An ex-Nigerian minister stole $6 billion of public money, the governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, has alleged.
Adams Oshiomhole said US officials informed President Muhammadu Buhari of the alleged theft during his visit to Washington last month.
Muhammadu Buhari took office in May, ending the rule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The PDP has repeatedly denied allegations of widespread corruption during its 16-year rule.
Adams Oshiomhole, who accompanied Muhammadu Buhari to Washington, did not name the minister who allegedly stole the money.
During his visit to the US, Muhammadu Buhari said he had asked America to help recover $150 billion “stolen in the past decade and held in foreign bank accounts”.
US officials described the theft during the PDP’s rule as “earth-quaking”, Adams Oshiomhole told journalists in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
The PDP said Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Washington was a failure, in particular for failing to obtain “any sort of tangible gain for the fight against terrorism”.
Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler, was invited to Washington shortly after becoming the first opposition candidate to win a national election in March.
He succeeded President Goodluck Jonathan.
Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer, but the majority of its citizens live in poverty. The country’s oil sector has often been hit by allegations of corruption.
Nigeria’s former military Muhammadu Buhari has won the country’s presidential election.
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has hailed his victory as a vote for change and proof the nation has embraced democracy.
He also praised outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan as a “worthy opponent” who peacefully relinquished power.
Muhammadu Buhari beat Goodluck Jonathan by 15.4 million votes to 13.3 million.
Observers have generally praised the election, though there have been allegations of fraud.
Muhammadu Buhari, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party, has become the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria.
He said: “President Jonathan was a worthy opponent and I extend the hand of fellowship to him.
“We have proven to the world that we are people who have embraced democracy. We have put the one-party state behind us.”
The former military ruler added: “Your vote affirms that you believe Nigeria’s future can be better than what it is today. You voted for change and now change has come.
“You, Nigerians, have won. The people have shown their love for this nation and their belief in democracy.”
On March 31, Goodluck Jonathan said in a statement: “I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word.
“Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. The unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more important than anything else.”
Goodluck Jonathan said he had conveyed his “best wishes” to Muhammadu Buhari, and urged “those who may feel aggrieved to follow due process… in seeking redress”.
However, analysts say the margin of victory is likely to prevent any successful legal challenge.
Goodluck Jonathan must officially hand over power on May 29.
This election was the fourth time that Muhammadu Buhari, 72, had sought the presidency.
He ruled Nigeria from January 1984 until August 1985, taking charge after a military coup in December 1983.
Goodluck Jonathan had led Nigeria since 2010, initially as acting leader before winning elections in 2011.
Nigeria has suffered from attacks by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has killed thousands of people in its drive to establish an Islamic state.
Many voters have said that they believe Muhammadu Buhari is better positioned to defeat Boko Haram.
Nigeria’s former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari has a narrow lead over incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in the country’s presidential election, partial results show.
With more than half of Nigeria’s 36 states declared, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) is ahead by half a million votes.
A victory for Muhammadu Buhari would make President Goodluck Jonathan the first incumbent to lose an election in Nigeria.
Correspondents say it is likely the loser will allege foul play.
More than 800 people were killed in protests after Goodluck Jonathan beat Muhammadu Buhari in the previous election.
Muhammadu Buhari’s lead was cut from two million votes, after Goodluck Jonathan gained a landslide in Rivers State, where there have been widespread reports of irregularities and a curfew imposed.
Nigeria’s electoral commission (INEC) chairman, Attahiru Jega, said the fact-finding team sent to the state found there were some voting irregularities with the poll but not enough “to warrant a cancellation of the election”.
However, many of the states still to declare are in the north, where Muhammadu Buhari is seen as favorite.
Earlier, the announcement of results was disrupted when an agent of Goodluck Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) launched a tirade against Attahiru Jega in Abuja.
“We have lost confidence in what you’re doing, we don’t believe in you anymore,” Elder Orubebe said.
Rejecting the allegation, Attahiru Jega replied: “Let us be careful about what we say or do and let us not dispute a process that has begun peacefully.”
Muhammadu Buhari has won the two biggest states, Lagos in the south and Kano in the north, while Goodluck Jonathan won a huge majority in his home state of Bayelsa, as well as Rivers.
The candidate with the most votes will only avoid a run-off if they gain at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states.
International observers have broadly praised the conduct of the vote but there has been some concern over possible efforts to rig the outcome during the count.
The US and UK have expressed their concerns over potential “political interference” during the count.
A spokesman from INEC dismissed these fears, saying that “there is absolutely no basis” to talk of meddling.
Authorities in Rivers State announced a curfew on March 30 after protests over alleged vote rigging.
Earlier, police in the state used teargas against female opposition protesters who were attempting to lodge complaints with election officials.
Voting spilled into Sunday in some parts of Nigeria after problems were encountered with new electronic card readers, which were introduced to prevent fraud.
