it had made arrests in connection to several attempts to steal ballot boxes. The result of previous election in Delta State, in 2007, was annulled by a court because of suspected vote rigging and fraud allegations.

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, who flew out from Abuja to Delta State on Tuesday, has campaigned on behalf of Emanuel Uduaghan, a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and governor until the ballot annulment in November. Experts say the Delta State election will test the president's support in the state, ahead of the presidential elections later this year.

In the past, the Delta State elections have been known for outbreaks of violence and unrest, but this time the security was on high alert as voters went to the polls. Just days ago an election office was burned down in the state town of Ughelli, and a double bomb attack hit a political rally in the neighbouring state of Bayelsa. In a bid to ensure a peaceful electoral process, Delta State police spokesman, Charles Muka, said the authorities deployed 22,600 regular policemen in addition to bomb experts and more than 2,800 riot officers.

"The election has been very calm. No violence recorded anywhere. We had one or two places where there were attempts to snatch ballot boxes. We foiled them and arrests were quickly made," said Muka.

Sources: AFP, BBC News, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.