April 02, 2008

UN workers 'kidnapped in Somalia'

Two foreign contractors, a Briton and a Kenyan, working for the UN in Somalia have been seized by unknown gunmen in southern Somalia, reports say.

They were doing work for the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The incident happened on a road between the towns of Bu'aale and Sikow in the Juba region of Somalia, when gunmen fired on the men's car, witnesses say.

The UN based in neighbouring Kenya says it cannot confirm the kidnapping, although it had confirmed it earlier.

A number of foreign aid workers have been kidnapped in Somalia in the past few months.

It is not known why the two men, who are believed to be working for the FAO-funded Somalia Water and Land Information Management project, may have been kidnapped.

It is not known if either man has been harmed, although there are unconfirmed reports that a white man was seen with blood coming from a wound possibly on his leg.

In February, MSF withdrew all its international staff from Somalia after three of its workers were killed by a bomb.

Posted by Publisher at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2008

Zimbabwe forces 'on full alert'

Zimbabwe's security forces have been put on full alert amid fears Saturday's election could spark violence similar to that in recent Kenyan polls.

Candidates are on a final day of campaigning, with the two main rivals to President Robert Mugabe raising fears of widespread vote-rigging.

Mr Mugabe insists the vote is fair and everyone should abide by the results.

About 1,500 people were killed in violence that followed disputed elections in Kenya in December.

Military presence

The joint chiefs of Zimbabwe's police, army, prison service and intelligence services gathered in Harare to warn that violence would not be tolerated.

Augustine Chihuri, commissioner general of the police, said: "The defence and security forces of Zimbabwe are on full alert from now onwards covering the election period and beyond."

He said they would "thwart all threats to national security".

Mr Chihuri also said candidates would not be allowed to declare victory before official results were announced.

Reports say tanks and vehicles with water cannon are being deployed in parts of the capital.

On Thursday, Mr Mugabe warned opponents not to protest if they lost. "Just dare try it," he said at one of his final rallies.

A BBC contributor in Masvingo in south-eastern Zimbabwe says there is an increased military presence and fly-bys by Chinese-made fighter jets.

One 54-year-old villager told him: "We have been warned that if we vote Mugabe out, there will be war."

In Masvingo city, one resident said he would not be cowed by intimidation: "We do not mind even if they deploy soldiers at polling stations - it's time for Mugabe to go."

Voter lists

Mr Mugabe, 84, has led the country since independence in 1980.

His key rivals for president are Morgan Tsvangirai, the head of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, and Simba Makoni, an ex-finance minister and independent candidate.

On Thursday they issued a joint statement expressing severe concerns about the poll.

They said they had still not received full nationwide voters' lists that could be verified.

The BBC's Southern Africa correspondent, Peter Biles, says one major worry is that there may not be enough polling stations in urban areas.

He says there is also concern about equal access to the media.

The government has accused Britain and the US of already having decided that the elections will not be free and fair.

However, campaigning has been relatively peaceful, with none of the widespread intimidation of opposition activists seen in recent polls.

Both Mr Makoni and Mr Tsvangirai have been able to hold rallies across the country.

A total of 5.9 million people are eligible to vote in Saturday's joint local, senate, assembly and presidential polls.

A candidate must win 50% of the presidential vote to avoid a run-off.

The opposition has been campaigning on Zimbabwe's economic crisis - it has the world's highest inflation rate at more than 100,000% and just one adult in five are believed to have regular jobs.

Mr Makoni, who left the government in 2002, said repairing the economy could take "10 to 15 years".

But Mr Mugabe says land and control of economic resources are the main issues.

He blames a Western plot for the economic troubles.

"The British, the Americans... would rather see our children, the old and the infirm suffer under the weight of their evil sanctions," he said on Thursday.

Posted by Publisher at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2008

Anichebe set for Nigeria debut

Anichebe is set to make his debut against South Africa
Striker Victor Anichebe is expected to finally commit his international future to Nigeria with a debut for the country's under-23 team on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old, who plays for English side Everton, is also eligible to represent England.

But he has joined up with Nigeria's squad in Abuja for their final Olympic qualifier against South Africa.

He is expected to be handed starting place in what will be his first formal appearance for the country.

Nigeria will qualify for the men's tournament at the Beijing Games in August if they beat the visitors, but failure to win will allow Ghana, who have already completed their campaign, to advance instead.

However, doubts remain over Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, who had been called up for the tie but was not expected to arrive in Abuja before Tuesday, officials said.

Nigeria coach Samson Siasia had previously warned he would not use players who arrived belatedly for call-ups.

Obi Mikel featured as a late substitute for Chelsea in their 2-1 win over Arsenal in the English Premier League on Sunday.

Nigeria, who won the gold medal at the Atlanta Games in 1996, are chasing the last of three places available for Africa in the 16-team tournament.

Cameroon and the Ivory Coast have already qualified.

Posted by Publisher at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2007

Nigeria freezes currency change

Nigerian Justice Minister Michael Aondoakaa said he is freezing a plan to re-denominate the Nigerian currency, the naira.

By Alex Last
BBC News, Lagos

The plan had been announced by the governor of the Central Bank, Chukwuma Soludo, last week.

Mr Aondoakaa said the plan was frozen because President Umaru Yar'Adua had not given his written permission.

The case has raised questions about the effectiveness of the leadership of the new president.

Ten days ago amid much fanfare, Mr Soludo told an audience of hundreds of dignitaries that the naira would be redenominated.

It was a big move, which was not universally popular, but straightforward enough, it would seem.

Now, bizarrely, Mr Aondoakaa has told reporters that for now all plans for the re-denomination are frozen.

"I, as the chief law officer of the (Nigerian) federation, hereby stop all actions on the re-denomination of the naira," said the minister.

A spokesman for the Central Bank said in response there had been consultations with the president about the plan before the announcement.

Political fallout

Either way, the fact is this is a major humiliation for Mr Soludo and there is growing speculation that politically he will not survive this debacle.

As head of the Central Bank for the past few years, he has overseen major banking reforms in Nigeria.

But just a few weeks ago the country's new President, Umaru Yar'Adua, chose Mr Soludo's deputy, not him, for the job of finance minister in the new cabinet, and the central banker has been dropped from the government's economic team.

This whole episode also raises questions about the leadership of the new president.

He is said to be quite hands-off in his style of government, especially in comparison with his predecessor.

After this, some will argue that state of affairs might have to change.

Posted by Publisher at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)

August 02, 2007

Conquering polio's last frontier

Nigeria could be polio free by the end of this year, according to health officials.
Following massive vaccination campaigns, the country that almost caused the global eradication programme to collapse may soon be finally be clear of the deadly virus.

By Ania Lichtarowicz
Reporter, Polio - The Rumour That Became a Crisis

If this is achieved it will be a major achievement in the campaign to eradicate polio, as the country boycotted the vaccine in 2003 - threatening to reinfect the rest of the world with the virus.

In 1988 a global initiative to rid the world of polio by the end of the year 2000 was launched.

This highly ambitious programme of vaccinations started well.

The Americas, Western Pacific, and Europe were all certified free of indigenous wild poliovirus.

By 2003 only six endemic countries remained: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Niger and Nigeria.

The number of polio cases has been reduced from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to just under 700 reported cases per year in 2003 - a greater than 99% reduction.

Vaccine boycott

But this success suddenly turned to disaster.

Twenty previously polio-free countries were reinfected - and all because trust in the vaccine was lost.

Rumours that the oral polio vaccine contained anti-fertility agents and even HIV began to spread in Nigeria, particularly in the Northern State of Kano.

They were championed by local religious leaders.

Nafui Baba Ahmed, the secretary general of the Supreme Sharia Council of Nigeria was an outspoken critic of the vaccine.

He said: "There are greater risks than polio - I think either this is an imaginary thing created in the West or it is a ploy to get us to submit to this evil agenda."

With these types of comment being repeated in many media outlets across the state, trust in the vaccine fell to an all time low.

Vaccinators were also being put in danger - some were even stoned when they did their rounds.

In October 2003 the Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shakarau, suspended the vaccine campaign whilst investigations in to the rumours were carried out.

Safety investigations

Two separate scientific reports were commissioned to verify the safety of the vaccine.

The first from South Africa was rejected by local leaders. Only when safety tests were done in Indonesia were they satisfied.

Once the local leaders felt included the campaigns restarted.

The vaccine boycott lasted almost a year and was limited to a few states in northern Nigeria, but this allowed the virus to spread rapidly around the world.

Dr Bruce Aylward, the WHO Director for Polio Eradication campaign, said: "Over 20 countries were re-infected by this virus.

"We are still dealing with the vestiges of this outbreak and the suspension of the polio vaccine in the Horn of Africa - the world spent over half a billion dollars dealing with the epidemic spread of polio out of Nigeria."

Today, as a direct result of the ban, it is estimated over a 1,000 children have been paralysed by polio.

Dr Aylward said all these new cases could be traced back to the virus in Nigeria.

But in Nigeria despite full support from the federal government and local religious and state leaders, there are still those who will not vaccinate their children.

We met one father who refused to allow vaccination teams into his house.

Another group of volunteers was verbally abused by a mother.

Nafui Baba Ahmed also still maintains his opposition to the vaccines.

When I met him in a downtown hotel in Nigeria's capital, he calmly told me: "I was vaccinated but now I would not submit my children to these vaccines.

"Why the unnecessary emphasis on polio? There must be more to it than meets the eye."

The eradication dream

Dr Sulieman Abdullahi, the World Health Organisation's team leader in Kano, told me that polio transmission will stop in Nigeria by the end of this year.

This is a claim I have heard often at many international Polio meetings. Yet each goal that was set has been missed.

But there is quiet determination in Kano. Despite a national strike that had left the country at a virtual standstill, the vaccination campaigns continued passionately.

Polio has paralysed children for at least 500 years and much debate still goes on if eradication is possible at all.