President Goodluck Jonathan, whose PDP has dominated Nigerian politics since 1999, was among those whose registration to vote was delayed by the technology.
Attahiru Jega said only a fraction of the 150,000 card readers being used nationwide had failed.
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari: 10,454,137 votes;
Passed 25% threshold in 16 states
Goodluck Jonathan: 9,953,432 votes;
Passed 25% threshold in 20 states
Results from 25 states + Abuja
Candidates needs 25% in 24 states for first-round victory
Nigeria has continued counting ballots in its presidential election, with the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan facing a strong challenge from former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.
The election commission (INEC) said it hoped to announce the winner on March 30.
The UN has praised the poll despite technical hitches, protests and violence linked to Boko Haram.
Voting was extended until Sunday in some parts of Nigeria after problems with new electronic card readers.
President Goodluck Jonathan was among those unable to cast his vote using the technology, which was introduced to prevent fraud.
His Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which had opposed the card readers, called it a “huge national embarrassment”.
The INEC chair, Attahiru Jega, stressed that only a fraction of the 150,000 card readers being used nationwide had failed.
The vote had been delayed by six weeks because of the insurgency by Boko Haram militants.
The Islamists attacked polling stations in north-eastern states, with a curfew declared in Bauchi State after fighting between the security forces and the group.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised the “determination and resilience” of Nigerian voters, despite the reports of attacks by Boko Haram and others.
Ban Ki-moon said in a statement voting had been “largely peaceful and orderly”.
His comments have been echoed by the regional bloc Ecowas, which urged Nigerians to accept the result.
There has been tension in the southern Rivers State, where thousands protested against alleged killings of opposition workers and voting irregularities.
INEC said it was “concerned” by the complaints, adding that one of their offices was set on fire during the unrest.
Results of the voting were expected to arrive overnight but so far there is no official indication of which party is in the lead.
The PDP has dominated Nigerian politics since 1999, but Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress is viewed as a serious challenge.
Voters have also elected members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Voting in parts of Nigeria have been extended until Sunday, March 29, after delays and a number of attacks.
Technical problems with new biometric cards slowed down voter registration, even affecting President Goodluck Jonathan.
More than 20 people have reportedly been killed in various attacks by unknown gunmen.
Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan is facing a strong challenge from Muhammadu Buhari.
The election is said to be the most closely fought since independence.
It was postponed from mid-February to allow the army time to recapture territory from the Islamist militants of Boko Haram.
The two main candidates had pledged to prevent violence during and in the aftermath of the elections.
Several hours after voting started, reports came in of violent incidents at polling stations in which at least 24 were reported to have been killed.
Thousands of Nigerians turned out to vote, despite threats from Boko Haram to disrupt the poll.
Voters are also electing members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
According to the Transitional Monitoring Group (TMG), the largest body observing the elections, voting had started in 75% of polling stations, while 92% had the materials they need to start the process.
Voters need to register using biometric cards with their fingerprints before they can cast their vote.
However, there have been problems with card readers at many polling stations.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the accreditation process had “gone on well in several places”, but was “slow” or had “not commenced at all” in others.
Goodluck Jonathan tried for some 50 minutes to register in his home village of Otuoke, before coming back a second time. When the electronic registration failed again, he had to be accredited manually before casting his ballot paper.
Problems were also reported from the north’s biggest city of Kano, where thousands of voters waited for election officials and voting materials to arrive.
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari did not have any problems registering in his hometown, Daura.
Attacks were reported in north-eastern Gombe state, including incidents where gunmen opened fire on voters at polling stations.
It is unclear whether the attacks were the work of Boko Haram militants or political thugs.
Nigeria has begun voting for a new president, with incumbent Goodluck Jonathan facing a strong challenge from Muhammadu Buhari.
It is said to be the most closely fought election since independence.
The election was delayed by six weeks to allow the army to recapture territory from militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
The two main presidential candidates have pledged to prevent violence during the election and its aftermath.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has dominated Nigerian politics since 1999, but the All Progressives Congress (APC) is viewed as a serious challenge.
Some 800 people were killed after the 2011 contest between Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler.
The polls opened at 08:00 AM local time.
Voters in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja – the capital – will also elect members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
On March 27, the Nigerian army said it had retaken the town of Gwoza, believed to be the headquarters of Boko Haram, one of the last places still under its control.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday: “The international community has high expectations that Nigeria will provide leadership in setting a high standard for this election.”
He called on Nigerians – in Africa’s most populous nation – to vote in large numbers.
Ban Ki-moon added that he hoped the presidential and parliamentary elections would be “transparent, inclusive and peaceful”.
Campaign group Human Rights Watch says Boko Haram has killed some 1,000 people this year alone.
On March 25, army chief Kenneth Minimah said adequate security arrangements had been made for the polls.
On March 26, the government closed its land and sea borders for the election.
