GENNAIO 2011

Ancora sangue in Nigeria. Attentato in un mercato ad Abuja. 4 morti
1/1/2011 Euronews

NIGERIA 3/1/2011
ATTENTATO AD ABUJA: LA VISITA DI JONATHAN, L’INDAGINE DELL’FBI

NIGERIA 4/1/2011
UN PIANO “SICUREZZA”, DOPO GLI ATTENTATI E PRIMA DELLE ELEZIONI

NIGERIA 5/1/2011
EX-DITTATORE SCELTO COME CANDIDATO OPPOSIZIONE

NIGERIA 7/1/2011
DELTA DEL NIGER: ELEZIONI AL PARTITO DI GOVERNO

NIGERIA 10/1/2011
JOS, SCONTRI E VITTIME DOPO PRIMARIE DI PARTITO

NIGERIA 13/1/2011
PRESIDENZIALI, SI SCEGLIE IL CANDIDATO DEL PARTITO DI GOVERNO

NIGERIA 13/1/2011
NEL VILLAGGIO DI JONATHAN IL DELTA CHE SPERA

NIGERIA 14/1/20111
PRESIDENZIALI, È JONATHAN IL CANDIDATO DEL PARTITO DI GOVERNO

NIGERIA 17/1/2011
ELEZIONI, COMINCIATE LE ISCRIZIONI DEGLI AVENTI DIRITTO

Nigeria. 5 moschee bruciate per un tavolo da biliardo
RAINEWS24, 27/1/2011

NIGERIA 31/1/2011
DA BAUCHI A JOS, SCONTRI E VITTIME

Nigerian capital Abuja hit by barracks bomb
BBC, 1/1/2011

Nigeria Senate leader Teslim Folarin on murder charge
BBC, 5/1/2011

Niger delta election: Massive security in Nigeria
BBC, 6/1/2011

Nigeria's top banker wins international recognition
BBC, 6/1/2011

Nigerian city of Jos becomes ghost town after clashes
BBC, 10/1/2011

Nigeria clashes 'leave 13 dead' near Jos
BBC, 11/1/2011

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan wins party primary
BBC, 14/1/2011

Nigeria's 'cash and carry' politics
BBC, 14/11/2011

Nigerian flashpoint city Jos: Army shoot-to-kill orders
BBC, 18/1/2011

Nigerian government to issue first dollar bond
BBC, 21/1/2011

Nigeria's president told to reduce ministries
BBC, 21/1/2011

Billiards dispute triggers deadly Nigeria clashes
BBC, 27/1/2011

Nigeria: Borno politician Gubio shot dead
BBC, 28/1/2011




Ancora sangue in Nigeria. Attentato in un mercato ad Abuja. 4 morti
Capodanno di sangue anche in Nigeria. Almeno 4 persone sono rimaste uccise in un’esplosione avvenuta in un mercato molto frequentato situato all’interno di una caserma nella capitale Abuja. Una decina i feriti. Secondo il presidente Goodluck Jonathan l’attacco sarebbe opera dello stesso gruppo estremista islamico responsabile degli attentati alla vigilia di Natale nella Nigeria centrale che hanno fatto oltre 80 morti. Da tempo la regione chiamata ‘Middle Belt’, è teatro di gravissimi scontri tra cristiani del sud e musulmani del nord.
1/1/2011 Euronews


NIGERIA 3/1/2011
ATTENTATO AD ABUJA: LA VISITA DI JONATHAN, L’INDAGINE DELL’FBI
Esperti statunitensi hanno accettato di collaborare con la polizia nigeriana nel tentativo di accertare le responsabilità dell’attentato dinamitardo che, venerdì, ha causato ad Abuja diverse vittime civili: lo scrive il quotidiano “The Vanguard”, all’indomani di una visita del presidente Goodluck Jonathan nel luogo della strage. Secondo “The Vanguard”, gli esperti del Federal Bureau of Investigation (Fbi) sono già partiti per la Nigeria. Il loro compito non sarà facile, suggerisce il quotidiano, perché non ci sono rivendicazioni e le piste possibili appaiono varie. Secondo padre Maurice Henry, ad Abuja come superiore generale della Società delle missioni africane (Sma), l’attentato non sembra avere analogie con le violenze dei giorni di Natale nella città settentrionale di Maiduguri e nella regione centrale di Jos. Difficile stabilire nessi anche con l’attentato avvenuto il 1° ottobre sempre ad Abuja, rivendicato dai ribelli del Movimento per l’emancipazione del Delta del Niger (Mend). Questo gruppo, attivo nelle regioni meridionali dove sono concentrati i giacimenti di petrolio, ha negato ogni coinvolgimento nella strage di venerdì. L’esplosione di una bomba al Mammy Market, un mercato popolare non lontano da una caserma dell’esercito, ha ucciso sul colpo una donna incinta e altre tre persone. Diversi feriti sono stati dimessi dall’ospedale oggi, poche ore dopo aver ricevuto la visita del capo dello Stato. Una visita dal significato politico, perché in Nigeria ad aprile si terranno le elezioni presidenziali e Jonathan potrebbe essere il candidato del partito di governo. Dopo l’attentato alcuni dirigenti politici hanno accusato l’esecutivo di non essere in grado di garantire la sicurezza dei nigeriani. Una tesi che ha un certo seguito, ma dietro la quale potrebbero nascondersi calcoli politici. “Nonostante la strage di venerdì e le violenze di Natale – dice alla MISNA padre Henry – sarebbe esagerato sostenere che la Nigeria stia attraversando una fase di instabilità generale”. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 4/1/2011
UN PIANO “SICUREZZA”, DOPO GLI ATTENTATI E PRIMA DELLE ELEZIONI
Un piano per la “sicurezza nazionale” è stato approvato dal governo dopo gli attentati e le violenze che nei giorni scorsi, a pochi mesi dalle elezioni legislative e presidenziali, hanno provocato decine di vittime in diverse regioni della Nigeria. Secondo il quotidiano “The Vanguard”, durante un vertice ad Abuja il presidente Goodluck Jonathan si è impegnato ieri a nominare entro una settimana un “consigliere speciale sul terrorismo” e a ottenere il via libera in parlamento di una nuova legge sulla “sicurezza nazionale”. Il piano prevede la creazione di quattro comitati ad hoc, l’installazione di telecamere a circuito chiuso in luoghi “a rischio” e maggiori controlli su forniture di armi ed esplosivi. L’approvazione delle misure segue di pochi giorni attentati dinamitardi e violenze che hanno provocato decine di vittime e feriti ad Abuja, nella città centrale di Jos e in quella settentrionale di Maiduguri. Alla scelta del governo potrebbero non essere estranee considerazioni di carattere politico, anche perché la settimana prossima Jonathan dovrà vincere le primarie del People’s Democratic Party (Pdp) che potrebbero avviarlo a una conferma ad aprile. La stagione elettorale, in effetti, è già cominciata. Giovedì si vota nello Stato meridionale del Delta, regione di petrolio e povertà: per sostenere il candidato governatore del Pdp, oggi Jonathan parteciperà a “una grande manifestazione” nella città di Warri (MISNA)