But if there is any chance of ridding the world of this devastating disease then politics, religion and culture cannot ever interrupt the vaccine campaigns again.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is run by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Rotary International, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta (CDC) and UNICEF.

Polio - The Rumour That Became a Crisis, 2100 BST Thursday 2 August, Radio 4

Posted by Publisher at 07:54 AM | Comments (0)

Nigerian Shia base knocked down

Nigeria's security forces have demolished the headquarters of a Shia sect, whose members were accused of killing a rival Muslim cleric.

The security forces destroyed a school, a clinic and the living quarters of the sect in the north-western Sokoto state.

Although no official explanation was given for the demolition, it is being suggested that it is part of a plan to expel the group from the city.

Shia leader Kasimu Rimin Tawaye and some 100 followers remain in detention.

Mr Tawaye and his supporters were arrested after street fighting between them and followers of a prominent Sunni cleric, who was shot dead three weeks ago.

The cleric, Umaru Danmaishiyya, well-known in Sokoto for his sermons against Shias, was shot in a mosque on 18 July and died the following day.

A man was lynched shortly after the shooting and Sunni mobs tried to attack a Shia residential compound.

Sokoto, a deeply religious city, sits on the fringes of the Sahara desert and is the seat of the Sultan of Sokoto, spiritual leader of Nigeria's estimated 70 million Muslims.

In the past Sokoto has avoided the unrest that has affected many other northern Nigerian cities.

The Sokoto state government is expected to issue a statement shortly on the decision to demolish the Shia headquarters.

Posted by Publisher at 07:52 AM | Comments (0)

Nigeria forces generals to retire

Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has ordered the retirement of 40 of the military's most senior commanders.
They include the generals in charge of the army's five divisions.

Nigeria has been ruled by the military for 30 of the 47 years since independence but a coup is no longer likely, a BBC correspondent says.

Mr Yar'Adua was sworn in May - the first time one elected leader had handed power to another, although but the elections were widely condemned.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered a similar purge of the military shortly after his inauguration in 1999.

'Purely routine'

Mr Obasanjo, himself a beneficiary of a 1975 coup, said he wanted to rid Nigerian military of its penchant for plotting coups.

But the military says Mr Yar'Adua's motives for approving the retirement of 40 top army and air force commanders are different.

"We are now following due process and trying to go back to the best military traditions," Nigerian defence spokesman Col MD Yusuf told the BBC News website.

He also denied that any particular ethnic group was being targeted, which has led to unrest in the military in the past.

A spokesman for Mr Yar'Adua said the commanders were due to retire, having spent the required 35 years in service.

"No other motives should be ascribed to this purely routine movement of personnel in the armed forces," Olusegun Adeniyi said.

Mr Obasanjo became Nigeria's first democratically elected president after 16 years of military rule in 1999.

Posted by Publisher at 07:47 AM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2007

Nigeria ex-governor freed early

A former governor of Nigeria's Bayelsa state has been released from prison two days after receiving a two-year sentence for money laundering.

Alamieyeseigha was the first ex-governor convicted of corruption

Diepreye Alamaieyeseigha's early release is reported to be the result of a plea bargain. On Thursday he pleaded guilty to six corruption charges.

He was arrested in Britain in 2005 but fled to Nigeria where he was arrested later that year and sacked as governor.

He has been ordered to hand over property, stocks and cash.

Officials said Alamieyeseigha left the UK disguised in women's clothing, a claim he has consistently denied.

He is the first ex-governor to be convicted for corruption.

Many mansions

Despite the short jail term and the early release, analysts say his conviction is a sign that President Umara Yar'Adua is serious about continuing Olusegun Obasanjo's anti-corruption drive.

He succeeded Mr Obasanjo at the end of May.

Alamieyeseigha was accused of owning multi-million dollar mansions in Nigeria and abroad and pleaded guilty to embezzlement and money laundering.

Five other former governors are currently facing charges of corruption, theft and money laundering in courts in Abuja and Lagos.

Two of the ex-governors were released on bail on Friday but the court set stringent conditions to stop them fleeing.

Posted by Publisher at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

ANC launches leadership selection

South Africa's ruling ANC party has signalled the start of a process that will almost certainly see the selection of the country's next president.

By Martin Plaut
BBC Africa analyst

Thabo Mbeki wants to influence the choice of his successor

The African National Congresss has called on its branches to begin internal talks on who the party's candidate should be.

This is the starting gun for candidates to succeed President Thabo Mbeki to declare their hand.

The ANC will decide on its candidate at conference in December.

Whoever wins the party's nomination is almost certain to become the next president, as the ANC won nearly 70% of all votes in the last election in 2004.

Selection race

Mr Zuma has the support of the left in the ANC and the party's youth

Until now most candidates have kept a low profile. Only the ANC deputy president, Jacob Zuma, has declared he is willing to stand.

His supporters have been criss-crossing the country, trying to drum up support. But so too have President Mbeki's men.

Although Mr Mbeki cannot seek re-election as the country's president he wants to stay on as leader of his party - and influence his successor.

A leading Sunday newspaper says the president will back Joel Netshitenzhe, the head of the government's information service, and a key ally.

But other names are also in the frame. There is Tokyo Sexwale and Cyril Ramaphosa - two of the country's richest men - and the ANC's secretary general, Kgalema Motlanthe.

The selection race has begun, and promises to be the most seriously contested political event since the ANC came to power at the end of apartheid.

Posted by Publisher at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

Nigeria FA slams Vogts

The Nigeria Football Association has accused German coach Berti Vogts of violating his contractual obligations.

By Oluwashina Okeleji
BBC Sport, Lagos

Berti Vogts has not been in Nigeria since 18 June

The former Scotland coach's contract stipulates that he spends a minimum of 10 days a month in the West African country.

But Vogt's departed the capital Abuja on 18 June and is not due to arrive back in Nigeria until 31 July.

NFA spokesman Ademola Olajire told BBC Sport that they are unhappy with Vogts who has failed to communicate with them since he left.

'Violation'

"Failing to show up is a clear violation of the terms of his contract," Olajire told BBC Sport on Saturday.

"There was no form of communication from Mr Vogts that he would not be coming into the country in July."

Olajire admitted though top officials of the NFA were also away for most of July, but insisted there should have been some sort of communication.

There was no communication from Mr Vogts that he would not be in the country in July

NFA spokesman, Ademola Olajire

"We know the chairman and secretary-general were away for the better part of the month, but he should still have spoken to us.

"The executive board of the NFA meets on Sunday and the issue will be discussed.

'Appointment controversy'

"Vogts will have to explain why he failed to show up for the minimum 10 days as stipulated in his contract," said Olajire.

Vogts' appointment in February was met with a mixed reaction with critics pointing to his record with Scotland and his lack of experience of African football.

His decision to live and work from Europe has also proved controversial.

The 60-year-old coached Germany from 1990 to 1998, guiding the team to the 1996 European title and was the manager of Scotland's national side from 2002 to 2004.

He also played in Germany's 1974 World Cup-winning squad.

Posted by Publisher at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)

Nigerian skimpy dressers arrested

About 90 women and three men have appeared before a magistrate's court in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, on charges of indecent dressing.

Lagos is regarded as the party capital of Africa

A night-time police patrol picked them up on the streets of Lagos, which some see as Africa's party capital.

The clampdown on "indecently dressed girls" was ordered by new Lagos police chief Muhammad Abubakar who says skimpy dressing could cause public disorder.

There is no law banning indecent dressing in Nigeria.

Even in the Muslim-dominated northern Nigeria, where strict Islamic Sharia law is practised, women wearing revealing clothes can be found in red-light districts.

Mr Abubakar says women in skimpy dresses are often prostitutes and he wants to put an end to such "immorality" in Lagos.

The BBC's Fidelis Mbah in the city says it is common to see scantily-clad women on the streets as some night clubs and restaurants open throughout the night.

Posted by Publisher at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

July 23, 2007

Nigeria files new Pfizer claims

Nigeria has accused Pfizer of fraud in a fresh court case filed against the drugs firm over its alleged role in the deaths of Nigerian children.

Pfizer is accused by Nigeria of conducting an illegal drug trial

The government earlier withdrew the case - just as it was due to begin in the capital Abuja - to add new charges.

The government is seeking $7bn (£3.4bn) in damages from the US group.

It claims Pfizer conducted illegal trials of an anti-meningitis drug that killed and disabled children. Pfizer denies the allegations.

Pfizer has denied all wrongdoing and maintains that it had local and international approval for the drug trial, which it says helped to save lives.

But government lawyers have now filed a new lawsuit adding a number of additional charges to the original claims, which follows the recent discovery of new evidence.

This includes papers that suggest Pfizer committed fraud by not obtaining consent from the affected families as they were obliged to do under company rules, government lowers said.

They said the original suit made reference to a softer charge of "fraudulent representation".

Drug tests

The move came almost a month after the court rejected the government's request to amend its suit.

The Nigerian government has accused Pfizer of carrying out illegal trials of its Trovan antibiotic in 1996, which they say caused many deaths and severe mental and physical disabilities in many of the people it was given to.

It maintains its regulatory authorities had not approved the then-unregistered drug, which was tested in Nigeria's north-western Kano State at the height of a meningitis outbreak.

The Kano regional government is also mounting both civil and criminal cases against Pfizer, which has undertaken a major public relations offensive in the country to explain its position.

Posted by Publisher at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2007

Nigerian clash over cleric death

Clashes have broken out in the northern Nigerian city of Sokoto after a high profile Muslim preacher was shot dead.

Sokoto is the spiritaul home of Nigeria's Muslims

Members of Sunni and Shia sects have fought a pitched battle with one of the three suspected gunmen beaten to death.

The Sunni preacher was shot on Wednesday night while travelling home by motorbike taxi from taking prayers.

The sultan of Sokoto, the spiritual head of Nigeria's Muslims, said Mallam Umaru Dan-Maishiye, died after being shot in the head. He appealed for calm.