Nigeria has postponed the February 14 presidential election to March 28 over concerns about the security situation.
The country’s electoral commission chief Attahiru Jega said he had been told troops would not be available to help patrol the ballot because they would be fighting Boko Haram militants in the north-east.
Nigeria and four other states plan to deploy a joint force of 8,700 soldiers.
Both the Nigerian opposition and the US criticized the delay.
The head of the party of former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, who is challenging incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, said the “provocative” move was a “major setback for Nigerian democracy”.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the US was “deeply disappointed”, adding: “Political interference with the Independent National Electoral Commission is unacceptable, and it is critical that the government not use security concerns as a pretext for impeding the democratic process.”
Officials from the main opposition party accuse the military of forcing the electoral commission into the delay to help the sitting president’s campaign.
It looks set to be a tight race between Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari and the postponement may well increase the tension which is already palpable.
“The commission cannot lightly wave off the advice of the nation’s security chiefs,” said Attahiru Jega.
“The risk of deploying young men and women and calling people to exercise their democratic rights in a situation where their security cannot be guaranteed is a most onerous responsibility.”
Parliamentary elections due to take place on February 14 have also been postponed to March 28.
Elections for state governors and assemblies slated for February 28 have been moved to April 11.
John Odigie-Oyegun, chairman of Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, said: “I strongly appeal to all Nigerians to remain calm and deist from violence and any activity which will compound this unfortunate development.”
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has declared the outbreak of Ebola “a national emergency” and approved more than $11 million to help contain it.
The move comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) said the spread of the virus in West Africa was an international health emergency.
WHO says 961 people have died from Ebola in West Africa this year, two of them in Nigeria.
The total number of cases stands at 1,779, the UN health agency said.
In a statement, President Goodluck Jonathan called on Nigerians to report any suspected Ebola cases to the nearest medical authorities.
Goodluck Jonathan also urged the public not to spread “false information about Ebola which can lead to mass hysteria”.
Nigeria has declared the outbreak of Ebola a national emergency
Nigeria became the fourth West African country involved in the outbreak when a dual US-Liberian citizen infected with Ebola arrived in Lagos after flying from Liberia via Togo on 20 July.
He died five days later and eight people who came into contact with him were also later diagnosed with Ebola. One of them, a nurse, died on Tuesday.
Nigeria’s state oil company said on Friday it had shut down one of its clinics in Lagos following a suspected case.
US health authorities said on Friday they were sending extra personnel and resources to Nigeria.
“We are starting to ramp up our staffing in Lagos,” US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner told AFP news agency.
“We are really concerned about Lagos and the potential for spread there, given the fact that Lagos – and Nigeria for that matter – has never seen Ebola.”
International companies are also taking protective measures and the world’s largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, says it has begun evacuating some workers at its iron ore mines in Liberia.
Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have already declared national emergencies over the spread of the virus.
WHO said on Friday that 68 new cases and 29 deaths were reported over the course of two days this week.
They included 26 new cases in Sierra Leone and 38 in Liberia, but no new cases in Guinea, where the outbreak began.
The agency said a co-ordinated response was essential to reverse the spread of the virus.
“The possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the virulence of the virus,” WHO said after a meeting on Friday.
The Ebola virus was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. Experts say this outbreak is unusual because it started in Guinea, which has never before been affected, and is spreading to urban areas.
Two US citizens infected with Ebola while working in West Africa are currently being treated at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Both have been treated with an experimental drug.
Malala Yousafzai has met Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan to press for more action to free at least 200 girls held by Boko Haram Islamist militants.
Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau has reiterated in a new video message that he is prepared to negotiate a prisoner swap for them.
He also expressed support for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-declared caliph of a new Middle Eastern state.
Boko Haram sparked a global outcry when it abducted the girls three months ago.
Goodluck Jonathan’s government has faced strong criticism for not doing enough to curb violence by Boko Haram, especially in the wake of the kidnappings.
Malala Yousafzai has met Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan to press for more action to free at least 200 girls held by Boko Haram Islamist militants
Pakistani rights activist Malala Yousafzai, 17, met Goodluck Jonathan in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, and urged him to meet the families of the kidnapped girls.
She also met relatives of the girls on Sunday, and expressed solidarity with them.
President Goodluck Jonathan has not spoken to the relatives, exactly three months after the abductions.
The military has also failed to debrief some of the girls who managed to escape from captivity, he says.
In a statement after his meeting with Malala Yousafzai, President Goodluck Jonathan said he would meet with the parents before they left Abuja “to personally comfort them and reassure them” that the government was doing “all within its powers to rescue their daughters”.
The notion that the government has not been doing enough to find and rescue the girls was “very wrong and misplaced”, the statement said.
“Terror is relatively new here and dealing with it has its challenges. The great challenge in rescuing the Chibok girls is the need to ensure that they are rescued alive,” Goodluck Jonathan said.