NIGERIA 5/1/2011
EX-DITTATORE SCELTO COME CANDIDATO OPPOSIZIONE
L’ex-dittatore, generale Muhammadu Buhari, sarà il candidato alle prossime elezioni presidenziali di Aprile di uno dei principali partiti d’opposizione del paese: il Congresso per il cambiamento progressivo (Cpc). La nomina di Buhari è stata ratificata ieri durante il congresso dello schieramento tenutosi ad Abuja. L’ex-generale, unico nome presente nella lista dei candidati, ha ottenuto la nomina di candidato all’unanimità. Ex- dittatore militare alla guida della Nigeria per venti mesi tra il 1983 e il 1985, Buhari (che molti ricordano per le numerose accuse di violazioni dei diritti umani compiute durante il suo governo) sembra godere, secondo gli osservatori politici nigeriani e stranieri, tra la stragrande maggioranza dei nigeriani della fama di ‘moralizzatore’ della politica e di acerrimo nemico della corruzione. Non a caso nell’annunciare la sua candidatura, l’ex-alto ufficiale dell’esercito nigeriano ha ribadito a più riprese la volontà di eliminare la “corruzione” dilagante ai vertici del mondo politico ed economico nazionale. Oltre a Buhari, hanno già annunciato la propria candidatura al voto per la massima carica dello Stato (che si terrà il 9 aprile prossimo) anche il presidente in carica Jonathan Goodluck e l’ex-vice-presidente Atiku Abubakar. La nomina di Goodluck come candidato del potentissimo partito di governo Pdp (i cui candidati hanno vinto tutte le elezioni tenute nel paese dal 1999 ad oggi) è attesa per il prossimo 13 Gennaio quando si terranno le primarie del partito. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 7/1/2011
DELTA DEL NIGER: ELEZIONI AL PARTITO DI GOVERNO
Il partito di governo People’s Democratic Party (Pdp) dovrebbe mantenere il controllo dell’amministrazione dello Stato del Delta, uno dei principali nella regione petrolifera del Delta del Niger: lo indicano i primi risultati del voto di ieri, secondo fonti della MISNA nel complesso regolare e non segnato da incidenti gravi. Sulla base dei dati, rilanciati con evidenza dai maggiori quotidiani della Nigeria, l’ex-governatore del Pdp Emmanuel Uduaghan ha superato il suo rivale Great Ogboru in cinque dei sette distretti dello Stato. Secondo padre Daniel Okanatotor, un missionario della Società di San Paolo (Msp) che vive nel distretto di Bomadi, “al di là di qualche problema logistico e di alcuni incidenti minori le elezioni sono apparse regolari e trasparenti”. Il voto era stato convocato dopo che un tribunale aveva invalidato le elezioni vinte da Uduaghan nel 2007. A sostegno del candidato del Pdp si è impegnato in prima persona il presidente Goodluck Jonathan, che in aprile potrebbe diventare il primo capo di Stato eletto originario del Delta del Niger. Il voto di ieri sembra avere un significato nazionale anche perché la settimana prossima sono in programma le primarie del Pdp, un partito che dal 1999 ha sempre vinto le elezioni presidenziali. Per garantire la sicurezza del voto nel Delta, una regione storicamente ostaggio di multinazionali, povertà e bande armate, erano stati dispiegati più di 20.000 militari. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 10/1/2011
JOS, SCONTRI E VITTIME DOPO PRIMARIE DI PARTITO
Uffici e negozi chiusi, poche automobili nelle strade: oggi si presenta così Jos, città della Nigeria centrale dove malessere sociale e rivalità politiche sono tornate nel fine-settimana a causare scontri, vendette e soprattutto vittime civili. “Le violenze hanno seguito le elezioni primarie del partito di governo” dice alla MISNA padre Gabriel Gowok, il segretario dell’arcivescovado. La nomina del governatore uscente Jonah Jang come candidato del People’s Democratic Party (Pdp) al vertice dello Stato di Plateau sembra aver alimentato insofferenza e proteste in alcune fasce popolari. Secondo padre Gowok contrasti di carattere sociale e politico finiscono a volte per acquisire connotazioni religiose, con la maggioranza cristiana accusata da alcuni gruppi musulmani di esercitare una sorta di egemonia politica in città e nell’intero Stato di Plateau. Il bilancio delle violenze, cominciate sabato e proseguite ieri, è di almeno 11 vittime. Numeri drammaticamente normali per Jos, dove una serie di attentati dinamitardi e di scontri tra opposte fazioni avevano provocato tra il 24 e il 25 dicembre un’ottantina di morti. Le violenze dei giorni scorsi, sottolinea padre Gowok, sono coincise con lo svolgimento in un albergo cittadino delle primarie del partito dell’ex-presidente Muhammadu Buhari. Negli ultimi anni Jos è stata spazzata più volte da violenze di carattere sociale e politico. A pagare sono stati spesso i più poveri, già colpiti da una forte disoccupazione. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 13/1/2011
PRESIDENZIALI, SI SCEGLIE IL CANDIDATO DEL PARTITO DI GOVERNO
È tra il capo di Stato uscente Goodluck Jonathan e l’ex-vice-presidente Atiku Abubakar la sfida per la candidatura con il partito di governo alla massima carica della Federazione: decidono oggi i delegati di una convenzione nazionale riunita nel centro di Abuja sotto imponenti misure di sicurezza. Secondo alcuni osservatori Jonathan è favorito perché presidente in carica e perché il mese scorso ha ottenuto il sostegno di 21 dei 26 governatori di Stato iscritti al partito, il People’s Democratic Party (Pdp). A ostacolarlo potrebbe però essere una consuetudine interna al Pdp che prevede un’alternanza al vertice della Federazione tra politici originari del nord a maggioranza musulmana e del sud per lo più cristiano e animista. Jonathan è nato e cresciuto nella regione meridionale del Delta del Niger e, almeno secondo questa regola non scritta che per anni ha disciplinato la vita del partito, dovrebbe farsi da parte. Si spiega anche così il seguito di Abubakar, vice-presidente dal 1999 al 2006 scelto come rivale di Jonathan da alcuni tra i più influenti politici originari del nord, primo fra tutto l’ex-capo di Stato Ibrahim Babangida. Dell'esigenza di rispettare il principio di alternanza in un paese tanto complesso da un punto di vista sociale, etnico e religioso, ha parlato ancora ieri Alhaji Dutsinma, un altro dei candidati alle primarie. A dividere Jonathan e Abubakar, a ogni modo, sono anche percorsi ed esperienze diverse. Il presidente proviene dallo Stato di Bayelsa, del quale è stato anche governatore: un'area ricca di petrolio, ma socialmente tra le più degradate della Nigeria. Grazie al greggio, invece, Abubakar ha fatto buoni affari: la sua fortuna di imprenditore cominciò con la fine del regime di Sani Abacha, quando divenne presidente del Consiglio nazionale per le privatizzazioni. Per la convenzione del Pdp sono state disposte misure di sicurezza straordinarie. Già da ieri pomeriggio nel centro di Abuja era vietata la circolazione alle automobili. La Nigeria, un paese dove le elezioni sono state spesso accompagnate da episodi di violenza, non ha dimenticato gli attentati dinamitardi avvenuti il 1° ottobre durante le celebrazioni del cinquantesimo anniversario dell'indipendenza. A Eagle Square, la stessa piazza dove oggi si riuniscono i delegati, le vittime furono almeno 12. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 13/1/2011
NEL VILLAGGIO DI JONATHAN IL DELTA CHE SPERA
“Finora non è cambiato quasi nulla ma la gente spera” dice alla MISNA padre Basil Soyoye guardando le mura scalcinate della casa natale di Goodluck Jonathan, forse tra qualche mese il primo presidente eletto originario del Delta del Niger. Otuoke, Stato di Bayelsa, terra di petrolio regno della Royal Dutch Shell. In questo villaggio di contadini senza terra Jonathan nacque 57 anni fa. “I primi pozzi furono scoperti negli anni ’50 a dieci minuti di cammino da qui” racconta padre Soyoye, superiore provinciale della Società missioni africane (Sma) che conosce bene il Delta. I terreni sarebbero di buona qualità ma nessuno li coltiva perché ci sono le concessioni della Shell, l’acqua è veleno e da oleodotti e filo spinato bisogna star lontani. “Il sistema sociale di Otuoke è stato distrutto dal petrolio” sostiene padre Peter Okonotator, il parroco: i giovani abbandonano i campi e affidano il futuro a un'ipotetica ridistribuzione dei proventi del greggio. Vengono anche da Otuoke i “militanti” del Movimento per l’emancipazione del Delta del Niger (Mend), il gruppo armato che denuncia gli abusi delle multinazionali e la connivenze del governo di Abuja. Nel 2007 furono alcuni di loro a devastare la casa di Jonathan, allora governatore di Bayelsa in procinto di conquistare la vice-presidenza. “Quell’episodio nacque dalla rabbia di chi sperava in un futuro diverso per il villaggio” sostiene padre Soyoye. È paradossale ma l’unica strada asfaltata qui l’ha portata Shell, non il governo. Le richieste di un ospedale, un politecnico o un college sembrano essere rimaste inascoltate. E però, dicono alla MISNA, se oggi Jonathan ce la fa sarà festa. “Da governatore ha scelto il dialogo – dice il parroco di Otuoke - e ha fatto lo stesso l'anno scorso, quando è stato avviato il programma di amnistia per i militanti”. Un percorso difficile, come hanno confermato l’attentato del 1° ottobre ad Abuja rivendicato dal Mend o la strage di civili compiuta il mese scorso dall'esercito nel villaggio di Akoromor. Ma un percorso importante, secondo alcuni l’unico possibile per un progressivo inserimento nella grande politica di gruppi storicamente ai margini. Rappresentanti della comunità Ijaw, quella di Jonathan, hanno presentato in parlamento una richiesta per la costituzione di uno Stato tutto loro. Se questo desiderio non dovesse essere esaudito, dicono a Otuoke, la delusione sarebbe grande. Ancora più forte sarebbe la delusione se oggi, ad Abuja, Jonathan fosse sconfitto. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 14/1/20111
PRESIDENZIALI, È JONATHAN IL CANDIDATO DEL PARTITO DI GOVERNO
Goodluck Jonathan, capo di Stato originario della regione petrolifera del Delta del Niger, è stato eletto ieri a larga maggioranza candidato del partito di governo alle presidenziali di aprile. Alle primarie, durante una lunga sessione della “convenzione nazionale” del People’s Democratic Party (Pdp) riunita ad Abuja, Jonathan ha superato l’ex-presidente Atiku Abubakar con 2736 voti a 805. Le edizioni online dei quotidiani più diffusi della capitale sottolineano oggi che Jonathan ha ottenuto i voti di tutti i delegati di due Stati del Delta, il sud della Nigeria storicamente ostaggio di abusi e povertà nonostante sia ricco di petrolio. Importante appare però anche il buon risultato ottenuto dal presidente in alcuni Stati del nord e in particolare la vittoria ad Adamawa, la regione di origine di Abubakar. Il successo di Jonathan era ritenuto probabile perché il capo di Stato aveva il sostegno di 21 dei 26 governatori di Stato iscritti al Pdp. A ostacolarlo avrebbe potuto essere però una consuetudine interna al partito che prevede un’alternanza al vertice della Federazione tra politici originari del nord a maggioranza musulmana e del sud per lo più cristiano e animista. Vinte le primarie, Jonathan è favorito per il voto di aprile. Dal 1999, l’anno del ritorno del potere a un governo civile, il candidato del Pdp ha sempre vinto le elezioni presidenziali. (MISNA)


