Attack kills at least 20 Nigeria police officers

Published May 08, 2013

Associated Press

LAGOS, Nigeria –  An ethnic militia killed at least 20 police officers who launched a raid to try and arrest them in central Nigeria, a police commissioner said Wednesday.

The attack in Alakio, a village in Nasarawa state, saw the officers ambushed Tuesday when they tried to stop the gang that was forcing locals to take a blood oath, police commissioner Abayomi Akermale said. Nigeria, a nation of more than 160 million people, has some 250 ethnicities. Such ethnic militias can be major presences in communities, exacting taxes and controlling areas in some places.

Akermale said the death toll in the attack could be higher, as emergency officials and police officers only reached the area on Wednesday. The commissioner declined to offer any other specific details about the attack, other than to say those responsible were not Islamic extremists.

The violence, which occurred in a state bordering Nigeria's central capital of Abuja, comes amid growing insecurity in the oil-rich nation. Islamic extremists, including those belonging to the radical network known as Boko Haram, have been launching increasingly bloody guerrilla attacks throughout the country's predominantly Muslim north.

Ethnic militias, as well as criminal gangs known in Nigeria as "cults," kill at will and kidnap others for ransom. Some gangs use traditional beliefs to instill loyalty from their followers, as well as strike fear into the local population. Such gangs also are known for using extreme violence and conducting rituals involving local witchcraft.

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Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP .

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At least 42 dead in Nigeria extremist attacks, authorities say

Published May 07, 2013

Associated Press

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria –  Authorities in northeast Nigeria say at least 42 people have been killed in a coordinated attacks by Islamic extremists that also allowed 105 prisoners to escape.

The violence occurred Tuesday in multiple locations in Bama, a town repeatedly hit by fighters in Nigeria's Borno state. Authorities say extremists used multiple heavy machine guns and "anti-aircraft" weapons.

Lt. Col. Sagir Musa told The Associated Press that two soldiers died in one attack, as did 14 Nigerian prison guards when the militants raided a federal prison there. Musa said 105 inmates escaped during the assault.

Bama police commander Alhaji Sagiru said 22 police officers also died in the attacks, as did three children and a woman.

The fighting comes amid increasingly bloody guerrilla attacks by Islamic extremists in northern Nigeria.

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Police: 10 killed in Nigeria church, market attack

Published May 05, 2013

Associated Press

YOLA, Nigeria –  Police say at least 10 people have been killed in an attack in northeast Nigeria that targeted a church and a local market.

The attack occurred Sunday in Njilan, a village in Adamawa state.

Adamawa state police spokesman Muhammad Ibrahim said that six people had been killed in the market, while another four were killed around the church. Ibrahim could not immediately offer a motive for the attack, nor could he say whether police had any suspects in the violence.

Northeast Nigeria has faced increasingly bloody attacks by Islamic extremists since 2010. While the government has deployed more soldiers and police in the region, the attacks by the extremist network Boko Haram, splinter groups and others continue.

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Shell shuts down Nigeria oil pipeline over thefts

Published April 17, 2013

Associated Press

LAGOS, Nigeria –  Royal Dutch Shell PLC says it has shut down a major pipeline in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta to remove points that thieves are using to steal crude from it.

Shell said Wednesday that its Nigerian subsidiary shut down the Nembe Creek Trunkline, halting production of around 150,000 barrels of oil a day. Shell said it had issued a force majeure warning on its Bonny Light crude oil exports — meaning that it is unable to meet the contracted demand for the crude.

Despite a government amnesty deal, crude oil thefts continue to rise in Nigeria.

Also Wednesday, Nigeria's state-run oil company announced production dipped to 2.1 million to 2.3 million barrels of oil a day in the first quarter of 2013 over the widespread thefts.

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Paper: Police detain Nigeria reporters over story

Published April 08, 2013

Associated Press

LAGOS, Nigeria –  A Nigerian newspaper says the country's federal police are detaining two of its journalists over a story it published about supposed plans by the office of the president to disrupt opposition parties.

Azubuike Ishiekwene, the group managing director of Leadership newspaper, told The Associated Press on Monday that officers continued to hold the two journalists without charges over the story. Ishiekwene said two other journalists earlier released by the police said officers told them the presidency wanted to know the source of their story.

Frank Mba, a federal police spokesman, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday night.

Leadership's story, published last week, cited a document it said came from the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan threatening the business interests of opposition leaders. The presidency denied the claim.

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