"Do not take the law into your own hands... the security agencies are investigating," Sultan Mohammadu Sa'ad Abubakar said on local radio stations.

Sokoto police spokesman Mohammed Umar Dakingari told the BBC that two suspects were being held in connection with the shooting of the cleric.

There has been regular friction between Sunnis and Shias in northern Nigeria, and civic leaders are meeting on how to calm tensions.

In April, the killing of a militant cleric in the city of Kano led to fighting between Islamist militants and the army.

But the BBC's reporter in Sokoto, Hassan Sahabi Sanyinnawal, says this is the first time that something of this nature has happened in Sokoto.

Posted by Publisher at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

Fifa inquiry into Nigeria U20 coach

Fifa, world football's governing body, is investigating Nigeria coach Ladan Bosso over his alleged "offensive behaviour" at the Under-20 World Cup in Canada.

Ladan Bosso is the coach of Nigeria's under-20 side

The move follows allegations by Bosso that a match official had shown racial bias during his team's 4-0 quarter final defeat to Chile in Montreal on 15 July.

His comments came during a post match press conference when he was asked about an anti-racism campaign launched by Fifa during the tournament.

"(From) what happened on the pitch, I think Fifa has a long way to go, because the official showed racism, " Bosso alleged.

"It's good for Fifa to bring up the fight against racism, but they have to follow it to the letter, so the implementation will be done."

Jack Warner, the tournament's organising committee chairman, said he has instructed the Fifa Disciplinary Committee to open a case against Bosso because of the allegations.

The committee is chaired by Sheikh Salman Al-Khalifa of Bahrain.

Posted by Publisher at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)

Nigeria and SA in women's final

Nigeria and South Africa will do battle for the gold medal in the women's football tournament at the All Africa Games in Algeria.
Defending champions Nigeria ended the hopes of the hosts Algeria in convincing fashion with a 5-0 win, Vera Okolo weighing in with a hat-trick.

Vera Okolo scored a hat-trick to help Nigeria to the final at the AAG

In the other semi-final South Africa eased to a 2-0 win over Ghana, who eventually paid the price for using a largely under-19 team for the event.

The match was fairly balanced until Veronica Phewa scored on the hour mark and then just 2 minutes later Simphiwe Dludlu secured the win for South Africa.

The gold medal match between Nigeria and South Africa will be played on Sunday while Algeria and Ghana will play for the bronze medal on Saturday.

Posted by Publisher at 12:31 PM | Comments (0)

Cracking down on Nigeria's 'pleasure island'

The Sharia police, or Hisbah, say they will soon commence raids in an enclave in northern Nigeria's ancient Muslim city of Kano - dubbed by locals as "pleasure island".

By Senan Murray
BBC News, Kano

The Hisbah have given themselves the task of enforcing morals and Islamic law in the city, but so far have largely left Sabon Gari, or New Town, alone, complete with its bars, brothels and night-clubs.

But they say they must stamp out such "sinfulness" in case it "pollutes" the rest of the city.

Sabon Gari has always been a district populated by "settlers" or non-Muslim southern traders and professionals who have settled and worked in Kano.

But after years of ethnic and religious violence, much of Kano's small Christian population withdrew further to Sabon Gari to seek safety in numbers.

This has resulted in a peaceful co-existence between residents of the area and the rest of the city.

Sabon Gari also happens to be one of Kano's biggest ghettos, with blocked sewers, gullied streets and piles of rubbish on almost every street corner.

Cannabis is also openly smoked in this part of the city and pipe-born water is even rarer than in the rest of Kano.

'Open secret'

Kano is among a dozen states in northern Nigeria practising Sharia law, despite initial strong opposition from the federal government, Christians and human rights groups.

More than a dozen Muslims have been sentenced to death by stoning for sexual offences like adultery and homosexuality since the Sharia legal system was introduced in 2000.

Many others have been sentenced to flogging for drinking alcohol.

Two petty thieves have also had their hands amputated - but no death sentences have so far been carried out.

The BBC News website learnt that some Muslims often cross the religious divide - under the cover of darkness - from the Sharia part of Kano to Sabon Gari for dancing, alcohol and sex.

"I often bring many of them here at night to drink," says Mohammed, a taxi driver in the city.

"It's an open secret, my brother. The code is thou shall not be caught," he says with a knowing smile.

Mohammed wouldn't say whether he also makes the nocturnal pilgrimage to the city's pleasure island.

"As long as no-one sees you, you remain a good Muslim and the Hisbah can't come after you."

'Instruments of sin'

Even in the Sharia part of Kano, prostitutes often disguise their trade by covering themselves up in the Islamic veil.

But now, the Hisbah are saying enough is enough.

"Sharia has been very successful in Kano. So, we cannot allow a tiny spot in the city to ruin our successes so far," Abubakar Rabo Abdulkarim, who is in charge of operations at the Hisbah, told the BBC News website.

He says his men will soon launch a raid on Sabon Gari to cleanse it of all "instruments of sin".

But Mr Abdulkarim also understands the complex cultural nuances of his environment.

Beer smuggling

"Sharia is not a one-day affair. We will get there very soon. Knowing the nature of our environment, we have to be really careful," he says.

He says he has started by reducing the amount of alcohol that goes into Sabon Gari without actually entering the district.

"We mount checkpoints on the main roads leading into the city and impound all lorries attempting to bring alcohol into our city. So, in fact, all the beer you see in Sabon Gari was smuggled in."

But Obinna Amaechi, sitting in a roadside bar with a beer bottle in his hand, is not worried.

"They are not serious. They come here at night and join us at the bar and now they say they want to come and destroy the beer parlours? I think they are joking," he says nonchalantly.

Bar-owner Chidinma Anakwe or "Madam Cash", as her customers call her, further points out that that the Hisbah said non-Muslims would not be affected by Sharia.

"They say Sharia is for the Muslims. As for me, my religion does not stop me from selling or taking alcohol, why should they try to interfere with my business?" she asks.

Madam Cash runs a roadside bar on a main road in Sabon Gari. Despite her passionate defence of her liquor trade, she wouldn't want her picture taken, afraid that her bar might be singled out by "some people" for cleansing.

Massaging the system

Her fear is common among the Christian and animist residents of Sabon Gari.

Having been through many ethnic and religious clashes, in which hundreds of people were killed, they have learnt to massage the system rather than rock the boat.

Many of them reacted almost violently when attempts were made to take their pictures or those of their bars.

"As long as they remain this careful, they will keep their businesses and the Hisbah may never come here," Solomon Gapsiso, a Christian who has lived in Kano for more than a decade, said.

"The Hisbah are only joking," one sex worker said with what seemed like a genuine carefree attitude.

"Even for Saudi [Arabia], ashawo dey - there are prostitutes even in Saudi," she said.

Mr Abdulkarim says other societies may tolerate sex workers, but his green-uniformed Hisbah will not allow Kano to become the modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah.

However, there is yet another district where Mr Abdulkarim and his band of Hisbah volunteers will not go, even if they rid Sabon Gari of its "sinful" night life - the army and police barracks.

These also boast small "mammy markets", where alcohol is freely sold and sex-workers operate unhindered.

It is unlikely that Mr Abdulkarim's unarmed patrol teams could venture into these enclaves, suggesting Kano will continue to implement Sharia in patches for a long time to come.

Posted by Publisher at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2007

Nigeria rebel wife still defiant

The wife of Nigerian secessionist leader Ralph Uwazuruike says she is still committed to his cause, even though he has spent two years in jail.

"The struggle continues - it is not negotiable," Ngozi Uwazuruike told the BBC about the desire for independence for the south-eastern Igbo people.

Mr Uwazuruike's treason trial is due to resume on Monday in Abuja.

Mrs Uwazuruike, however, said the children had been affected by not seeing their father for two years.

"Our four children are out of school now and they miss their father," she told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

Mr Uwazuruike was arrested in October 2005 and has been in detention since then.

"The little one is emotionally sick now," Mrs Uwazuruike said.

"He needs to see his father. But I don't know how I could possibly take that little boy to prison to see his father."

The Movement for Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (Massob) says 37 years after the Biafran civil war ended, the Igbo people are still "marginalised" in Nigeria.

"We are not wanted," Mrs Uwazuruike said.

Recently, former Biafran leader, Emeka Ojukwu said the Igbo have more reason today to seek independence from Nigeria.

Mr Ojukwu's declaration of independence on 30 May 1967 led to a three-year civil war, in which more than 1m people died, mostly from hunger.

Mr Uwazuruike, a lawyer, abandoned his law practice to take up the Biafran campaign.

Posted by Publisher at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2007

Dog's dinners prove popular in Nigeria

The famous reverse news headline "Man bites dog!" is old news to some restaurants in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.

By Senan Murray
BBC News website, Abuja

"Welcome to animal kingdom where man pikin dey show dog pepper," says Chibuzo Eze in Pidgin English, meaning: Welcome to place where the son of man is giving dogs a hard time.

Mr Eze then hungrily gets back to tugging his chunk of dog meat.

He is standing under a mango tree in "South Africa", the name of an open-air restaurant hidden behind the living quarters of a Western construction firm in Abuja.

"It is called South Africa because behind those high walls you'll find rich Europeans and outside here is Soweto, where we, ordinary masses, struggle with dog meat," Mr Eze explains with a smile playing on his face.

'Improves your sex life'

Mr Eze says he eats dog meat because "e dey protect person from all those nyama-nyama disease them" - it gives you immunity from different diseases.

A few yards away Bassey Umoh, South Africa's owner and chief chef, pokes at larger chunks of sizzling meat barbecuing on wire gauze over an open fire.

Mr Umoh, or Oga Bassey (oga is Pidgin English for boss) - as the "South Africans" fondly call him, says he has been selling dog meat since he completed a two-year apprenticeship in the business some 30 years ago.

He also eats the meat he sells.