NIGERIA 17/1/2011
ELEZIONI, COMINCIATE LE ISCRIZIONI DEGLI AVENTI DIRITTO
La scelta del candidato alla presidenza di uno dei principali partiti di opposizione e l’avvio dell’iscrizione di milioni di nigeriani nelle liste degli aventi diritto hanno segnato, nel fine-settimana, l’inizio di una stagione politica che culminerà con le elezioni nazionali di aprile. Ieri le primarie dell’All Nigeria People’s Party (Anpp) sono state vinte da Ibrahim Shekarau, governatore dello Stato settentrionale di Kano. Ad aprile, insieme con l’ex-presidente Muhammadu Buhari e l’ex-magistrato Nuhu Ribadu, sfiderà il capo di Stato Goodluck Jonathan. A segnalare l’entrata nella fase elettorale è stato anche l’avvio sabato delle iscrizioni degli aventi diritto. Attahiru Jaga, presidente della commissione incaricata di organizzare il voto, ha detto che la verifica dei dati in un paese di 140 milioni di abitanti è “un compito senza uguali per ampiezza e complessità”. Per le consultazioni, presidenziali, legislative e locali, saranno allestiti 120.000 seggi. Storicamente, le elezioni hanno alimentato in Nigeria sospetti di irregolarità e contenziosi. Jonathan, presidente dall’anno scorso, sostiene che l’organizzazione di un voto credibile è una delle sue priorità. (MISNA)