After meeting the parents, Malala Yousafzai said she understood their suffering.
“It’s quite difficult for a parent to know that their daughter is in great danger. My birthday wish this year is… bring back our girls now, and alive.”
Two years ago, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by Pakistani Taliban militants for campaigning for girls’ education.
Nigeria has called off a deal with Islamist group Boko Haram for the release of some of the abducted schoolgirls.
Some of the girls were set to be freed in exchange for imprisoned Islamist militants.
Boko Haram group snatched more than 200 girls from a school on April 14.
Nigeria’s government is under pressure to do more to tackle the group and bring about the girls’ release.
Nigeria has called off a deal with Islamist group Boko Haram for the release of some of the abducted schoolgirls
Thousands of people have died since Boko Haram began a violent campaign against the Nigerian government in 2009 and in the subsequent security crackdown.
Officials have held talks with the group to secure the release of the schoolgirls.
An intermediary met Boko Haram leaders earlier this month and visited the location in north-east Nigeria where the girls were being held.
A deal was almost reached to set some of the girls free in exchange for the release of 100 Boko Haram members being held in detention.
But the government cancelled the planned agreement shortly before the swap was due to take place.
The reasons for the withdrawal are unclear.
It came just after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan attended a meeting in Paris hosted by President Francois Hollande of France where leaders said they had agreed a “global and regional action plan” against Boko Haram.
The girls, who were mainly Christian, were taken from their school in Chibok, in north-eastern Borno state and are thought to be held in a remote forested area of the state, close to the border with Chad and Cameroon.
Nigeria previously insisted it would not agree to free Boko Haram members in return for their release.
The UK, the US, China and France are among the countries to have sent teams of experts and equipment to help to locate them.
Two bomb explosions killed at least 46 people in the central Nigerian city of Jos, police say.
The first blast was in a busy market and the second went off outside a nearby hospital.
No group has said it carried out the attack but Boko Haram militants have carried out a spate of recent bombings.
Jos has also seen deadly clashes between Christian and Muslim groups in recent years.
Two bomb explosions killed at least 46 people in the central Nigerian city of Jos (photo Reuters)
A spokesperson for the regional governor told AFP news agency that most of the victims were women. The market and bus terminal are part of the commercial centre of Jos.
The second blast was some 30 minutes after the first and killed some rescue workers.
President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attack as a “tragic assault on human freedom”.
“President Jonathan assures all Nigerians that the government remains fully committed to winning the war against terror and… will not be cowed by the atrocities of enemies of human progress and civilization,” his office said.
Although Boko Haram has previously targeted Jos, the capital of Plateau state, the city has been relatively calm for almost two years.
Plateau state lies on the fault-line which divides Nigeria’s largely Muslim north from its mainly Christian south.
The state has witnessed violence blamed on land disputes between semi-nomadic Muslim Fulani herdsmen and mainly Christian Berom farmers.
Nigeria is also currently trying to trace more than 200 girls captured by Boko Haram in April from a boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok.
France is hosting a security summit on the threat from Boko Haram Islamists, after the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria last month.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and other West African leaders will attend the talks in Paris.
France is hosting a security summit on the threat from Boko Haram Islamists, after the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria last month (photo Getty Images)
On Friday, Goodluck Jonathan was due to visit the north-eastern town of Chibok, where the girls were seized, but called it off for security reasons.
He has ruled out negotiations over their possible release, reports say.
On Thursday, relatives of the girls called for their unconditional release by Boko Haram.
This came three days after Boko Haram released a video showing more than 100 of the girls and offering an exchange for prisoners.
French President Francois Hollande is expected to open the summit later on Saturday.
The leaders of Nigeria’s neighbors – Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad – are scheduled to attend the talks, which will also include representatives from the UK, US and EU.
A statement said delegates at the meeting will “discuss fresh strategies for dealing with the security threat posed by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in West and Central Africa”.
Francois Hollande on Friday discussed the issue in a phone call with President Barack Obama.
The safe return of the 223 girls was now one of America’s main priorities, with US specialist teams and drones being involved in the rescue operation, the White House said.
France is also providing Nigeria with expert assistance to help release the girls.
US officials have criticized the speed of Nigeria’s response to the threat from Boko Haram.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has canceled his visit to Chibok, the town where more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted, officials say.
Goodluck Jonathan would stop in Chibok, in the north-east, on his way to a conference in Paris on the threat from Boko Haram militants.
But the visit was called off for security reasons, the officials said.
President Goodluck Jonathan has canceled his visit to Chibok
Goodluck Jonathan – under pressure over his government’s failure to rescue the girls – will fly direct to Paris.
On Thursday, relatives of the girls called for their unconditional release by Boko Haram.
Goodluck Jonathan is said to have ruled out negotiations over a possible release of prisoners.