"Eating dog meat gives you a special protection against the most potent juju (charm)," he claims, reeling off the benefits of dog meat.

"Dog meat also improves your sex life. And if you eat dog meat, you cannot be poisoned."

But not everyone is convinced by Oga Bassey's arguments.

"The very idea of eating dog meat is absolutely disgusting," says Mary Iroanya, an office worker in the capital.

"The talk about dog meat curing diseases and giving protection against charms and the rest is mere superstition.

"People who eat dog meat only use those excuses to convince themselves that what they are doing is okay."

Her colleague Adeola Osinuga is also less than convinced by such claims. "Besides, I cannot eat dog meat because dogs are like pets," she says.

Easy target

Oga Bassey, however, says his cuisine is in high demand although his business is not doing so well because dogs are becoming scarce now in Abuja.

"Everybody is eating dog meat openly now, that is why dogs are scarce," he says.

Many Abuja dog owners complain that their dogs have gone missing, probably ending up in the likes of Oga Bassey's big dog pepper soup pot.

Most Nigerians keep dogs not as pets, but as guard dogs.

And instead of keeping them in kennels, the dogs are usually left to wander about freely, making them an easy target for people to kidnap and sell to restaurant owners like Mr Umoh.

But Mr Umoh says he does not buy stolen dogs. He, however, admits that it is often difficult to tell whether some of the dogs sold to him have been stolen.

"We have heard of people stealing dogs to sell. Our policy here in 'South Africa' is that we do not deal in stolen merchandise. So, we normally quiz our customers to be sure they are selling their own dogs," he explains.

"Moreover, 'South Africa' is not the only dog-meat joint in Abuja," Mr Umoh adds.

Indeed, there are three popular dog meat joints in this district on the western edge of Abuja alone.

Also as a rule, there is always a dog-meat pepper soup joint in every army or police barracks in Abuja.

Nigeria's riot police seem to have a thing for dog meat too as a popular dog-meat joint called Obalende sits in the middle of their barracks in Nyanya, another Abuja suburb.

Another popular dog-meat spot is "Zimbabwe", an open-air joint next to a small river on the outskirts of Abuja.

Unlike "South Africa", "Zimbabwe" is, however, notorious for its gamblers, pick-pockets, prostitutes and bootlegged spirits.

Culture

Another dog-meat eater, Beke Nnkwo says he was introduced to the cuisine as a cure for malaria.

"People who eat dog meat have no business with malaria," Mr Nnkwo says. "So, I was introduced to the meat as a cure for malaria and I can testify that it works."

Medical opinion, however, seems to differ.

"Dog meat, to the best of my knowledge, is not any different from any other meat. The claim that it cures malaria is definitely not true," says Dr Yakubu Nyandaiti a consultant at Nigeria's University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

"It cannot be true either that it boosts human immunity," he says.

For Mr Nnkwo, however, an Igbo from south-eastern Nigeria, eating dog meat is a question of culture.

"I hear they eat frogs in certain parts of the world. But I tell you, no matter how you cook or dress a frog, I can never eat it.

"But dog is different. So, eating dog meat is a question of culture for me."

Dog meat is also eaten in Plateau and Gombe states in the north and it is becoming quite popular in other parts of the country including Kaduna and Adamawa with Abuja as the newest entrant.

Asked how tasty the meat is, Mr Nnkwo beams and says: "Oh la la! You don't know what you are missing."

Posted by Publisher at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)

March 05, 2007

Nigeria sack youth coach

The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) have sacked their under-20 coach Godwin Uwua after only a year in charge.

By Oluwashina Okeleji,
BBC Sport, Lagos

Nigeria sack their youth coach Godwin Uwua

The move follows criticism of his side's performance at the 2007 African Youth Championships where he led his side to the runners-up spot behind hosts Congo.

Uwua, who took charge in March 2006, also led his side to qualification for this year's World Youth Championships taking place in Canada.

However, his managerial acumen came under severe criticism from the media and fans back in Nigeria.

According to NFA chairman Sani Lulu, the decision was taken in order to prevent a disastrous outing at the world stage: "We decided to take action before it was too late.

"We need to get our acts together before the World Youth Cup in Canada," Lulu told BBC Sport on Monday.

"This team is the foundation of our football and adequate attention needs to be given to them.

"This was not a witch-hunt of Uwua, he has done his bit and now is the time to go a step further."

Ladan Bosso, who assisted Uwua in Congo, has been appointed caretaker coach.

"Bosso will stay in charge for the time being until a substantive coach is appointed," Lulu added.

Nigeria finished runners-up at the last World Youth Championships in Holland, losing 2-1 to eventual winners Argentina in the final.

The Flying Eagles have been drawn to face Japan, Scotland and Costa Rica in Group F of this year's World Youth Championships scheduled for Canada from 30 June - 22 July.

Back in 2003, Godwin Uwua was dismissed by the NFA from his role as the under-23 coach just six months before the start of the All-Africa Games.

The NFA said Uwua was sacked because he was employed by a domestic club while under contract with the national team.

Posted by Publisher at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)

Nigeria endorses Islamic leader

The authorities in northern Nigeria have held the final ceremony to inaugurate the spiritual head of the country's estimated 70 million Muslims.

By Alex Last
BBC News, Nigeria

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sada Abubakar, received the staff of office which formalises the government's recognition of his position.

He became sultan after the death of his elder brother, Sultan Maccido, who died in a plane crash last year.

The ceremony took place in front of a crowd of thousands.

He was handed the staff by the state governor in the ancient city of Sokoto. Then members of the nobility, wearing turbans and ceremonial robes, cantered up on horseback to salute him.

The ceremony was attended by the president, Olusegun Obasanjo, and his bitter political rival, vice president Atiku Abubakar, who is campaigning to become president in elections in April.

The ceremony, with its staff of office, dates back to colonial times, and is a deliberate show that it is the government that ultimately endorses his appointment.

The 20th Sultan of Sokoto comes from a line of leaders who date back 200 years to the once vast Sokoto Caliphate, which spanned a huge swathe of West Africa.

Though his position now is largely ceremonial, he still retains considerable influence - crucial in a country which has witnessed bouts of sectarian and ethnic violence.

Posted by Publisher at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)

February 05, 2007

Rows over Nigeria treason trial

The start of the treason trial of Nigerian oil militant Mujahid Dokubo-Asari has again been delayed after angry rows in court.

Mr Asari was shouting and swearing, saying his life was in danger while in custody, prompting the prosecution to ask him to be barred from the trial.

Three of his wives were crying, while hundreds of his supporters gathered at the High Court in the capital, Abuja.

He was arrested in 2005 after calling for the oil-rich Niger Delta to secede.

The BBC's Senan Murray in the capital, Abuja, says the government is under pressure to release Mr Asari - a key demand of those who have staged a wave of attacks on oil facilities in the region.

Last year, Nigeria lost some $4bn because of unrest in the Niger Delta.

'Vitriol'

There was tight security outside court, with a truckload of riot police on standby in case of any trouble.

Mr Asari said that his weight has gone down from 139kg to 93kg while in custody, and further said he was being held in an underground cell, without access to his lawyers and family.

His first wife Mujahidat Dokubo-Asari said she had not been allowed to see her husband, warning that "Nigeria will regret it" should her husband die in custody.

"If anything happens to my husband, I assure the federal government that within 48 hours, all oil exploration in the Niger Delta will be stopped whether [President] Obasanjo likes it or not," she said.

The prosecution, meanwhile accuse Mr Asari of unruly behaviour.

"At the last two sittings of the court the accused rained chains of vitriolic... utterances on the honourable judge and the prosecution," they said in a written motion arguing for him to be barred.

"The accused person went to the extent of threatening to snatch... the rifle and pistol of the police and prison guards to use them on the honourable judge and the director of public prosecution," the document read.

Oil wealth

Last week, Nigeria army chief of staff Major General Andrew Azazi, who is from the Delta, met some oil militants, who repeated their demand for Mr Asari's release if the violence is to stop.

They also want former Bayelsa State governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha to be freed - he is accused of corruption and money laundering.

The militants often attack oil installations and kidnap oil workers for ransom.

Last year, such attacks cut Nigeria's oil output by some 20%.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer but most of the Niger Delta population remain poor.

The militants say more of Nigeria's oil wealth should benefit local people.

Posted by Publisher at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)

Nigeria threaten Premiership duo

Nigeria have threatened to report Newcastle and Chelsea to Fifa if they do not release their players for Tuesday's friendly against Ghana.

By Ibrahim Sannie

Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder says Obafemi Martins is tired while Chelsea say Mikel Jon Obi has a thigh injury.

But Nigeria Football Association (NFA) vice-chairman Amanze Uchegbulam told BBC Sport: "This is a friendly on a Fifa approved date.

"Therefore we have the rights to our players on Tuesday."

Uchegbulam has made it clear that the Nigerian FA will report both clubs if they do not release their respective players.

"The excuse being given is that the players are injured," added Uchegbulam.

"Even if that is the case Fifa regulations say that the players should report to their national team for assessment by the national team doctors.

"Until our medical team declare any player unfit we insist that we will report any club that fails to release our players.

"We think it is unfair to Nigeria and in the interest of the good relationship we have with these clubs our players should be released immediately."

Newcastle were hoping to persuade Martins to put club before country as they face Liverpool in the Premiership on Saturday.

Roeder is asking his 10-goal leading scorer not to play knowing an injury could severely affect his club.

"It is only a friendly and Nigeria cannot insist on Oba playing, and because he has had so much football this season, I will be asking him not to play against Ghana," Roeder said last week.

"He has already played nearly 30 games for us - he has probably played more matches this season than at any time in his career.

"He is a great lad and I am sure he will understand the situation because we are a bit thin on the ground for strikers and we do not want the risk of losing him."

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said Mikel picked up an injury in the 1-0 win over Charlton.

"A young kid of 19, playing five consecutive matches, running 12 kilometres a game, of course the boy is a little tired and he felt a little pain," said Mourinho.