Nigeria. 5 moschee bruciate per un tavolo da biliardo
Violenti scontri notturni sono scoppiati ancora una volta tra cristiani e musulmani nel centro della Nigeria: cinque moschee incendiate, 50 case andate a fuoco, quattro morti e numerosi feriti e' il bilancio della guerriglia tra i giovani delle due comunita', scoppiata a Tafawa Balewa, a causa di un tavolo da biliardo distrutto, che apparteneva ai cristiani. A darne notizia, un alto funzionario della polizia locale, Abdulkadir Mohammed Indabawa. "Le violenze si sono scatenate dopo l'incendio di un tavolo da biliardo che apparteneva ai cristiani", ha spiegato. La gravita' degli incidenti e il banale motivo che li ha provocati sono rivelatori del clima di tensione esistente tra i due gruppi religiosi, specie sulla linea di quel confine invisibile che divide il Nord, prevalentemente musulmano, dal Sud, a maggioranza cristiana.
Motivi di fede si intrecciano a tradizionali ostilita' etniche e alla lotta per il controllo delle ricchezze del Paese, a partire dalle sue risorse energetiche, secondo molti analisti. In vista delle prossime elezioni presidenziali di aprile del piu' popoloso paese africano (con i suoi 150 milioni di persone) e' un crescendo di attacchi e rappresaglie tra le due comunita'; particolarmente cruenti gli scontri avvenuti a Natale, con l'assalto a diverse chiese, e la morte di un centinaio di persone nell'area di Jos, citta' anch'essa sull'Altopiano centrale. Migliaia di persone hanno perso la vita negli ultimi anni, mentre stanno crescendo anche aspirazioni separatiste, dopo che alcuni stati del Nord hanno introdotto la sharia, la legge islamica.
RAINEWS24, 27/1/2011


NIGERIA 31/1/2011
DA BAUCHI A JOS, SCONTRI E VITTIME
Sono decine le vittime causate in due zone della Nigeria centrale da scontri tra comunità alimentati da tensioni sociali e politiche: lo dicono alla MISNA fonti contattate a Bauchi e Jos, le città dove nel fine-settimana si sono concentrate le violenze. Secondo padre John Keane, rappresentante della diocesi di Bauchi, gli scontri hanno contrapposto nel distretto di Tafawa Balewa giovani di comunità etniche a maggioranza cristiana e musulmana. Giorni di agguati e spedizioni punitive avrebbero causato almeno 20 vittime e, stando alle stime della Croce Rossa nigeriana, 4000 sfollati. “Le violenze – sostiene padre Keane – si spiegano con la disoccupazione e con le tensioni legate alle elezioni presidenziali, parlamentari e locali in programma ad aprile”. C'è preoccupazione anche a Jos, come e più di Bauchi già teatro negli ultimi anni di violenze tra comunità. Oggi, riferiscono fonti della MISNA all'arcivescovado, centinaia di donne si stanno dirigendo verso il palazzo del governatore nel centro della città per protestare contro interventi della polizia e dell’esercito ritenuti a volte inefficaci a volte indiscriminati. Nel fine-settimana scontri hanno contrapposto giovani di diverse comunità nei pressi dell’università. L’intervento delle forze dell’ordine, ancora oggi presenti a Jos in gran numero, avrebbe provocato almeno una vittima. (MISNA)


Nigerian capital Abuja hit by barracks bomb
Several people have been killed by a bomb blast at a bar near a barracks in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.
Nigeria's president condemned the attack, blaming it on Islamists who claimed responsibility for a recent bombing in the north of the country.
The explosion happened in a market where soldiers and civilians often gather to eat and drink beer.
A police spokesman said four people had died, while military sources have told the BBC 11 people were killed.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, President Goodluck Jonathan called the attacks "evil" and "wicked".
"Basking in their nefarious success in Jos on Christmas Eve, they have once again knifed at the heartstrings of a nation decked out in gaiety, celebrating New Year's Eve," he said.
An Islamic sect known as Boko Haram said it had carried out the attack in Jos, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Abuja bombing.