Nothing was seen of the girls for almost a month after they were taken from Chibok.
But on Monday the group released a video showing more than 100 of them and offering an exchange for prisoners.
President Goodluck Jonathan has been criticized for not visiting Chibok – more than a month after the girls were seized.
The president will travel to Paris to take part in a summit convened by French President Francois Hollande to discuss Boko Haram.
The leaders of Nigeria’s neighbors – Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad – are scheduled to attend the summit on Saturday, which will also include representatives from the UK, US and EU.
A statement said delegates at the meeting will “discuss fresh strategies for dealing with the security threat posed by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in west and Central Africa”.
The US is flying manned surveillance missions over Nigeria to try to find more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
The US is also sharing commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerian government, officials said.
It comes after militants released a video of about 130 girls, saying they could be swapped for jailed fighters.
Boko Haram seized them from a school in the northern Borno state on 14 April.
“We have shared commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerians and are flying manned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets over Nigeria with the government’s permission,” said a senior administration official, who declined to be named.
A team of about 30 US experts – members of the FBI and defense and state departments – is in Nigeria to help with the search.
The types of aircraft deployed have not been revealed, but the US has sophisticated planes that can listen into a wide range of mobile phone and telecommunications traffic.
The US is flying manned surveillance missions over Nigeria to try to find more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram
Other officials, quoted by Reuters, said the US was also considering deploying unmanned “drone” aircraft to aid the search.
US state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier on Monday that intelligence experts were closely examining the Boko Haram video for clues that might help locate the girls.
Pogu Bitrus, a leader in the town of Chibok, from where the girls were seized, said vegetation in the video resembled that in the nearby Sambisa forest reserve.
The video showed some 136 girls wearing bulky hijabs. Militants said they had “converted” to Islam.
The girls’ families have said that most of those seized are Christians.
Two girls on the video singled out for questioning said they were Christians but had converted to Islam.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said the girls could be exchanged for “our brethren in your prison”.
“I swear to almighty Allah, you will not see them again until you release our brothers that you have captured,” he said.
In a video last week, Abubakar Shekau threatened to sell the girls into slavery.
A Nigerian government statement said “all options” for the girls’ release were on the table.
However, Interior Minister Abba Moro appeared to dismiss the offer, saying no exchange would take place. The reason for the discrepancy was unclear.
It appears some sort of negotiations will take place because of the large presence of international advisers in the country, including hostage negotiators.
Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden”, had previously said the girls should not have been at school and should get married instead.
The militants have been engaged in a violent campaign against the Nigerian government since 2009.
President Goodluck Jonathan – whose government has been heavily criticized for its response to the abduction – said on Sunday that help from abroad had made him optimistic of finding the girls.
He says he believes the girls are still in Nigeria.
The kidnapping has triggered a huge international campaign with world leaders and celebrities calling for the children to be released.
The UK, the US, France and China already have teams helping on the ground in Nigeria. An Israeli counter-terrorism team is also on its way.
According to Amnesty International, Nigeria’s military had advance warning of an attack on Chibok, where some 270 girls were kidnapped but failed to act.
The human rights group says it was told by credible sources that the military had more than four hours’ warning of the raid by Boko Haram militants.
Fifty-three of the girls escaped soon after being seized in Chibok on April 14 but more than 200 remain captive.
Nigeria’s authorities say they “doubt the veracity” of the Amnesty report.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said on Friday that he believed the schoolgirls were still in his country and had not been moved to neighboring Cameroon.
Fifty-three of the girls escaped soon after being seized in Chibok on April 14 but more than 200 remain captive
“There are stories that they have moved them outside of the country. But if they move that number of girls to Cameroon, people will see, so I believe they are still in Nigeria,” Goodluck Jonathan told journalists at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Abuja.
Amnesty International says it was told by several people that the military in Maiduguri, capital of the north-eastern Borno state, was informed of the impending attack on Chibok town soon after 19:00 local time.
It says that a local official was contacted by herdsmen who said that armed men had asked them where the Government Girls’ Secondary School was located in the town.
Despite the warning, reinforcements were not sent to help protect the town in the remote area, which was attacked at around midnight, Amnesty International says.
One reason, the rights group says, was a “reported fear of engaging with the often better-equipped armed groups”.
Amnesty’s Africa Director Netsanet Belay said it amounted to a “gross dereliction of Nigeria’s duty to protect civilians”.
Boko Haram has admitted capturing the girls, saying they should not have been in school and should get married instead.
In a video released earlier this week, leader Abubakar Shekau threatened to “sell” the students.
Teams of experts from the US and UK – including military advisers, negotiators and counselors – have arrived in Nigeria to help locate and rescue the abductees.
Seven American military officials arrived on Friday, with more expected to come on Saturday, including three FBI personnel.
Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language, began its insurgency in Borno state in 2009.