"We have to scan it, but experience says he has a little muscular problem and for the next 15 days, he is out of competition."

The friendly takes place at Brentford's Griffin Park ground in London.

Posted by Publisher at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

Chinese workers freed in Nigeria

Nine Chinese oil workers abducted in Nigeria's Delta region have been freed after 11 days in captivity.

The men, seized from the offices of China's National Petroleum Company, were freed after "complex efforts", China's foreign ministry said.

All nine were safe and well and were handed back to their company in Bayelsa state, a ministry statement said.

About 100 foreign hostages, mostly oil workers, have recently been kidnapped in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

Many Niger Delta residents live in poverty, and taking hostages for ransom has become increasingly common.

Hostages are usually released after a ransom is paid, though some have been killed in gun battles between security forces and kidnappers.

There was no word about whether a ransom was paid to secure the release of the nine men.

Their release comes after the freeing of five Chinese telecoms who were held for 12 days in captivity.

China's President Hu Jintao is currently on an eight-nation tour of Africa aiming to boost trade ties with the continent.

Foreign workers from the United Kingdom, the United States, the Philippines, Italy, Lebanon and Nigeria are currently being held hostage in Nigeria.

The instability in the region has cut Nigeria's oil production by at least 20%, costing the country some $4.4bn (£2.2bn) last year, according to the government.

Posted by Publisher at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

Nigeria bird flu death confirmed

Nigeria's first human fatality from bird flu has been confirmed by the World Health Organisation.

Tests in London confirmed that a 22-year-old woman who died on 17 January was infected with the deadly H5N1 strain.

Nigeria reported several human cases last Wednesday and says measures are being taken to prevent a further spread among humans.

More than 160 people are now known to have died of bird flu worldwide.

Almost all have been poultry workers who have come into close contact with birds. H5N1 cannot pass easily from human to human.

Nigeria reported Africa's first cases of H5N1 about a year ago.

Other cases have been reported in Egypt and Djibouti, which have suffered human deaths, and also in Cameroon, Djibouti, Niger, Ivory Coast, Sudan and Burkina Faso.

Posted by Publisher at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

January 09, 2007

US launches air strike in Somalia

The US has carried out an air strike against Islamist fighters in a southern Somali village, which the US believes includes members of an al-Qaeda cell.

The targets were reported to have been tracked by aerial reconnaissance and then attacked by a US gunship launched from a US military base in Djibouti.

The US says Somali Islamists sheltered al-Qaeda operatives linked to the 1998 US embassy bombings in East Africa.

The Somali transitional government says many people were killed in the raid.

The air strikes took place a few days after the Union of Islamic Courts, which had taken control of much of central and southern Somalia during the past six months, was routed by soldiers from Ethiopia and Somalia's transitional government.

The US accused the Islamists of having links to al-Qaeda - charges they denied.

Target

There has been no official confirmation from the Pentagon that the air strike took place, but correspondents say a statement is expected within hours.

Location of militias and US Navy patrols
"So many dead people were lying in the area. We do not know who is who, but the raid was a success," interim government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari told AFP news agency.

"The target was a small village called Badel where the terrorists were hiding. And the gunship did hit on the exact target," he said, adding that Somali and Ethiopian troops were nearby.

The bombing is the first overt military action by the US in Somalia since the 1990s when 18 US troops were killed in Mogadishu.

'Opportunistic attempt'

The attack was carried out by an Air Force AC-130, a heavily-armed gunship that has highly effective detection equipment and can work under the cover of darkness.

Reports suggest the US attack took place on Monday afternoon in an area known as Ras Kamboni on the southern tip of the country close to Kenya's border.

After fierce fighting, Ethiopian and Somali forces said on Monday that they were on the verge of capturing the area, one of the Islamist's last strongholds, where many fighters were dug in.

Many other Islamist fighters are in hiding across the country.

Al-Qaeda

Somalia's interim President Abdullahi Yusuf backed the US action.

"The US has a right to bombard terrorist suspects who attacked its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania," he said in Mogadishu, a day after entering the city for the first time since the Islamists withdrew.

The BBC's Adam Mynott in Nairobi says the attack seemed to be an opportunistic attempt by the US to destroy an al-Qaeda cell that they had been tracking for some time.

The cell is believed to be behind the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and Dar Es Salaam, in Tanzania.

More than 250 people died in the two attacks.

The US also holds the same group responsible for attacks on an Israeli aircraft and Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya in 2002, in which 15 people died.

Meanwhile, the US military said on Tuesday it had sent an aircraft carrier to join three other US warships conducting anti-terror operations off the country's coast.

Posted by Publisher at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2006

Nigeria mourns pipeline victims

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he is "shocked and saddened" by the vandalisation of an oil pipeline that led to at least 260 deaths.

Hundreds of people in a Lagos suburb were scooping fuel from a pipeline punctured by thieves when it exploded.

It took the emergency services hours to extinguish the flames and many of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

Some 2,000 people have died in similar incidents in recent years in Nigeria, which suffers frequent fuel shortages.

President Obasanjo blamed the tragedy on vandals damaging the pipeline and said he was sad that such vandalism continued despite his warnings that it was "not only illegal but a dangerous pursuit".

Adding his voice to the condolences, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said the UN was ready to provide immediate assistance. and also to help assess gaps in disaster response.

Mr Annan also called for " a review of the country's fuel supply management, as well as a thorough regional review of risks that could lead to other environmental or technological disasters in West Africa."

Despite being Africa's largest oil producer, Nigerians often suffer fuel shortages because of corruption, poor management and infrastructure problems.

It appears that thieves broke into a pipeline passing through the Abule Egba area of Lagos early on Tuesday to siphon off large amounts of fuel.

Some time later, hundreds of local people had arrived on the site carrying jerry cans and plastic buckets when a vast explosion shook the neighbourhood.

The Nigerian Red Cross (NRC) says at least 260 people were killed and dozens were injured.

Some of those injured in the blast are believed to have gone into hiding to avoid arrest. Others may not have gone to hospital because they lack money to pay for treatment.

Lagos journalist Adeyinka Adewunmi witnessed the aftermath of the explosion.

"The pipelines are in a popular neighbourhood, very close to the express road, which I normally use for my journey to work," he told the BBC News website.

"I could see fire, state ambulances, ambulances of the Red Cross, firefighters, government officials. There were scores of dead bodies on the ground and injured people being carried into ambulances.

Posted by Publisher at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)

Nigeria to replace vice-president

Nigeria's government has announced that President Olusegun Obasanjo is to replace Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

A government spokesman said Mr Abubakar had "technically resigned" by attending an opposition convention.

The ruling People's Democratic Party expelled the vice-president from its ranks on Friday and called for him to be dismissed from his government post.

The two leaders fell out early in the year, when Mr Abubakar opposed plans to let the president run for a third term.

Presidential spokesman Uba Sani said President Obasanjo, who must step down after elections in April, would abide by the constitution, and called on Nigerians to remain calm.

'Illegality'

He said the decision followed Mr Abubakar's defection to the opposition Action Congress (AC) early this week.

During the convention, Mr Abubakar was chosen as the party's presidential candidate for leadership elections next April.

The vice-president said the government's decision was against the country's constitution.

"The 1999 constitution, which is the ground norm of our democracy, does not give the president power to either declare the office of the vice-president vacant or to withdraw the rights and privileges of the vice-president," he said.

He said he would take legal action "to challenge this illegality".

But the ruling party said constitutional rules stated that the vice-president must belong to the same party as the president.

The PDP suspended Mr Abubakar last September after he was indicted on corruption charges by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Mr Abubakar has been President Olusegun Obasanjo's deputy since May 1999.

Under the country's constitution, Mr Obasanjo can only serve two terms of eight years as president.

Posted by Publisher at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)

Nigeria 'using Abacha cash well'

Nigeria is using funds it regained from the former military ruler, Sani Abacha, to boost health, education and transport, the World Bank has said.

A Swiss court returned $458m (£257m) of stolen funds to Nigeria last year, on condition it was spent on development and monitored by the World Bank.

Now, a World Bank review has found that half the projects begun with the looted cash have been successfully completed.

Nigeria is lacking in infrastructure, despite its abundant oil wealth.

The World Bank review said the monitored projects were being implemented across the country, and most of those not yet finished were heading for completion.

Frozen funds

A World Bank statement said the stolen funds were "utilised for development projects in five sectors".

It said the study showed significant increases in spending in 2004 in areas such as power, roads, water, education and health.

Mr Abacha was in power from 1993 to 1998 and is thought to have embezzled billions of dollars.

Following his death in 1998, Nigeria started trying to claw back money that had been deposited outside the country.

In 1999, Swiss authorities originally froze funds linked to Mr Abacha found in its banks.

However, they refused to return them until they were given guarantees about how the money would be used.

Posted by Publisher at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2006

Nigeria militants in deadly raid

Delta militants have carried out a series of attacks and abductions
Militants in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region have attacked a pumping station, killing three security guards.

At another oil facility armed men have taken oil workers and more than 40 soldiers guarding it hostage.

Meanwhile, Shell is evacuating its family staff members after a car bomb on Monday exploded inside a residential compound in the city of Port Harcourt.

Both militants and local criminals have attacked oil facilities and kidnapped oil workers to obtain ransom money.

A spokesman for the oil giant Total told Associated Press news agency that the Obagi station in Rivers State, which produces some 35,000 barrels of oil a day, had been shut down.

The police confirmed the raid.

"Militants at 3.30am attacked a facility at Obagi. Three people were killed," a police spokesman told Reuters news agency.

In neighbouring Bayelsa State, a flow station, operated by Italian company Agip, was also raided overnight by armed men.

"There was an attack at the Agip flow station at Tebidaba. I don't know if there were any casualties," a military officer to AFP news agency.

The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar in Port Harcourt says that after this flow station came under attack a few months ago the military sent soldiers to guard it against further raids.