New year's revellers
State TV initially reported that 30 people were killed. But police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said four people had been killed - three men and one woman.
Witnesses have told the BBC they saw body parts lying on the ground and injured people being carried away after the blast.
"People ran in different directions. There were scores of bodies - dead and wounded. They used army trucks to pack them away," a market regular called Eric was quoted as telling Reuters news agency.
The area was sealed off.
Air Marshal Oluseyi Petiri said a bomb had been placed "where people were relaxing and generally being happy because of the New Year which is approaching".
He urged Nigerians to be vigilant following a recent spate of bomb attacks in a country where they had been almost unknown.
"Do not allow anybody to come and leave a bag, or any kind of object, especially when he is not there," he told state TV.
There have been bomb attacks in the capital and other cities in recent weeks:
On Wednesday, two blasts disrupted a political rally in the southern city of Yenagoa, wounding several people
Bomb attacks in the city of Jos, a flash-point between Nigerian Christians and Muslims, left 80 people dead over Christmas - an Islamist group said it was behind these attacks
In October, at least 12 people were killed in explosions in Abuja as the country celebrated 50 years since independence from the UK - this was blamed on oil militants
The market is near the Sani Abacha barracks, named after Nigeria's late military dictator, in Asokoro district, home to the presidential palace and said to be the city's most secure area.
Officially renamed the Mogadishu Cantonment, the barracks is still known to many by its old name.
BBC, 1/1/2011


Nigeria Senate leader Teslim Folarin on murder charge
A court in Nigeria has charged the leader of the Senate, Teslim Folarin, with involvement in the murder of trade union activist Lateef Salako.
Mr Salako, a transport workers' union leader, was shot dead during a dispute at a ruling party PDP meeting in the south-western city of Ibadan last week.
Three others have also been charged with his killing.
Senator Folarin, who was present at the PDP meeting, is to remain in custody until a bail hearing later this month.
The residents of Ibadan in Oyo State witnessed violent scenes following a local meeting of the PDP last Thursday.
The BBC's Tomi Oladipo in Lagos says during the chaos, unidentified gunmen killed Mr Salako, who rose to prominence last September when a court validated his leadership of Oyo State's National Union of Road Transport Workers, which had been split for months over a bitter power dispute.
Many of Mr Salako's rivals were unhappy at his appointment and clashes broke out between different factions - and dozens were killed in the violence.
It is believed that being the leader of the transport workers' union, and having the subsequent control over the bus stations in the state, brings greater political influence, our reporter says.
Mr Folarin, a PDP member, has been a senator for Oyo State since 2003.
Elections are due in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, in April.
BBC, 5/1/2011

Niger delta election: Massive security in Nigeria
More than 20,000 Nigerian police have been deployed to the oil-rich Niger Delta, where elections for a state governor are being held.
The result of the last election, in 2007, has been annulled because of voting irregularities.
Last week, there were bomb attacks on political rallies in Delta State.
The president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has campaigned on behalf of Emanuel Uduaghan, who was governor until the annulment.
Correspondents say the election will test the president's support in a key state, ahead of general elections in April.
Delta state is re-running the election after an appeals court overturned Mr Uduaghan's election in November.
Police, riot police and military bomb disposal units have been deployed to ensure the security of the polls.
"It is the largest contingent ever deployed for a state election," Delta State police spokesman, Charles Muka told the AFP news agency.
President Goodluck Jonathan, who is from the Niger Delta, on Tuesday flew from Abuja to the state to support the campaign of Mr Uduaghan, who is from the ruling People's Democratic Party.
BBC, 6/1/2011


Nigeria's top banker wins international recognition
Nigeria is frequently cited as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, but its central banker has won two international banking awards.
Mallam Lamido Aminu Sanusi has been named as the Central Bank Governor of 2010 for both the African continent and the entire world, by the prestigious Banker Magazine.
The editor of the magazine, Brian Caplen, says that few candidate names generate an overall consensus on judging panels, and yet, when it came to finding the best global central bank governor of the year, Mr Sanusi was chosen unanimously.
The 49-year-old was appointed head of the Bank of Nigeria in June 2009.
He has been praised for salvaging a crumbling Nigerian financial sector, including implementing reforms that have put Africa's most promising market back on the map for global investors.
The magazine's country representative, Kunle Ogedengbe, stresses that Mr Sanusi embarked on a radical anti-corruption campaign aimed at saving 24 banks on the brink of collapse.
He also pressed for the managers involved in the most blatant cases of corruption to be charged, and, in the case of two senior bankers, convicted.
"The reforms initiated by Mr Sanusi have been necessary to sanitise the banking industry," Mr Ogedengbe says.
"Had these reforms not been initiated, Nigeria would have entered into another round of banking distress."


Extensive reforms
Despite the political challenge of facing up to powerful people who held considerable sway in the country, Mr Sanusi never swerved from his approach, and won the support of the public as they were made aware of the scale of corruption.
"He has carried out the sort of reforms that most of the central bankers in the world would like to have carried out in their territories," Lagos journalist Anthony Osae-Brown told BBC World Service's World Business News.
Two months into his governorship, Mr Sanusi embarked on the bailout of Afribank, Intercontinental Bank, Union Bank, Oceanic Bank and Finbank.
He dismissed their chief executives in a move designed to show that banking is no longer business as usual, but institutions that must serve the economy as a whole.
Another key reform of the banking sector enforced by Mr Sanusi has been to limit the tenure of bank bosses to a maximum of 10 years.
The chief executives will have to leave office at the end of their term regardless of their record.
The implementation of a stricter disclosure policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria has also led to a culture of greater transparency in the sector.