The Islamist militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria has threatened to “sell” the hundreds of schoolgirls it abducted three weeks ago.
Militant leader Abubakar Shekau sent a video obtained by the AFP news agency, in which he said for the first time that his group had taken the girls.
About 230 girls are still believed to be missing, prompting widespread criticism of the Nigerian government.
The Boko Haram insurgency has left thousands dead since 2009.
The girls were taken from their school in Chibok, in the northern state of Borno, on the night of April 14.
The Islamist militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria has threatened to “sell” the hundreds of schoolgirls it abducted three weeks ago
Boko Haram, which means “Western education is forbidden” has staged numerous previous attacks on educational institutions in northern Nigeria.
In the video, Abubakar Shekau said the girls should not have been in school in the first place, but rather should get married.
“God instructed me to sell them, they are his properties and I will carry out his instructions,” he said.
However, the Boko Haram leader did not state the number of girls abducted, nor where they were taken or are now.
Assurances from President Goodluck Jonathan have done little to convince Nigerians of the government’s commitment to freeing the girls, says our correspondent.
Meanwhile, a woman who helped organize protests over the abduction was detained and later released.
Naomi Mutah was taken to a police station after a meeting called by First Lady Patience Jonathan.
Patience Jonathan reportedly felt slighted that the girls’ mothers had sent Naomi Mutah to the meeting instead of going themselves.
Analysts say Patience Jonathan is a politically powerful figure in Nigeria.
Naomi Mutah, a representative of the Chibok community, organized a protest last week outside parliament in Abuja.
The protesters, and many Nigerians, feel the government has not done enough to find the abductees.
The girls were in their final year of school, most of them aged 16 to 18.
Pogo Bitrus, another Chibok leader, said he had been to the Asokoro police station where Naomi Mutah is reported to have been taken but could find no written record of her being there.
He described the detention as “unfortunate” and “insensitive”, adding that he hoped Patience Jonathan would soon “realize her mistake”.
Pogo Bitrus noted that Patience Jonathan has no constitutional power to order arrests.
The AP news agency quotes another community leader, Saratu Angus Ndirpaya, as saying that Patience Jonathan accused the activists of fabricating the abductions to give the government a bad name.
She also said the First Lady accused them of supporting Boko Haram.
In a TV broadcast on Sunday, his first comment on the abductions, President Goodluck Jonathan said he did not know where the girls were but everything was being done to find them.
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has admitted that the country’s security forces still do not know where more than 200 abducted schoolgirls are being held.
The girls were taken three weeks ago from their school in Borno state by suspected Islamist militants.
President Goodluck Jonathan was speaking for the first time since their disappearance amid growing criticism of the response.
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has admitted that the country’s security forces still do not know where more than 200 abducted schoolgirls are being held
He has come under fire for not speaking earlier and his government has faced increasing anger from the public.
“We promise that anywhere the girls are, we will surely get them out,” he said in a live TV broadcast.
Goodluck Jonathan said that despite searches by the army and the air force, the girls had not been found.
He asked for the co-operation of parents and the local communities in the rescue efforts, saying the “government needs assistance.”
“It is a trying time for this country… it is painful,” he added.
Islamist militants known as Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is a sin”, are believed to be behind the kidnapping of the girls from their school in Chibok.
They have waged a violent campaign in the north-east that has killed hundreds of Christians and Muslims.
Goodluck Jonathan dismissed the suggestion that negotiations were taking place to secure the release of the girls, saying it was impossible to talk to Boko Haram.
“You don’t negotiate with somebody you don’t know. The issue of negotiation has not come up,” he said.
He said his government has spoken to the United States and several other world powers, including France, Britain and China, for help with its security issues.
“We are talking to countries we think can help us out. The United States is number one. I have talked to President Obama at least twice,” Goodluck Jonathan said.
Thousands of mourners are attending the funeral of renowned author Chinua Achebe in his Nigerian home town of Ogidi in Anambra state.
Chinua Achebe’s body arrived back in Nigeria on Wednesday from the US, where he died in March at the age of 82.
Relatives and officials were at Enugu airport in southern Nigeria as the coffin was lowered from the plane.
Chinua Achebe is widely regarded as the founding father of African literature in English.
His 1958 debut novel, Things Fall Apart, which dealt with the impact of colonialism in Africa, has sold more than 10 million copies.
Writer and academic Chinua Achebe went on to write more than 20 works – some fiercely critical of politicians and what he described as a failure of leadership in Nigeria.
He had been living in the US since 1990 after a car crash left him partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair, returning to Nigeria infrequently.
Thousands of mourners are attending the funeral of renowned author Chinua Achebe in his Nigerian home town of Ogidi in Anambra state
Chinua Achebe is being given a colorful, grand send off in his home town of Ogidi.
Much of what he abhorred is on full display at the service – political patronage and the trappings of power, he says.