These soldiers and workers at the facility are being held hostage, a miltary source has told him.

Our correspondent says Agip has now evacuated most of its foreign workers from the region, while Royal Dutch Shell is relocating all its oil workers' families and dependants from the Niger Delta.

"We don't want to take chances and jeopardise the safety and security of our workers and their families," a spokesman told AFP.

Another blast on Monday hit the fence of a compound belonging to Agip.

There were no casualties in either of Monday's car bomb attacks, which the militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) claimed responsibility for.

Mend are demanding the release of two leaders and more oil wealth for locals.

The world's eighth biggest exporter of crude has been losing more than 500,000 barrels of oil per day since February when militants demanding greater local control of oil wealth staged a series of raids on the industry.

Posted by Publisher at 02:02 PM | Comments (0)

Nigeria VP's jet grounded in spat

Atiku Abubakar is the opposition party's presidential candidate
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has told Lagos airport staff not to let the vice-president's official jet take off with him on holiday, reports say.

It comes a day after Vice-President Atiku Abubakar was chosen by an opposition party as its candidate for next April's presidential election.

Correspondents say the two have become bitter rivals after Mr Obasanjo accused his deputy of diverting public funds.

Mr Abubakar has now left for a two-week holiday aboard a commercial aircraft.

There has been no comment from the president's office about the reports.

Mr Abubakar's office told Reuters news agency that Mr Obasanjo had issued instructions for his deputy's plane to be prevented from leaving Lagos airport after formally approving his holiday.

Corruption allegations

Mr Abubakar was the only nominee put forward at the national meeting of the Action Congress party in Lagos.

Mr Obasanjo, the outgoing leader, fell out with Mr Abubakar over a failed bid to seek an unconstitutional third term.

In September, Nigeria's anti-corruption body accused Mr Abubakar of fraudulently using public funds from the country's Petroleum Technology Development Fund.

Mr Abubakar denies that he diverted $125m into personal business interests and says the corruption allegations are politically motivated.

Presidential candidates for some 50 registered political parties are being announced by the end of the week.

Next year's polls should become the first transfer of power from one elected leader to another since independence in 1960.

Posted by Publisher at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2006

Nigeria opposition pick candidate

Some 5,000 delegates from the main opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) have met in Abuja to select its presidential election candidate.

Six of the seven nominees stood aside to allow the former military leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, to become the party's representative.

The Action Congress opposition party is expected to meet on Wednesday in Lagos.

On Sunday, Katsina state governor Umaru Yar'Adua was selected by the ruling party to contest the April 2007 poll.

The reclusive northerner will be viewed as favourite by many, having received support from outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo, leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

In his acceptance speech, Gen Buhari - who lost to President Obasanjo in 2003 - promised to run an all-inclusive government if elected next April.

"We have the people, we have the support of Nigerians, we have the programmes. All we need by the grace of God is free and fair elections," Gen Buhari said.

Gen Buhari's claim that the 2003 presidential elections were rigged was rejected by the Supreme Court last year.

The political rivals are kinsmen from Nigeria's north-western state of Katsina and the ANPP is hoping that this factor might help split the northern Muslim vote in next year's polls.

Deals

The other main opposition party - the Action Congress party (AC) - is due to meet on Wednesday in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos.

Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is expected to seek nomination as AC's presidential candidate.

Mr Abubakar who was a key figure in the formation of the governing PDP was recently suspended following disagreements with Mr Obasanjo and allegations of corruption which he denies.

Last week, the ANPP and AC formed an electoral pact, agreeing not to run rival candidates against each other in an attempt to counter the formidable election machinery of the PDP.

A BBC correspondent says there is little ideological difference between the parties, which are mostly divided by personality and patronage.

The PDP candidate will start off as favourite to win, but his lack of political experience will give hope to rivals of an upset, say analysts.

Splits

Nigeria's population is roughly split between southern-based Christians and Muslims who predominate in the north. Northerners say it is their turn to have the presidency after years of rule by Mr Obasanjo, a Christian.

A former college lecturer, Mr Yar'Adua is one of the few governors not currently under investigation for corruption.

He also has a close family link to Nigeria's leader - his brother was Mr Obasanjo's deputy when the president was military ruler during the 1970s. And the two men were in jail together during the rule of President Sani Abacha.

His running mate will be a southern Christian governor Goodluck Jonathan, from the oil-rich Niger Delta.

In his speech, Mr Yar'Adua said his nomination furthered the cause of democracy in Nigeria.

Since it was hastily formed some eight years ago, the PDP has had to cope with internal feuds that led to the exit of almost all its founding members.

Presidential candidates for some 50 registered political parties are being announced by the end of the week.

Next year's polls should become the first transfer of power from one elected leader to another since independence in 1960.

Posted by Publisher at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2006

Rumsfeld may face war crimes charges

A lawyers' group has asked Germany to sue former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over alleged prisoner abuse in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.

The complaint was filed by the US-based Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of a Saudi man held in Cuba and 11 Iraqis held in Baghdad.

German law allows the pursuit of cases originating anywhere in the world.

State prosecutors have yet to decide whether to pursue the case. An earlier request for a case in 2004 was dropped.

Michael Ratner, the centre's president, said he felt the case had a better chance of success now because Mr Rumsfeld was no longer in office and could not exert the same degree of "political pressure".

He added that the centre had more evidence than it did in 2004, citing the case of a detained Saudi national, Mohamad al-Qahtani.

"Al-Qahtani was a man who the US alleged is al-Qaeda, who is in Guantanamo. The entire torture log of al-Qahtani over a period of two months was exposed," Mr Ratner told the BBC.

Resignation

The Center for Constitutional Rights argues that Mr Rumsfeld was instrumental in abuses committed at Guantanamo Bay and at Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad.

The group of international lawyers alleges that Mr Rumsfeld personally approved the use of torture to extract information from the prisoners.

Wolfgang Kaleck, the lawyer leading the attempt to bring the case, said former US Army Brig-Gen Janis Karpinski would be the "star witness".

Ms Karpinski was commander of US prisons in Iraq when several prisoners were abused by US soldiers at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib facility.

Mr Rumsfeld resigned on Wednesday following Republican losses to the Democrats in the US mid-term elections.

The US denies any torture has taken place at Guantanamo Bay and has defended its interrogation techniques.

Abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib was brought to world attention after soldiers' photographs of the incidents were released and published.

Ten US soldiers have been found guilty of abuses at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison. The US says they were acting without official sanction.

Posted by Publisher at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)

Nigerian ex-governors on the run

Two Nigerian governors sacked over corruption allegations have gone on the run, officials say.

Dariye previously skipped bail in the UK

Joshua Dariye was impeached by central Plateau State assembly on Monday, while Ayo Fayose was removed in southern Ekiti State last month.

"We have declared them wanted," anti-corruption agency chief Nuhu Ribadu told the BBC.

Five governors have been sacked in a year but critics say the crackdown on graft is tied to next year's polls.

Dubious process

Mr Dariye skipped bail two years ago in the UK, where he was wanted on allegations of money-laundering.

He returned to Nigeria, where he was arrested but charges were eventually dropped because governors enjoy immunity from prosecution under Nigerian law.

This no longer applies if they are impeached.

Michael Botmang has been sworn in as Plateau State's new governor.

The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says that, as with other recent impeachments, there are real questions as to the legality of the process.

Only about six of 22 state legislators voted for Mr Dariye's removal.

Polls

Riot police patrolled the streets of the state capital, Jos, on Monday to prevent any clashes between rival political groupings.

"Dariye was in Jos yesterday, we don't think he is too far away," said Mr Ribadu, head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

After Mr Fayose was impeached, President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Ekiti and installed a retired army general to run the state until April's elections.

Under Nigeria's federal system, governors enjoy considerable powers.

The EFCC recently said that two-thirds of the 36 governors were being investigated on corruption allegations.

Controlling the governorship is also seen as being crucial to winning elections in a particular state.

Mr Obasanjo is not standing in April's elections but correspondents say he is keen to influence the choice of who will succeed him.

The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says that none of the five governors sacked this year are allies of the president.

Posted by Publisher at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)

November 03, 2006

Nigerian governor defies sacking

The impeached governor of the south-east Nigerian state of Anambra is refusing to leave office, leaving the state in political turmoil.

Amid tight security, some state legislators voted to remove Peter Obi for gross misconduct on Thursday.

His deputy is refusing to be sworn and civil rights groups have criticised the whole process as unconstitutional.

A BBC correspondent says the battle could get more volatile if supporters of the two sides take to the streets.

Election battle

Mr Obi, who has been in office for just seven months, only took power after a court ruled that his predecessor had rigged the election in 2003.

This is the fifth state to start impeachment proceedings against a governor this year.

Some say the recent impeachments are part of the fight against corruption.

But critics say it is often more about rival politicians trying to take charge of the state so they can control the elections due early next year.

Mr Obi, from the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has only occupied the post since March this year.

That was after an appeal court rule that the elections in the state in 2003 were rigged by the governing People's Democratic Party.

The PDP's Chris Ngige, who occupied the post of governor illegally for three years, had fallen out with senior party figures soon after the election.

He said it was because he refused to loot public money to pay them back for their support.

Since Mr Obi took office in March, he has been locked in a power struggle with one of the president's closest aides, Andy Uba, who wants to win the governorship in next year's elections.

Analysts say the impeachment process could only help this ambition.

Posted by Publisher at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

Nigerian aviation minister sacked

Nigeria's aviation minister has been sacked following the plane crash on Sunday in which the spiritual leader of Nigeria's Muslims and 95 others died.

Reforms have failed to instill confidence in Nigerian airlines

Babalola Borishade swaps jobs with Culture Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, according to the president's office.

The crash of an ADC Boeing 737 into a cornfield just 2km (1.2 miles) from Abuja's main airport was the third major airline disaster in a year.

