Former members of Boko Haram and of the Islamic State West Africa Province at a rehabilitation camp.
Audu Marte/AFP via Getty Images
Boko Haram leaders valued western education knowledge for the tactical advantages it offered.
Traffic and pedestrians in Lagos.
Adekunle Ajayi/Nur Photo via Getty Images
Large banditry and terror attacks were relatively rare in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria’s south-west region until recently.
A man displays Nigeria’s flag during a protest march in Abuja in 2023.
Olukayode Kaiyeola/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Government’s decision to change the national anthem has generated debate among Nigerians. Some see it as an attempt to distract attention from harsh economic realities.
Mario Guzman / EPA
Mexico is seeing a spate of public lynchings that show no sign of abating.
Nollywood celebrity Patience Ozokwor, aka Mama G, pleads for the release of the more than 200 abducted Chibok school girls in Lagos on 29 May 2014.
Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images
Governance failure and location of schools around large expanses of unprotected forest zones make school children easy targets for bandits in Nigeria’s north-west.
“Bring back our girls” campaigners protesting in Abuja on 22 August 2014.
Mac John Akende/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Nigeria’s school abductions are a sign of neglect of territorial and human security in the country.
A US military drone at the Barkhane French military base, Niamey on 22 December 2019.
Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Niger is cutting military ties with the US. This has implications for security in the Sahel region.
Issifou Djibo/EPA
Ecowas has a patchy track record when it comes to ensuring cooperation and security across west Africa – member states are now starting to leave.
Nigerian police officers detain a man during a political rally in Lagos on 21 February 2023.
Michele Spatari /AFP via Getty Images
Youth migration, unemployment, proliferation of small arms and drugs are some of the drivers of violent crimes in Lagos.
Shutterstock
Taking selfies is a normal part of daily life for millions of social media users. But doing so while exercising at the gym can be harmful.
Leaders of Ecowas at a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on 10 December 2023.
Nigerian Presidency /Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their intention to leave Ecowas. This may be a pointer to a deeper crisis in the Sahel region.
Ecowas has struggled to handle a raft of military coups.
U.S. Army Southern Europe Photostream/Flickr
The decision by the three countries could change the dynamics of Ecowas.
Protesters in Niger’s capital Niamey hold a Russian flag and banner with images of coup leaders in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea.
AFP via Getty Images
Niger’s recent military romance with Russia could escalate tensions with France, regional allies and the European Union.
Created in 2014, the G5 Sahel security alliance is about to be dissolved after members pulled out.
Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images
Foreign powers’ interest in the Sahel is driven by its natural resources and strategic location for security and illegal migration control.
Nigerian police officers.
Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images
To defeat armed banditry in its north-west region, Nigeria needs to adopt a new approach to policing.
Fulani herdsman at Kachia Grazing Reserve, Kaduna State, Nigeria, in April, 2019.
Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images
Ecowas regulations on pastoralism discourage big investment in livestock and need to be reformed in line with present day realities.
Supporters of Niger’s coup leaders wave Niger’s flag (R) and a flag bearing Wagner’s logo during a protest on 16 September 2023.
AFP via Getty Images
France’s withdrawal from Niger could hurt the regional fight against terrorism, create an opportunity for Wagner’s influence and increase Europe’s migrant crisis.
Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images
Indigenous knowledge of spiritual protection could help fight crime.
Nelson and Winnie Mandela, a day after he was released from prison in
1990.
Gideon Mendel/Corbis via Getty Images
The early Nelson comes across as a man consumed by insecurity and ambition, plagued by inner strife and anger.
Niger’s coup leaders waving at a crowd of supporters in Niamey on August 6, 2023.
Balima Boureima/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A combination of Nigerian and Nigerien factors dim prospects of Ecowas military intervention in Niger.