Local politicians were escorted into the church by men from the State Security Service wielding sophisticated weapons while a large number of men and women came dressed head to toe in political party outfits.
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan and Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama flew in by helicopter to attend the service at the packed Anglican church in Ogidi.
Thousands of mourners are following proceedings from huge marquees erected outside.
Although people are mourning, the life of the influential Nigerian writer is also being celebrated, our reporter says.
“I left my house in Asaba [a nearby city] at 05:00 this morning in order to pay my last respects for this illustrious son of Nigeria who has done his people proud,” said Sylvanus John, a 31-year-old engineer, AFP news agency reports.
Chinua Achebe’s body will be buried near his family’s home in Ogidi, a small town in the hills of Anambra state, later on Thursday.
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three states after a spate of deadly attacks by Islamist militant groups.
In a televised address, the president said he had given the military powers to take over security in the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
Goodluck Jonathan also ordered more troops to be sent to the north-eastern states.
Islamist group Boko Haram has been blamed for most of the violence, killing some 2,000 people since 2010.
Nigeria is also affected by a spate of conflicts over land, religion and oil.
In the latest violence, 53 people were killed and 13 villages burnt in central Nigeria’s Benue state on Tuesday.
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three states after a spate of deadly attacks by Islamist militant groups
The conflict, which started last week, is said to have been caused by a long-running dispute over land ownership between cattle herders and farmers.
In a pre-recorded address broadcast on Tuesday, President Goodluck Jonathan said: “What we are facing is not just militancy or criminality, but a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups which pose a very serious threat to national unity and territorial integrity.”
Referring to recent attacks by “insurgents and terrorists” on government buildings and killings of officials and other civilians, the president said that “these actions amount to a declaration of war”.
“We will hunt them down, we will fish them out, and we will bring them to justice,” he said.
At the same time, Goodluck Jonathan stressed that – despite the state of emergency – politicians in the three states would remain in their posts.
Goodluck Jonathan also admitted that the government was not in control of the whole country.
This is not the first time President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency, but this is a clear admission that far from being weakened by the army offensive, the threat of the Islamist militants is growing.
Last week, Goodluck Jonathan had to cut short a trip to South Africa to deal with the growing violence.
About 150 people have been killed during the co-ordinated attacks by Islamist militants in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Friday, witnesses and reports say.
Hospitals are struggling to deal with the numbers of killed and injured.
A series of explosions ripped apart police buildings, passport offices and immigration centres on the city, which is now under a 24-hour curfew.
Boko Haram militants said they carried out the attacks, which would be their bloodiest assault to date.
The group has said it wants to overthrow the national government and install an Islamic state.
Its members have frequently attacked police stations and other symbols of state power, but the group has also bombed churches and killed hundreds of people – including many Muslim and Christian civilians.
President Goodluck Jonathan promised that the perpetrators would “face the full wrath of the law”.
“As a responsible government, we will not fold our hands and watch enemies of democracy, for that is what these mindless killers are, perpetrate unprecedented evil in our land,” Goodluck Jonathan said.
About 150 people have been killed during the co-ordinated attacks by Islamist militants in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Friday, witnesses and reports say
On Saturday in Kano, a city of nine million people, most of them Muslims, Red Cross teams have been collecting bodies from the streets and taking them to mortuaries.
A medical official told the AP news agency that 143 people had been killed, and another official told AFP that 162 bodies had been counted.
Boko Haram, which loosely translates from the local Hausa language as “Western education is forbidden”, has been behind a string of attacks in recent years.
The group wants Islamic law across Nigeria, whose population is split between the largely Muslim north, and the south where Christianity and traditional beliefs predominate.
It first hit the headlines in 2009 when a spate of attacks by its followers on police and government buildings in the city of Maiduguri led to a crackdown in which hundreds died.
More recently, the group has launched bomb attacks on churches, drive-by shootings on government targets and other attacks across northern Nigeria, killing scores and forcing many more to flee.
But the Kano attacks appear to be the group’s most deadly co-ordinated assault.
The police said in a statement that four police stations around the city, the headquarters of the State Security Service (SSS), as well as passport and immigration offices had been targeted.
There was also a shoot-out at the headquarters of the state police in the city’s eastern district of Bompai, reports said.
A local man, Andrew Samuel, described the scene of one blast: “I was on the roadside and I just heard a ‘boom’. As I came back, I saw the building of the police headquarters crashing down and I ran for my life.”
Witnesses said the bomber who attacked one of the police stations pulled up outside the building on a motorbike, dismounted and ran inside holding a bag.
Some unconfirmed reports have claimed suicide bombers carried out some of the attacks.
Nigeria’s Channels TV said in a statement that one of its reporters, Enenche Akogwu, had been killed in the attacks.
It said he had been “shot by unknown gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect”, outside the state government house.