Nigeria held three days of national mourning amid widespread anger.

Critics are sceptical that an aviation industry overhaul to improve safety announced by President Olusgeun Obasanjo several months ago will actually work.

An investigation into the cause of Sunday's crash is already under way and ADC's aircraft have been grounded.

Premature

The day after the crash, Mr Borishade criticised the pilot, saying he had ignored bad weather warnings.

The pilots' union condemned his comments as premature ahead of any investigation.

Mr Obasanjo went to Sokoto to pay his respects after the death of Sultan Mohammadu Maccido.

Two senators and the son of a former president were also among those who died.

Just over a year ago, a passenger jet operated by Bellview went down near Lagos, killing 117 people.

Seven weeks later, a plane operated by the Nigerian airline Sosoliso crashed on landing in the southern city of Port Harcourt, killing 106 people, half of whom were children.

Since then new aviation officials have been appointed and runways are being improved.

The government says airport technology is also being upgraded to improve navigation.

Posted by Publisher at 09:46 AM | Comments (0)

October 31, 2006

Nigerian crash airline grounded

Nigeria has suspended the licence of the airline involved in Sunday's crash, in which 96 people were killed.

The plane reportedly burst into flames just after take-off

ADC's Boeing 737 passenger jet came down almost immediately after take-off from the capital, Abuja, on a flight to the northern city of Sokoto.

Among the dead was the spiritual leader of Nigeria's Muslims, the Sultan of Sokoto. Nine people are reported to have survived the crash.

This is Nigeria's third major civilian air disaster in less than a year.

ADC is one of Nigeria's most popular private airlines.

Three days of national mourning have been announced for the victims and an inquiry has begun.

President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday visited Sokoto to pay his respects at the sultan's palace.

"I have come with so much sadness and sorrow to condole the people and government of Sokoto and all Nigerians over this tragedy," he said.

"The sultan was a man of peace who lived and died for peace.

'Twisted remnants'

Most shops and businesses are closed in Sokoto and the city's motorbike-taxi riders have parked their bikes out of respect for the deceased sultan.

Residents are gathering at mosques and the sultan's palace to pray.

The BBC's Alex Last in Nigeria says there is a lot of anger over the latest crash, as well as grief.

"Nigeria's aviation industry needs urgent overhaul. This is one crash too many," said Ishaq Akintola, director of civil society group Muslim Rights Concern.

Nigeria's aviation minister has said the pilot ignored advice to wait for better weather before taking off.

"The pilot of the unfortunate accident refused to take advantage of the weather advice and the opinion of the [control] tower to exercise patience and allow the weather to clear for a safe take off," Aviation Minister Babalola Borishade said at a news conference.

The jet came down just after take-off, ploughing into a cornfield about two kilometres from Abuja airport.

Our correspondent says the plane broke up on impact, scattering debris and passengers' belongings across an area the size of a football pitch.

The body of the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammadu Maccido - the spiritual leader of the country's estimated 70 million Muslims - was buried in Sokoto within hours of the crash.

Several other leading Nigerian politicians, including one of the sultan's sons, were also killed in the crash. The survivors are being treated in a hospital in Abuja.

Corruption and corner-cutting

After visiting the crash site, Federal Territory Minister Mallam Nasir el-Rufai told the BBC that the condition of the plane was "deplorable", with "bald tyres".

The government had already announced a plan to overhaul the aviation industry and improve safety following last year's disasters, in which more than 200 people died.

Last month 10 senior army commanders were killed when their military plane crashed.

Several airlines were grounded while safety checks were carried out. ADC planes were not involved in the crashes.

President Obasanjo blamed corruption and corner-cutting for poor safety standards.

Our correspondent says that air travel in Nigeria has boomed in recent years, but this crash will raise further questions as to how these safety reforms are being implemented.

Posted by Publisher at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)

October 21, 2006

Nigerian leaders 'stole' $380bn

More than $380bn has either been stolen or wasted by Nigerian governments since independence in 1960, the chief corruption fighter has said.

Nigeria's chief corruption fighter Nuhu Ribadu says he will not relent

Nuhu Ribadu told the BBC that Nigeria has "nothing much" to show for the missing money.

He said the worst period for corruption was the 1980s and '90s, but currently two-thirds of governors are being investigated by Mr Ribadu's agency.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil exporter but most people are poor.

The country is regularly ranked as one of the most corrupt by graft watchdog Transparency International.

President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Ekiti State on Thursday after the governor was found guilty of siphoning state funds into personal bank accounts and receiving kickbacks.

Political corruption

Mr Ribadu said he had come up with his figure of $380bn stolen or wasted since independence "easily" through records kept by the Nigerian central bank and the ministry of finance.

"Basically, this money has gone to waste, nothing much to show for it," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

WHAT DOES $384.6BN BUY?

225 Space Shuttles
795,115 Rolls Royce Phantoms
400m PC computers
32m primary school rooms
3,800kg rice for each Nigerian

"Of course, probably part of it will have gone to outside stealing."

Mr Obasanjo's critics say the fight against corruption is being used to victimise his opponents ahead of next year's elections.

Mr Obasanjo is not standing after an attempt to let him seek a third term was defeated.

But Mr Ribadu denied he has a political motive in his fight against corruption.

"When you are doing this kind of work, you will always be accused of one thing or another."

Last month, Vice-President Atiku Abubakar was indicted on charges of corruption, which could stop him from running for office.

He denies allegations he diverted $125m into personal business interests.

Mr Ribadu has led Nigeria's battle against corruption as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC says in the past two years it has recovered more than $5bn and has successfully prosecuted 82 people.

Money laundering

Mr Ribadu told the BBC that $140m had been recovered from one unnamed former Nigerian leader and that nearly $400m of illegally gained assets had been identified in the possession of a former governor of Bayelsa State.

Vice-President Abubakar denies corruption allegations

Last year, Nigeria recovered $458m found in Swiss bank accounts linked to the country's late military ruler Sani Abacha.

Mr Abacha was in power from 1993 to 1998 and is thought to have embezzled billions of dollars.

Last year his son, Abba Sani Abacha, was charged with money laundering and fraud after being extradited to Switzerland.

Despite the missing money Nigeria has managed to pay off its multi-billion dollar debt to the Paris Club of major lenders, thanks to high oil prices.

About $5bn is still owed to other lenders including the World Bank and the private sector.

Posted by Publisher at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

Climate water threat to millions

Climate change threatens supplies of water for millions of people in poorer countries, warns a new report from the Christian development agency Tearfund.

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

Drought can devastate human populations and their livestock

Recent research suggests that by 2050, five times as much land is likely to be under "extreme" drought as now.

Tearfund wants richer states to look at helping poorer ones adjust to drought at next month's UN climate summit.

This week the UK's climate minister said he was confident of reaching an deal on adaptation funds at the talks.

There was an "urgent need" for such measures, Ian Pearson told a parliamentary committee.

It's the extremes of water which are going to provide the biggest threat to the developing world from climate change

Sir John Houghton

The Tearfund report, Feeling the Heat, urges donors to ramp up assistance quickly. Other charities are likely to make similar pleas in the run-up to the Nairobi summit, which begins on 6 November.

Citing research by the Oxford academic Norman Myers, Tearfund suggests there will be as many as 200 million climate refugees by 2050.

Areas where people are already on the move to avoid climate excesses include, the report says:

Brazil, where one in five people born in the arid northeast region relocates to avoid drought
China, where three provinces are seeing the spread of the Gobi desert
Nigeria, where about 2,000 sq km is becoming desert each year

Attributing the movement of people to climate impacts is, however, a difficult issue, with many other factors including economic opportunity behind decisions to relocate.

Level of rhetoric

One of Britain's leading climate scientists, Sir John Houghton, said the severity of climate change was getting through to world leaders "at a level of rhetoric", but not yet at a level of action.

"There were promises made at the G8 summit and at the last UN meeting in Montreal about money for adaptation," he told the BBC News website, "but I understand that very little of that has come through."

Sir John, who contributed a foreword to the Tearfund report, said water shortages would be the biggest climate threat to developing countries.

Enlarge Image

"It's the extremes of water which are going to provide the biggest threat to the developing world from climate change," he said.

"Without being able to be too specific about exactly where, droughts will tend to be longer, and that's very bad news. Extreme droughts currently cover about 2% of the world's land area, and that is going to spread to about 10% by 2050."

Overall, he said, climate models show a drying out of sub-Saharan Africa, while some other areas of the world will see more severe flooding.

Sir John is a former head of the UK Meteorological Office, former chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, and co-chaired one of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working groups.

He is now chairman of the John Ray Initiative, whose mission is to "connect environment, science and Christianity".

The positive side of the Tearfund report is that simple measures to "climate-proof" water problems, both drought and flood, have proven to be very effective in some areas.

In Niger, the charity says that building low, stone dykes across contours has helped prevent runoff and get more water into the soil; while in Bihar, northern India, embankments have been built to connect villages during floods, with culverts allowing drainage.

Posted by Publisher at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)

Fears over Nigeria emergency rule

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo's declaration of a state of emergency in troubled Ekiti State has heightened fears ahead of landmark elections due next April.

By Senan Murray
BBC News website, Abuja

Mr Fayose's sacking means he can now be prosecuted

Local MPs voted to impeach governor Ayo Fayose on Monday after finding him guilty of siphoning state funds into personal bank accounts and receiving kickbacks.

But several senior politicians and legal figures complained that his removal was unlawful.

Analysts say Mr Fayose's sacking and the declaration of emergency rule in Ekiti were part of complex political scheming ahead of the general elections.

But the proclamation has also achieved the objective of the impeachment exercise by removing Governor Fayose from office and therefore leaving him liable for prosecution.

'Ominous sign'

Opposition politicians say it is an "ominous sign of things to come" in an election where Mr Obasanjo seems determined to influence the choice of his successor.

President Obasanjo told national television that he was taking action to prevent Ekiti descending into chaos.

