Monday brief: Terrorists kidnap churchgoers in Katsina
+ Catholic priest burnt alive in Niger
Good morning.
The security situation ahead of the 2023 elections remains a huge cause of concern after worshippers were abducted in Katsina and a catholic priest was burnt alive in Niger state.
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Terrorists kidnap churchgoers in Katsina
An unspecified number of persons were kidnapped after armed terrorists attacked the New Life For All Church in the Kankara local government area of Katsina state.
Eyewitnesses said the terrorists, riding on motorcycles, invaded the church at Dan-Tsauni Gidan Haruna community in the early hours of Sunday.
While some sources said 25 worshippers were kidnapped, others said the number was five. The police claimed seven persons had been abducted. The church’s pastor was reportedly left with injuries.
Isaya Jurau, an aide to the Katsina governor on Christian Affairs, confirmed the attack and said security forces are working tirelessly to rescue the victims.
Background: Katsina is one of the north-west states heavily impacted by the activities of terrorists, who are usually referred to as bandits. The attack can also be seen as part of a wave of kidnappings that has swept through Nigeria in recent years; according to the Wall Street Journal’s Africa Bureau Chief, Joe Parkinson, kidnapping “is basically Nigeria’s fastest growing business sector.”
Related: When bandits could not gain access to the well-fortified parish residence of a Catholic priest, Isaac Achi, in Niger state, they set ablaze the building. Until his death, Achi was attached to St. Peters and Paul Catholic Church, Kafin-Koro, Paikoro local government area of Niger state.
My take: Nigeria has grave security problems. It’s the number one challenge for the incoming President. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy problem to solve. Many have advocated for community policing but it’s not a panacea. The root causes are multifaceted and closely associated with other problems such as poverty, youth unemployment, drug abuse, and the illegal proliferation of small arms. There’s also a multinational aspect to the security challenges - a number of the bandit groups have presence across national borders and some may have support from international terror groups like Al Qaeda. As the 2023 elections approach, this is another reason to worry.
What else is happening?
Edo train attack: The police said 12 more passengers abducted two Saturdays ago have been rescued. This brings to 18 the number of victims rescued. Two staff members of the Nigeria Railway Corporation are still being held captive by the abductors, the police said.
Godwin Emefiele: Some senior lawyers have written to the federal government asking it to ensure that the Department of State Services (DSS) obeys a court order restraining it from arresting or harassing the central bank governor. Mr. Emefiele’s whereabouts have been a source of controversy for more than a month after the DSS began to seek his arrest for terrorism financing.
Aviation: The federal government is set to meet domestic airlines in court today over the establishment of Nigeria Air. The airlines have sued the government over irregularities in the incorporation of the proposed national carrier.
Drug trafficking: The drug agency, NDLEA, said it seized over three million pills of tramadol from a Lagos warehouse. Over 3,000 bottles of codeine and 915,000 capsules of pregabalin 300mg were also recovered from said warehouse in Amuwo-Odofin.
State matters: President Muhammadu Buhari led other senior members of the government to observe the Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration in Abuja. The President is scheduled to leave today for Mauritania for a two-day African conference on peace.
Techno-Art: Malik Afegbua's images of elderly models have gone viral on Instagram, but they were made with artificial intelligence. "I feel that it's going help shape the storytelling and the intentional picture of Africa now, because it makes things a lot more accessible,” he said of the use of technology in art.
Big Brother Titans: The highly anticipated reality TV show started airing on Sunday. The 20 contestants, drawn from Nigeria and South Africa, will be playing for the grand prize of $100,000.
China desk
Turkish connections: Uganda has reportedly terminated its contract with Chinese firm China Harbour and Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) to build a railway to the Kenyan border and is now considering a deal with a Turkish company. Uganda is said to have been frustrated with China's unwillingness to provide funding for the project.
Qin Gang: In his travels across the continent, the Chinese foreign minister has sought to downplay the vision of Africa as an arena for major-power rivalry. Instead, the former Chinese ambassador to the US believes Africa is a big stage for international cooperation.
Listen: The CEO of Reimagined Development, Hannah Ryder shares her thoughts on what to expect this year in China-Africa relations. She’s quite optimistic.
And that’s it for today. See you tomorrow.