The wounded were reported to include foreigners from an area near the SSS headquarters, which is home to many expatriates, particularly Lebanese and Indians.
A Boko Haram spokesman, Abul Qaqa, told journalists that it had carried out the attacks because the authorities had refused to release group members arrested in Kano.
President Goodluck Jonathan has announced an immediate drop in the price of fuel, following a week of strikes and protests in Nigeria.
Goodluck Jonathan said the price would drop by around 30% in recognition of the “hardships being suffered” by people.
Nigeria has been paralyzed by strikes and protests over the government’s decision to scrap fuel subsidies.
The removal of subsidies from 1 January caused petrol prices to rise from 65 naira ($0.40) to 140 naira.
The unions have yet to respond to Goodluck Jonathan’s announcement.
Earlier, they called off street protests due to security concerns, but warned that a week-long general strike would continue.
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan said the price would drop by around 30 per cent in recognition of the "hardships being suffered" by people
President Jonathan has admitted there has been a near breakdown in law and order in parts of the country as a result of the strike.
Army checkpoints have been seen in parts of the commercial capital Lagos for the first time since the protests began.
The strike has already cost the economy billions of dollars in lost revenue.
“Government will continue to pursue full deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector,” Goodluck Jonathan said in a televised national address.
“However, given the hardships being suffered by Nigerians, and after due consideration and consultations with state governors and the leadership of the National Assembly, government has approved the reduction of the pump price of petrol to 97 naira [about $0.60] per litre.”
Goodluck Jonathan’s speech comes after a weekend of talks with the unions failed to prevent the strike from continuing into a second week.
Abdulwaheed Omar, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress union, said he would urge his members to “stay off the streets… because of the security situation” but stressed the nationwide strike would continue.
Protests over five days last week led to the deaths of several people. Some 600 people were wounded, according to the International Red Cross.
The removal of fuel subsidies on 1 January was a devastating blow to the large number of Nigerians who live in absolute poverty.
The authorities say the subsidy was costing the equivalent of more than $8 billion a year, arguing that the money would be better spent on infrastructure and social services.
Oil accounts for some 80% of Nigeria’s state revenues but after years of corruption and mismanagement, it has hardly any capacity to refine crude oil into fuel, which has to be imported.
A series of bomb attacks in Nigeria, including two during Christmas Mass services at Catholic churches, killed 40 people and left many others injured.
The Islamist group Boko Haram said it carried out the attacks, including one on St. Theresa’s Church in Madalla, near the capital Abuja, that killed 35.
A second explosion shortly after hit a church in the central city of Jos. A policeman died during gunfire.
Three attacks in northern Yobe state left four people dead.
Two hit the town of Damaturu, and a third struck Gadaka. Yobe state has been the epicentre of violence between security forces and Boko Haram militants.
The Islamist group Boko Haram said it carried out the bomb attacks in Nigeria, including one on St. Theresa's Church in Madalla, near the capital Abuja, that killed 35
President Goodluck Jonathan, who is a Christian, said the attacks were an “unwarranted affront on our collective safety and freedom”.
The White House condemned what it described as “senseless violence” and pledged to assist Nigeria in bringing those responsible to justice.
Boko Haram – whose name means “Western education is forbidden” – often targets security forces and state institutions.
The group carried out an August 2011 suicide attack on the UN headquarters in Abuja, in which more than 20 people were killed.
Nearly 70 people have died this week in fighting between Nigerian forces and Boko Haram gunmen in the country’s north-east.
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Yushau Shuaibu told the BBC that the latest Abuja explosion had happened in the street outside the church.
He said the church – which can hold up to 1,000 people – had been badly affected by the blast.
Witnesses said windows of nearby houses had been shattered by the explosion.
Officials at the local hospital said the condition of many of the injured was serious, and they were seeking help from bigger medical facilities.
Police had trouble controlling the anger of local people.
Reuters reports that thousands of youths have erected roadblocks on the road from the capital to the largely Muslim north, and are being tackled by security forces firing tear gas.
One of the Damaturu explosions was a suicide car bomb attack on a convoy of the State Security Service.
In Jos, a blast close to the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church was followed by gunfire that left one officer dead, government spokesman Pam Ayuba told Associated Press.
Two explosive devices found in a nearby building were disarmed as military were deployed to the site.
The attack in Jos, in Plateau state, could have even more serious consequences than the attack in Abuja.
The state lies in Nigeria’s so-called Middle Belt, between the mainly Muslim north and Christian south.
More than 1,000 have been killed in religious and ethnic violence in Jos over the past two years and our correspondent says there will be fears that the latest attack could spark wider conflict.
A string of bomb blasts in Jos on Christmas Eve 2010 were claimed by Boko Haram.
President Goodluck Jonathan said after the latest attacks: “I want to reassure all Nigerians that the government will not relent in its determination to bring to justice all the perpetrators.”
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