For a solution, President Obasanjo, himself a retired army general, has appointed another retired general to run Ekiti State for the next six months.

While Maj Gen Tunji Olurin remains sole administrator in Ekiti, all democratic institutions in the state, including the local legislature, which impeached Mr Fayose, will remain suspended.

But the ruling party could well benefit from the move as the new governor is also a senior official in the ruling People's Democratic Party and will supervise the state polls due in six months' time.

Army

The developments are also worrying for Nigerians who only returned to multi-party democracy in 1999 after being ruled by the military for most of the previous 30 years.

What was done in Ekiti was unconstitutional and allowing it to stand would put our democracy in grave danger

Muhammadu Buhari

Imposing the former commander of the West African peacekeeping force, Ecomog, as sole administrator in Ekiti adds to the dominance of retired military officers in Nigerian politics.

Former military rulers Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and General Muhammadu Buhari are expected to be top contenders in April elections.

The ruling party is also headed by a retired army colonel.

Election 'plot'

Some go even further than suggesting the moves against Mr Fayose and other state governors are political manoeuvring.

Some opposition politicians express the fear that the declaration of emergency rule in Ekiti is part of a plot to cause enough instability to postpone next year's elections.

"There is no justification for declaring a state of emergency in Ekiti State as it was a situation that could have been dealt with by the law courts and the security agencies," opposition politician Balarabe Musa told the BBC.

"As far as I'm concerned, it is something personally scripted by Obasanjo to throw the country into chaos and under such a situation, he could then invoke the constitution and hang on to power beyond next year," said Mr Musa, who was the first governor to be impeached in Nigeria.

Earlier this year, Nigeria's parliament rejected a plan to change the constitution to let Mr Obasanjo seek a third term in office.

Governors under fire

The governors, who cannot be prosecuted while in office, are now under scrutiny like never before.

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says it is investigating two-thirds of governors in a corruption drive that has been criticised as a cover for a political witch-hunt with the president's opponents as targets.

Three governors have been impeached since 1999, with another two currently facing impeachment proceedings from their local legislatures over allegations of corruption.

Some analysts say the rejection of Mr Fayose's impeachment by President Obasanjo is a warning to local legislatures in Plateau and Anambra, where the governors are also facing impeachment proceedings for corruption.

The imposition of emergency rule in Ekiti means that Mr Fayose has been stripped of his constitutional immunity and could therefore be arrested and tried for corruption.

It also suggests that action against more governors is likely.

As this could have a decisive impact on April's elections and the identity of Nigeria's next president, the next few months are set to be turbulent and controversial.

Posted by Publisher at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)

October 16, 2006

Missing Nigeria governor sacked

The governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria, has been impeached after MPs found him and his deputy guilty of corruption.

Mr Fayose was impeached over allegations of corruption

Ayo Fayose's sacking has heightened tensions in the south-western state with riot police deployed in the state capital, Ado-Ekiti.

Mr Fayose is the third governor to be impeached since Nigeria returned to multiparty democracy in 1999.

He denies graft and is believed to have fled to another West African country to avoid possible arrest and trial.

Serving Nigerian governors have immunity from criminal prosecution, but once removed, they lose their immunity and could stand trial.

Nigeria's anti-corruption watchdog, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), recently accused Mr Fayose of diverting $100,000 to a personal account in the US.

He was also accused of receiving kickbacks on a poultry project embarked upon by his state government.

The EFCC says almost all of Nigeria's 36 state governors are corrupt.

Row

The Ekiti State House of Assembly says it was shocked by the EFCC's allegations against the governor and decided to set up a special investigative panel to look into them.

The investigative panel, headed by the chief judge of the state, said it found evidence of corruption against the governor and recommended his sacking.

But the governor's supporters say that he and his deputy, Mrs Biodun Olujimi, are being "persecuted" because he had fallen out with President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Mr Fayose also claims that local state assembly leaders agreed to remove him from office in exchange for higher political positions.

'Selective justice'

The Nigerian government established the EFCC in 2003 to combat corruption, advanced fee fraud, locally known as 419, and other economic crimes in the oil-rich west African country.

Nigeria is on Transparency International's list of the world's most corrupt countries.

President Olusegun Obasanjo's critics accuse the EFCC of being selective in its anti-corruption effort.

They say the EFCC only targets the president's political opponents and critics.

Since it was established three years ago, the EFCC has carried out investigations that have led to the impeachment of three governors, albeit amid controversy.

Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of the oil-rich Bayelsa state was impeached last December after he jumped bail in the UK and returned to Nigeria dressed as a woman.

Mr Alamieyeseigha is currently standing trial in Nigeria on charges of money laundering and embezzlement of state funds.

Mr Rashid Ladoja of Oyo State was also impeached last January following allegations that he had also used his office as governor to corruptly enrich himself.

Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye is a current target of the EFCC.

Mr Dariye was arrested in the UK in 2004 on suspicion of money laundering. Like Mr Alamieyeseigha, he also jumped bail and returned to Nigeria where efforts are still on to impeach him.

Posted by Publisher at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)

October 14, 2006

Two protesters killed in Nigeria

Riot police have fired at protesters in the central Nigerian city of Jos, killing two people and seriously injuring a third.

Mr Dariye is accused of money laundering by the UK

Hundreds of youths had taken to the streets to protest against attempts to impeach state governor Joshua Dariye on corruption charges, police sources say.

The protesters wanted to stop the state assembly from sitting in case they began impeachment proceedings.

Serving Nigerian governors have immunity from criminal prosecution.

Mr Dariye has been accused of money laundering by British authorities.

'Joke'

Last week, eight of Plateau state assembly's 24 legislators served an impeachment notice on Mr Dariye, citing corruption charges which they asked the governor to defend, or lose his position.

Mr Dariye dismissed the impeachment notice served on him as "a joke", saying the legislators had failed to form a quorum as required by the Nigerian constitution and so lacked the powers to initiate impeachment proceedings against him in the state assembly.

The eight lawmakers, all in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the country's capital, Abuja, on Friday returned to Jos under armed guard to commence impeachment proceedings against Mr Dariye.

All of Plateau state's assembly members are being investigated by the EFCC.

The governor's supporters tried to stop them from entering the state assembly premises by mounting road blocks and burning used tyres along the way leading into the assembly.

Riot police fired tear gas to disperse them.

But the protesters regrouped and returned to the assembly premises, where they hurled stones at the lawmakers and their police escorts.

The riot police, who feared that they might be overpowered by the protesters fired into the crowd, killing two people and seriously injuring another, police sources told the BBC.

A Reuters reporter in Jos says he saw "the corpse of one man shot through the eye" and "another man [who] was taken to hospital with bullet wounds in his leg and abdomen."

Eyewitness Musa Abdullahi says the home of the deputy president of the Nigerian senate was also set ablaze during the protests.

Deputy senate president Ibrahim Nasir Mantu is believed to be supportive of the move by the EFCC to prosecute Mr Dariye.

Posted by Publisher at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2006

Nigeria VP in the dock over graft

Nigeria's Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is to appear before a special court in Abuja to respond to corruption charges.

Atiku Abubakar helped thwart a third term for President Obasanjo

State prosecutors are trying him under Nigeria's code of conduct act. He denies allegations he diverted $125m into personal business interests.

He says his trial is part of a plot to prevent him running in the country's presidential elections due next April.

Mr Abubakar helped block President Olusegun Obasanjo changing the constitution and seeking a third term.

Early last week, the country's ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suspended Mr Abubakar from its ranks, saying it found the corruption charges against the vice-president too embarrassing.

Mr Abubakar will remain in office, but his suspension means that he will not be eligible to seek the PDP's nomination for the presidential election.

So far the special court has failed to make any high-profile convictions.

Posted by Publisher at 09:29 AM | Comments (0)

October 08, 2006

Nigerian army 'razes oil village'

The Nigerian army has carried out a series of raids on oil militants after the reported deaths of 17 soldiers in the Niger Delta, several sources say.

The militants say they captured two military gunboats

The militants say a village in the oil producing area was razed to the ground but this was denied by the army.

The militants claim to have killed the troops in two attacks but this has not been independently confirmed. They are now threatening further attacks.

Nigeria's oil output is still 25% down after a wave of attacks in February.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer but the militants demand more local control of oil wealth for residents of the Niger Delta.

Helicopter gunships

"In the light of this attack on a helpless community, we are at present considering reciprocal action against the military or oil installations in Rivers [State]," said an e-mail from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend).

The military have used gun boats and helicopter gunships in the Delta's creeks, sources say, but there are no details of arrests or casualties.

But local army spokesman Sagir Musa said: "There is no truth in the story that the military have attacked any community in the creeks."

The raids came as army commanders were summoned to the capital, Abuja, however the military refuses to say whether the talks concern the recent escalation in violence in the Niger Delta, the source of most of Nigeria's oil.

Nine soldiers were killed when Mend fighters battled nine military patrol boats backed up by a helicopter gunship for one-and-a-half hours around Shell's Ekulama oil flow station, 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Port Harcourt, the militants said.

Mend also say they seized two military gunboats.

In a separate incident, Mend said they killed two soldiers and six sailors.

"After a brief shoot-out in which they were all killed, we boarded the houseboat and collected all the weapons aboard," the group said.

The British government has responded to the attacks by warning against all but essential travel to the Niger Delta.

The latest attacks comes two days after another armed group killed at least 10 soldiers by raiding a convoy of barges carrying fuel in the same region.

Five foreign oil workers - including four Britons - seized during a raid on a residential compound operated by ExxonMobil in Akwa Ibom state on Tuesday remain missing.

Dilemma

The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says the Nigerian military and oil companies face a serious dilemma in how to respond to the upsurge in violence.

The militants say they are fighting for greater local control of oil wealth

The oil companies do not want to see any heavy-handed military action which could exacerbate the situation and endanger the lives of their workers, our correspondent says.

But he says that so many soldiers' death