Career path
Mr Sanusi began his banking career in 1985 by joining the merchant bankers Icon Limited, a subsidiary of Baring Brothers of London and Morgan Guaranty Trust Bank of New York.
After becoming the head of the central bank, some people dubbed his extensive reforms as the "Sanusi tsunami".
He defended his actions, saying there was no choice but to attack the many powerful and interrelated vested interests who were exploiting the financial system of the country.
At a February 2010 conference on banking in Nigeria, he described his blueprint for reforming the Nigerian financial system as being built around four pillars.


enhancing the quality of the banks
establishing financial stability in the country
enabling a healthy financial sector evolution
ensuring that the financial sector contributes to the real economy


Talking later that month, he said that the crash in the capital market had been due to the high level of financial illiteracy on the part of the Nigerian investors.


Parallel interests
In parallel to his banking career, Mr Sanusi has also contributed to the nationwide debate over Sharia law.
In 1997, he obtained a degree in Sharia and Islamic Studies from the African International University in Khartoum, Sudan.
In an article in September 2000, he noted the problem of reconciling "belief in the universal and eternal applicability of the Sharia with the need to meet the requirements of a particular milieu."
And at a seminar in Abuja his talk was entitled Basic Needs and Redistributive Justice in Islam - The Panacea to Poverty in Nigeria.


Election looming
Nigerian government borrowing has increased around 50% by late 2010, while its spending has been rising in the run-up to the presidential primaries in the middle of January - a contest whose outcome could shape the political and economic landscape for the next few years.
The excess crude account, into which Nigeria saves windfall oil income, has dropped to $300m (£193m) from $20bn at the start of the presidential term in 2007.
The political uncertainty also means major pieces of policy, including some multi-billion dollar investment decisions, are on hold until after the elections.
The biggest decision regards the Petroleum Industry Bill, which will re-write Nigeria's decades-old relationship with foreign oil firms.
It will redefine the fiscal and legal framework governing investment, including its key offshore fields which are expected to yield most of its future production growth.
Until that bill passes, foreign oil firms will keep multi-billion dollar investments on hold.
Potential investors in the planned privatisation of the domestic power sector, one of the cornerstones of President Jonathan's policy, are also unlikely to go beyond statements of interest until the elections are over.
But banking reforms continue apace and the five-year tenure of Mr Sanusi means even a change in president is unlikely to derail them.
BBC, 6/1/2011


Nigerian city of Jos becomes ghost town after clashes
Nigeria's central city of Jos is a ghost town after weekend clashes between rival groups left at least 18 people dead.
Journalist Andrew Agbese told the BBC banks, schools and markets were closed as residents feared more violence.
More buildings were set alight in one area of the city on Monday and extra security forces have been deployed.
Jos lies in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt - between the mainly Muslim north and largely Christian south.
It has been blighted by violence between rival ethnic groups over the past decade, with deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and last year.


Wedding bus attack
"The whole town is deserted - the usually busy terminus area, where there is high commercial activities, is at a standstill; there is nobody there and all the shops are locked," Mr Agbese, from Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
"The university, which is supposed to have started its academic activities today, did not open because students were afraid to go to school."
He said the violence began after news that a bus carrying Muslim wedding guests was attacked when it got lost returning to the city on Friday evening.
Muslim youths began demonstrating when they heard that seven people had died in that attack.
Police say 11 people died on Saturday in disturbances, which they also blamed on election primaries ahead of April's general elections.
Seven politicians from the Congress for Progressive Change were charged in court on Monday with incitement.
Four other people have been arrested after clashes on Sunday in the Bukuru suburb, where seven corpses were displayed outside a mosque on Monday morning, Mr Agbese said.
More unrest broke out on Monday in the Angoljos suburb - where both Christians and Muslims live - when an unidentified group was seen roaming the area causing panic.
"At 9am smoke was coming from that area, when I went there at 2.30pm things had calmed down. Tension and suspicion on both sides ignited the clash; many houses went up in flames," Mr Agbese said.
"Police and soldiers are now there, keeping guard, with their vehicles parked on major junctions."
Late last year, Nigerian faith leaders accused politicians of fuelling a recent upsurge in sectarian violence in Jos.
Some 80 people died when bombs exploded in several areas of Jos on Christmas Eve, and youths clashed two days later.
The people around Jos are divided along religious, ethnic and political lines, with Hausa- and Fulani-speaking Muslims generally supporting the opposition and ethnic Berom Christians favouring the ruling People's Democratic Party.
BBC, 10/1/2011


Nigeria clashes 'leave 13 dead' near Jos
At least 13 people have been killed after further violence between rival groups near the central Nigerian city of Jos, witnesses say.
Police spokesman Idako Andy told the BBC officers had been sent to a mostly Christian village in the Wareng area 40km (25 miles) south-west of Jos.
Villagers told the BBC they had seen the bodies of 13 people with wounds from machetes and gunshots.
More than 30 people have died in ethnic and religious clashes, police say.
There have been no arrests after Tuesday's attack and the assailants have not been identified.
The violence reportedly began on Friday after news that a bus carrying Muslim wedding guests was attacked when it got lost returning to Jos.


Jos Violence
Deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and 2010
City divided into Christian and Muslim areas
Hausa-speaking Muslims living in Jos for decades still classified as settlers
Settlers find it difficult to stand for election
Communities divided along political party lines


The city was said to be deserted on Monday as people stayed at home fearing further violence.
Jos lies in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt - between the mainly Muslim north and largely Christian south.
It has been blighted by violence between rival ethnic groups over the past decade, with deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and last year.
Late last year, Nigerian faith leaders accused politicians of fuelling a recent upsurge in sectarian violence in Jos.
Some 80 people died when bombs exploded in several areas of Jos on Christmas Eve, and youths clashed two days later.
The people around Jos are divided along religious, ethnic and political lines, with Hausa- and Fulani-speaking Muslims generally supporting the opposition and ethnic Berom Christians favouring the ruling People's Democratic Party.
BBC, 11/1/2011


Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan wins party primary
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has won party primaries, making him the favourite ahead of April's elections.
Mr Jonathan's main challenger was ex-vice-president Atiku Abubakar, who was supported by some northern powerbrokers.
The People's Democratic Party candidate has won every poll since the end of military rule in 1999.
Mr Jonathan became leader after the death of the elected president, Umaru Yar'Adua, in May last year.
"I declare Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to be the winner of this presidential primary," the chief returning officer, Tunde Adeniran, told a party convention in the capital Abuja, after votes were counted.
Mr Jonathan won with 2,736 votes compared to Mr Abubakar's 805. However, a spokesman for Mr Abubakar alleged rigging and intimidation.
The PDP has a tradition of alternating power between north and south after two terms of office but this was interrupted when Mr Jonathan, a southerner, succeeded Mr Yar'Adua when he died last year.


