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November 12 - 19, 2014

Media Monitoring Report for Nigeria
Posted on November 19, 2014
Forced Conscription and Child Soldiers
Boko Haram: Military Raises Fresh Alarm

Vanguard, Lagos-based Daily, November 12 2014

  • The Nigerian military, while fighting to reclaim territories taken by Boko Haram, have found that the insurgents are using women and children as forced conscripts. 
  • A security source stationed in the North East has said that insurgents will rape and kill children who refuse to join them. The captured children are forced to be in the front lines of the fighting, usually used for spying, ambushes and suicide bombing.
  • The children are recruited through kidnapping and bribery, after which they go through combat training, indoctrination, and often are given drugs. They are severely punished or killed if they do not cooperate. There are times when the military captures children who had been forced to fight, and most of them display abnormal behavior as a result of the trauma.
Targeted Attacks
10 Killed as Bomb Blast Rocks Teachers College

Vanguard, Lagos-based Daily, November 12 2014

  • At least 10 people are feared dead after a suicide bombing at the Federal College of Education in Kontagora, Niger State. No one has claimed responsibility but the attack came two days after a suspected Boko Haram attack at a school in Yobe, leaving 50 students dead.
  • The schools use a secular curriculum which is opposed by Islamists.
  • A spokesman for the Niger State police says they have dispatched teams from the state capital, Minna, to help in Kontagora.
Boko Haram Invades Two Towns in Adamawa

Vanguard, Lagos-based Daily, November 14 2014

  • Two towns in Adamawa State, Hong and Gombi, were raided by Boko Haram insurgents after they were pushed out of Mubi by armed civilian groups. Capturing Hong and Gombi has led Boko Haram closer to the state capital, Yola.
  • Residents in Gombi say Boko Haram members were firing their weapons through the streets, causing many of the residents to flee into the bush. The insurgents also burned down the police station, the local government secretariat and the market.
Boko Haram Attacks Chibok Again

Daily Trust, Abuja-based Daily, November 14 2014

  • Boko Haram insurgents attacked and captured Chibok in Borno State, the town from which the schoolgirls were kidnapped in April.
  • Fleeing from retaliation by civilian vigilante groups in Mubi, Boko Haram invaded Chibok, forcing most of the villagers to flee for their lives. The casualties and damage to the town are not clear yet but it is known that seven Chibok villagers were captured.
Bomb Blast Rocks Kano, Kills 6

Punch, Privately-owned Newspaper, November 15 2014

  • A bomb blast in Kano killed at least six people and injured an unknown number. The explosion took place on the Maiduguri Road in the Hotoro area of the city.
  • There has not been an official statement on the number of deaths, but a witness claims he saw at least six bodies. One of these bodies included the suspected suicide bomber.
30 Killed in Fresh Bauchi Blast

Punch, Privately-owned Newspaper, November 17 2014

  • 30 people were killed and over 60 injured after Azare, Bauchi State was invaded by suspected Boko Haram members. This was the second explosion in the town in one week.
  • The Bauchi State police have not commented on the event yet, but witnesses of the explosion describe the suspected bomber as a man in his 20’s.
Forced Displacement
20 Killed, Houses Razed in Nasarawa Communal Clash

Punch, Privately-owned Newspaper, November 16 2014

  • At least 20 people were killed after communal violence at Shabu Development Area, Lafia LGA, Nasarawa State. The fighting broke out after rumors of attacks by Fulani herdsmen on the village of Alakyo and surrounding communities, forcing residents to flee to Shabu.
  • There are still unidentified bodies in bush surrounding the area, and many houses and shops were set on fire at Shabu, causing hundreds of people to flee to the state capital, Lafia and its surrounding villages.
Nigerian Refugees in Cameroon Triple in Two Months – UN

Punch, Privately-owned Newspaper, November 16 2014

  • The number of Nigerian refugees in Cameroon, displaced by Boko Haram violence, has tripled in the past two months. The UN Refugee Agency claims that around 13,000 Nigerians have crossed into Cameroon from Adamawa since October, though most are starting to return, trying to get to Yola, the state capital.
  • Most of the refugees flee to the northern region of Cameroon and the majority are women and children.
  • Recent violence on the border between Niger and Nigeria also forced at least 1,000 Nigerians to flee into the Bosso area of Niger.
  • There are around 650,000 IDP’s in North East Nigeria now.

Will Ross (@willintune): BBC Correspondent Nigeria

  • “Mubi is no longer in the hands of Boko Haram according to Adamawa State government officials.”
  • “Dear Nigeria a peaceful weekend would be welcome for all.” 
  • “Boko Haram attacked Chibok yesterday afternoon and by all reports are still there. People who could fled including military.”
  • “The world has woken up a bit to the crisis in Nigeria as Chibok has been captured. What about Nigeria's politicians?”
  • “Very hard to get more news from Chibok as the jihadists destroyed mobile phone masts.”
  • “Chibok recapture shows what can be done when military works with civilians. Been rare due to mistrust of army + fear of Boko Haram reprisals.” 
  • “Azare bomb 3rd in a month. Female suicide bomber kills at least 10. Protestors burn tyres angry at politicians of all stripes.”
  • “Muhammad Sanusi II's D.I.Y. message = Don't wait for the military to save you, defend yourselves. Points to the depth of Nigeria's crisis.”
  • “Some may criticise Sanusi for speaking out but it's a rare voice of authority sounding the alarm over how bad the situation is in NE Nigeria.”
  • “State of emergency rule to be extended in N East Nigeria. Not sure how 18 months of it have helped so far.”
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