Young women and girls living in Nigerian camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) say they have to deal with sexual harassment every day. Now they are calling for more protection from their host communities. Having escaped attacks by violent criminals and armed gangs known as bandits in their villages, many displaced women and girls in Nigeria are now facing a new challenge. Sexual harassment is rife in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) across northern Nigeria — mostly when it comes to access to food or money. With little protection, IDPs are also at risk of being kidnapped by bandits and jihadists. What are IDPs fleeing from? A bloody conflict between the army and jihadist groups, including Boko Haram, has been raging in Nigeria since 2009. It is estimated that more than 40,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million more displaced — 80% of whom are women and children who live in government-registered or unregistered camps for IDPs.  Amina Rabo, who lives in an unofficial camp in the northern Nigerian city of Katsina, fled her village after it was attacked by bandits. Since arriving there, Amina says she has suffered various forms of violence. Apart from sexual harassment, she also lives with the fear of being kidnapped. "We experience different kinds of harassment from bad actors within our host community. Our rooms don't have doors, making it easy for the attackers," Amina told DW. "They rape our girls in the night, and the older women are not spared either," Amina said, adding that that seeing her young daughters being assaulted every night has left her distraught. Amina told DW that she had to marry off one of her daughters outside the camp. After the wedding, she said that several people tried to rape her. A call for more protection To prevent further sexual assaults on IDPs, Sani Barau, who works for a humanitarian agency, told DW that his organization is now working closely with the police to monitor the safety of displaced people. "We call the police whenever we see suspicious people lurking around the camp or individuals trying to harass young girls," Barau said. "And indeed the police have carried out some arrests." Despite plans to guarantee protection against sexual assault and possible kidnapping by resettling individuals currently sheltering in IDP camps  — challenges remain. Jihadists target women in IDP camps Since the beginning of March, more than 100 people — mostly children and women — have gone missing after jihadists in conflict-torn northeastern Nigeria carried out a mass kidnapping that targeted mostly women from IDP camps, officials told AFP news agency. Nigeria's northeast remains the heart of an insurgency that has left more than 40,000 people dead and 2 million displaced since 2009. Several details about the attack on the IDP camp in rural Ngala are still unclear and officials have given conflicting accounts. The number of people reported missing does not necessarily reflect the number held in captivity. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the attack took place a week earlier than reported and estimated that over 200 people had been abducted from IDP camps. The organization said armed attackers took the women while they were out collecting firewood. "The United Nations strongly condemns the reported abduction of internally displaced persons (IDPs), many of them women, boys and girls," it said. Kidnapping — a lucrative business Kidnapping is a major problem across Nigeria, which is also grappling with criminal militias in the northwest and a flare-up of intercommunal violence in central states. On March 7, more than 130 schoolchildren were kidnapped from a school in Kaduna but later freed after two weeks in captivity. Arrests are rare as most victims are released only after ransom payments by their families or through deals that sometimes involve the release of gang members. The government, however, does not admit to such deals. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came to power last year promising to address insecurity in Nigeria, but critics say the violence is still out of control. 

The children had been kidnapped two weeks ago from their school in Kaduna. It comes as more and more criminal gangs in the area turn to abductions to seek out large ransoms. Over 100 kidnapped schoolchildren were rescued in northern Nigeria on Sunday after they were abducted two weeks ago. The mass kidnapping of 287 students in Kuriga, in Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna, was the first mass abduction in the West African country since 2021. Authorities said 137 students — 76 girls and 61 boys — were rescued in the neighboring Zamfara State. "In the early hours of 24 March 2024, the military working with local authorities and government agencies across the country in a coordinated search and rescue operation rescued the hostages," army spokesperson Major General Edward Buba said. This represented all the students who were in captivity. The reported numbers for mass abductions in Nigeria are often lowered after people who went missing while fleeing attacks return home.  Kaduna Governor Uba Sani said the children were unharmed. Children released ahead of ransom deadline The children were released days before a deadline to pay a $690,000 (€635,000) ransom. Ransoms are commonly paid for kidnappings in Nigeria, but it is rare for officials to admit to payments. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had previously vowed to rescue the children "without paying a dime." "This is indeed a day of joy," he added. They will be escorted back to their home state for medical tests before being reunited with their families.

Germany is returning Nigeria's lost treasures centuries after they were stolen and then sold. Find out more about the bronze artifacts from the kingdom of Benin. The Benin Bronzes refer to over a thousand artifacts stolen by British troops from Benin, in present-day Nigeria, in the late 19th century. Many of these cultural treasures, which include statues, idols and jewelry, were sold by colonial representatives to German buyers and later landed in several German museums. Germany's decision to return the stolen treasures to Africa comes after long discussions between German museums and Nigerian officials on the necessity of repatriating the artifacts and the best means.

Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), the Indian vaccines and bio-therapeutics manufacturer, on Wednesday announced that its rotavirus oral vaccine ROTAVAC has been introduced to immunise its children from the life-threatening diarrhoeal disease that affects millions of children worldwide. Taking to Twitter, Bharat Biotech said, "Rotavac was introduced into the national immunization program in Nigeria today. This is a great milestone for team Bharat Biotech, where decades of innovation have resulted in a safe and efficacious product that will save thousands of lives worldwide. Currently, Nigeria accounts for 14 per cent of the rotavirus deaths globally, making it the country with the second-highest number of rotavirus deaths in the world, according to the statement released by Bharat biotech. Notably, Rotavirus infection causes about 50,000 child fatalities under the age of five every year in Nigeria. "Decades of research and product development have resulted in Rotavac. This vaccine is now available in several countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. We are proud to state that novel vaccines from India are saving lives worldwide," Dr Krishna Ella said, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat. He further said that they are committed to supporting and reducing the infectious disease burden amongst children in the developing world, and to ensure nations like Nigeria in the African continent, have access to cost-effective world-class interventions for infants and vulnerable populations. ROTAVAC is safe and effective at preventing diarrheal disease caused by the Rotavirus." "Bharat Biotech will continue to play its role in researching, developing, and manufacturing novel vaccines, to lower the morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases and contribute towards the achievement of universal vaccine access," Ella adds. Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of diarrheal disease in the world and is responsible for over 40 per cent of diarrhoea in children. It accounts for about 215,000 of the 525,000-under-5 mortality worldwide each year that are attributed to diarrheal diseases, making it the most common cause of severe diarrhoea. ROTAVAC received WHO-Prequalification in January 2018. Bharat Biotech developed the first generation, rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac under a Public-Private Partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, the Government of India and 16 other international partners, making it the largest ever social innovation project for public health, according to the statement. Source: ANI

To move away from relying on Russian energy, the European Union are increasingly turning to Africa for natural gas imports — and Algeria, Niger and Nigeria are looking to cash in. Algeria, Niger and Nigeria signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday to build a 4,000-kilometer (2,500-mile) Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline. Algeria’s Energy Ministry said the natural gas pipeline would stretch across the Sahara desert. It is estimated that, once the $13 billion (euro12.75 billion) pipeline is complete, it will transport up to 30 billion cubic meters (1 trillion cubic feet) of gas annually from Nigeria, in West Africa, north through Niger and on to Algeria. From there, it could be pumped through the undersea Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline to Europe or loaded onto Liquefied Natural Gas tankers for export. Gas pipeline in the works for a while The idea was first proposed over 40 years ago, but progress stalled. The new momentum comes as the European Union seeks to wean itself off Russian gas during the war in Ukraine. The security situation in the Sahel region and tensions between the governments in Algiers and Niamey also delayed the project. It wasn’t until 2021, when Algeria and Niger reopened their border, that discussions to construct the pipeline restarted. Earlier this week, EU member states agreed to reduce gas consumption as concerns grow that Russia might cut off already decreasing deliveries. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said the deal to reduce gas use was about preventing the Kremlin from being able to blackmail the EU with gas deliveries: to stop Russia using gas as a weapon, as she put it.

Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and militia leader told AFP on Sunday. Two blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state on Saturday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. “There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured,” said militia leader Babakura Kolo. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighborhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres from the town. “No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram,” Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. “The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive,” said the official. “Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bomber attacked,” he said. The jihadist group has deployed suicide bombers, many of them young girls, in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency which has devastated Nigeria’s northeast. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. The militants stormed the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on February 19, seizing over 100 schoolgirls in a carbon copy of the abduction in Chibok in 2014 that caused global outrage. AH

Police say at least 24 worshippers have been killed in an attack on a mosque in northern Nigeria. Reports AP. Adamawa State police spokesman Othman Abubakar says an explosion occurred during prayers Tuesday afternoon and many people died as they fled and were caught by a second blast. Abubakar says the scene in Mubi has been cordoned off by anti-bomb squads and security personnel. Local residents say they saw a young man wearing a suicide vest entering the mosque with the worshippers. One resident says the mosque's roof was blown off. Many are blaming the Nigeria-based Boko Haram extremist group for the attack. AH