Electoral reform promise
Some 5,000 PDP delegates gathered in the city's Eagle Square where the vote took place.
Journalist Andrew Walker told the BBC News website that some northern delegates, wearing their flowing gowns, boycotted the start of the process amid disputes about the process.
They accused allies of Mr Jonathan of threatening to "fish out" anyone who votes against the president.
Nigeria's recent elections have been tarnished by fraud and violence.
Mr Jonathan has promised to introduce electoral reforms, but correspondents say it will be difficult to implement radical changes before April.
The main opposition candidates are former anti-corruption campaigner Nuhu Ribadu and Gen Muhammadu Buhari.
BBC, 14/1/2011


Nigeria's 'cash and carry' politics
In the language of Nigerian negotiation, the matter of who ruling People's Democratic Party delegates chose as their presidential candidate for April's election is "settled".
Cash has been dispensed; favours and gifts have been granted; and political support given in return.
Thousands of smiling PDP members - their wallets swollen with booty - are packing up to leave the jamboree in the capital, Abuja, that commentators call "the cash and carry" primary.
"Goodluck Jonathan and Vice-President Nnamadi Sambo will never, never, never let you down," the delighted winner told crowds of his supporters at the party primaries in the early hours of Friday morning.


Historic
After sweltering nights of deal-making, President Goodluck Jonathan's victorious showing - with 78% of the available votes cast for him - is no surprise.
The win is historic, though: It tears up the north-south pact within the governing party - disrupting the old rhythms of power.
Mr Jonathan is now secured as the man most likely to win the presidency next year.
But after a bruising campaign in which ethnic and regional differences have been laid bare, it leaves his party bereft of the old certainties.
It also leaves his main rival, Atiku Abubakar, with a very big hole in his pocket.
What the former vice-president will do next remains a key question.
Mr Abubakar's slogan in Nigeria's north - "Naka Sai Naka!" (Go For Your Own!) - still has potency amongst northerners wary of Mr Jonathan, who hails from the southern oil-producing Niger Delta.
"Atiku is a desperado now. This was his last-chance saloon," says one long-time political commentator.
Another commentator observes: "He won't take this lying down."
"Mr Abubakar is considering his options in confidence with his closest supporters," Garba Shehu, his media adviser, told the BBC.
"He has plenty of steam left. Now is not the time to write him off."
The former vice-president could now resign from the PDP, and cross the floor like he did for the 2007 election when he ran as the Action Congress's presidential candidate.
Or he could team up with another northern candidate - perhaps former military ruler Gen Muhammadu Buhari - throwing his muscle and money behind him.


'PDP diminished'
Meanwhile Nigerians are still struggling to absorb the PDP's decision to endorse Mr Jonathan.
The muscle of the PDP is awesome. It has won every vote in Nigeria since the end of military rule - in poll after poll condemned for bribery and vote rigging.
Now the gentlemen's agreement that has kept the party's elites united and in office is over - leaving political questions hanging.
"It means the power of the PDP itself is diminished from what it was," says one insider.
"That has to be a good thing."
Others disagree, fearful of the ethnic and regional rifts within the party - and the country - that are left exposed.
Celebrations for Mr Jonathan's win are muted in many quarters as Nigerians ponder the coming election season and the threat of thuggery and political violence it brings.
"How can we be so bereft of choices?" demands one writer to a popular message board.
"If we have to use these past months as a measuring rod, then Nigeria is in for yet another night of wolves."
BBC, 14/11/2011


Nigerian flashpoint city Jos: Army shoot-to-kill orders
Nigeria's army says its soldiers have been given permission to shoot to kill to maintain order in the city of Jos.
"We are ordered to protect civilians and quell violence by any means necessary," military spokesman Capt Charles Ekeocha told the BBC.
A series of killings and bomb attacks over Christmas and New Year are thought to have resulted in more than 100 deaths so far in the central city.
Jos is a flashpoint of tension between Hausa Muslims and Berom Christians.
It sits on the faultline between Nigeria's north and south.


'Massacre' photos
Capt Ekeocha publicly warned community leaders that the military would fire on anybody burning homes, churches and mosques or carrying out lynchings and attacking civilians.
An election official was killed and his body set on fire by an angry mob - one of three people killed in a riot on Monday - as people tried to register to vote.


Jos Violence
Deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and 2010
City divided into Christian and Muslim areas
Hausa-speaking Muslims living in Jos for decades still classified as settlers
Settlers find it difficult to stand for election
Communities divided along political party lines


Jos has experienced repeated outbursts of bloodletting: In deadly riots along city interfaces and in carefully planned attacks on remote villages.
The exact number killed this year alone is uncertain, with officials saying about 100 people died.
But a Christian group - the Stefanos Foundation - is questioning that.
It has just published graphic photographs of what it says are more victims of violence.
Their report shows scores of stiffened and charred corpses littering the ground in the aftermath of riots on 8 January.
The Stefanos Foundation says the Nigerian authorities buried those bodies immediately, and that the true scale of the killings is being concealed because the authorities fear sparking reprisals.
The police commissioner in Jos told the BBC he had not seen the photographs.
''On each occasion we have fully disclosed the facts that we are aware of in press conferences and we are not concealing any figures," the commissioner said.
''However, we will study the photographs of these new corpses if they are handed to us."
BBC, 18/1/2011


Nigerian government to issue first dollar bond
The Nigerian government is to issue bonds which pay interest in US dollars for the first time.
The $500m (£314m) bond issue is aimed at investors who want to minimize the risk of currency fluctuation.
However concerns over Nigerian government finances may keep some investors away.
Several investment funds have said they are worried about the way in which the country's oil wealth is being used.
Nigeria's "rainy day" fund, which was largely made up of oil earnings when it was created under the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, held $20bn in 2007 and is now worth less than $400m.
Some are questioning why the fund is being depleted at a time when Nigeria should be benefiting from higher oil prices.
BBC, 21/1/2011

Nigeria's president told to reduce ministries
Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has been told by a key advisory panel to cut government's running costs.
The chair of the Presidential Advisory Council, Theophilus Danjuma, said ministries should be cut or merged to free money for development schemes.
The budget proposed for 2011 shows Nigeria would spend far more on the government than on infrastructure.
Nigeria is Africa's leading oil producer, but the majority of its 150 million people still live in poverty.
Parliamentarians' salaries are not made public in Nigeria, but diplomats say the country's politicians are among the best paid in the world.
The BBC's Bashir Abdullahi in the capital, Abuja, says Mr Danjuma, a retired general and former defence minister, was appointed by Mr Jonathan and is a highly respected figure.
Mr Danjuma said that he realised the "far-reaching recommendations" made by the panel came on the eve of April's elections.
"However we think also this is the right time we raise these issues," Nigeria's Daily Trust paper quotes him as saying.
He said the president had promised feedback on the suggestions.


2011 Budget Proposal: $27.6bn
Ministries: $12bn
Other government bodies: $350m
Parliament: $707m
Pensions and gratuities: $1bn
Transfers to statuary bodies: $1.3bn
Debt payments: $3.5bn
Other expenses: $2.6bn
TOTAL RUNNING COSTS: $21bn
CAPITAL EXPENDITURE: $6.5bn


"If necessary, we shall be involved in finding remedies to all the issues that we have raised," he said, the Nation newspaper reports.
Mr Jonathan, who last week won the ruling party's ticket to run for president, thanked the panel for its report and said its recommendations would be taken seriously.
"You can't provide education, health or security without resources generated from a robust economy," he said.
The finance minister has set up a committee to review the government's running costs, and has said cuts have already by made, Reuters news agency reports.
The president's proposal for this year's national budget, which is currently before parliament, shows that nearly 75% of the $27.6bn (£17bn) would be spent on running government and its agencies.
Only $6.5bn is proposed for spending on capital projects, such as investment in vital infrastructure.
Mr Jonathan's main opponents for the presidency in April will be former anti-corruption campaigner Nuhu Ribadu and Gen Muhammadu Buhari.
BBC, 21/1/2011


Billiards dispute triggers deadly Nigeria clashes
Sectarian clashes in Nigeria sparked by a dispute over a game of billiards have left four people dead and dozens of buildings on fire, police say.
The trouble broke out in Tafawa Balewa in central Nigeria, a region that has seen an upsurge in violence between Christians and Muslims.
Five mosques and about 50 homes were set alight as Christian and Muslim youths fought each other.
Police eventually restored order, using roadblocks to contain the violence.
Police commissioner Abdulkadir Mohammed Indabawa said the dispute began on Wednesday night with a disagreement over money between the Christian owner of the billiards table and a Muslim player.
Although the row was settled through mediation by local elders, the table was later burned.
"The Christian youths accused Muslims of the act, which prompted them to go about burning houses and mosques," said Mr Indabawa.
"Clashes followed between Muslim and Christian groups and four people were killed as a result."


Volatile region
Paramilitary police were patrolling the city's streets on Thursday and Mr Indabawa said troops could also join the crackdown.
"We have mounted roadblocks at areas leading to the town to avoid a spillover of the crisis to other areas," he said.
Tafawa Balewa is close to the city of Jos in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt, which sits between the mainly Muslim north and largely Christian south.
The region has been a flashpoint of tension between Hausa Muslims and Berom Christians.
It has suffered repeated outbreaks of ethnic violence over the past decade, with deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and last year.
BBC, 27/1/2011


Nigeria: Borno politician Gubio shot dead
A candidate for governor in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Borno has been shot dead, officials say.
Modu Fannami Gubio and at least four other people, including a 10-year-old child, were killed by men on motorbikes after Friday prayers in Maiduguri city.
Mr Gubio was the candidate for the opposition All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) in April's elections.
A BBC reporter says there are deep divisions within the ANPP over his selection to run for governor.
Similar ride-by attacks have been blamed on the Boko Haram sect, who have been targeting police and politicians.
But the BBC's Bilkisu Babangida in Maiduguri say politicians and the police believe this killing was politically motivated.
Our reporter says the attack happened as Mr Gubio left his father's home after Friday prayers.
He was talking to his supporters when two motorcyles, each with a driver and gunman, approached and shot into the crowd.
Five people, including Mr Gubio, were killed instantly and two other people are being treated in hospital, our correspondent says.
"Obviously it's a political assassination," Borno's police chief Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar told AFP news agency.
People hid inside their homes and shops shut as police cordoned off large neighbourhoods searching for the killers of Mr Gubio, AP reports.
Nigeria's recent elections have been tarnished by fraud and violence.
Maiduguri has also experienced a string of assassinations in recent months blamed on the Boko Haram sect, which is known locally as the Taliban and wants to see Islamic law imposed across Nigeria.
The sect is opposed to Western education and accuses Nigeria's government of being corrupted by Western ideas.
Hundreds of people suspected of being Boko Haram members escaped from prison last September after gunmen attacked the jail where they were being held in the city.
Clashes in Maiduguri between Boko Haram and the police in July 2009 left hundreds of mainly sect members dead.
The violence began after the sect members attacked a police station in Maiduguri in 2009 and clashes spread to neighbouring areas.
BBC, 28/1/2011