Kúnlé Adébàjò

Chinese Expats In Nigeria Facing Increased Security Risks. What’s The Big Picture?

by Kúnlé AdébàjòEconomy, Journalism September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

In the past decade, close to 50 Chinese nationals in Nigeria have either been killed or kidnapped. Considering China is one of Africa’s biggest investors, does Nigeria stand to lose if this trend continues? Chinese manufacturing investment in Africa is said to be the continent’s best hope “to industrialise in this generation”. But, in Nigeria, rising insecurity …

Russia Claims U.S. Is Making Bioweapons In Nigeria. True?

by Kúnlé AdébàjòDisinformation, Journalism September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

One of the reasons given by Russia to justify its invasion of Ukraine is that it is trying to prevent the development of biological weapons by the United States. Somehow, Nigeria has now found its name in this web of controversy. Key takeaways: The laboratories pictured in the graphic shared by the Russian government are …

Nigeria Has Not Released Crime Statistics In Four Years. Why?

by Kúnlé AdébàjòData, Journalism September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

While the police has frameworks in place including approved funding to gather data, the federal statistical agency says it has not been cooperative. The last time Nigeria released a crime statistics report was June 2018 and experts say this is costly for a country wrestling with insecurity across various fronts. The federal agency in charge …

Poor Treatment Of Young Africans Living With HIV Threatens Global Eradication Plans

by Kúnlé AdébàjòHealth, Journalism September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

Young people living with HIV in West and Central Africa say they still face abuse, discrimination, and disappointing healthcare services. This reality, in turn, makes ending the epidemic as a public health threat in the next decade a lot more difficult. E.L. found out she was HIV positive eight years ago. When her husband cautioned …

16 Days In Northwest Nigeria: Excerpts From A Conflict Reporter’s Diary

by Kúnlé AdébàjòMemoir September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

Between May 31 and June 16, 2021, this journalist visited different communities in Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina to document how rising insecurity was affecting people’s lives. Here he gives a glimpse into his journal. The day is Sunday, May 30, 2021. I’ll be going to the field again. And this time to another part of …

The Anatomy Of A Terror Attack In Northwest Nigeria

by Kúnlé AdébàjòConflict, Journalism September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

Reconstructing a typical terrorist attack based on interviews with dozens of victims across three states in the region. It all started 11 years ago, or six, or maybe more recently — depending on what community you are from and how soon they got to you. Before that, you had not grown accustomed to the explosive …

Food Prices Are Shooting Up In Northwest Nigeria, And There’s One Prime Suspect

by Kúnlé AdébàjòEconomy, Journalism September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

More farmers are downing tools, fearing they may become victims of terror attacks. As a result, food items are scarcer, driving prices through the roof — beyond the reach of the poor. When Esther Maiwada moved to Gusau, capital of the northwestern state of Zamfara, nine years ago, one measure of maize was sold for …

Death, Starvation, New Terror Recruits … Aftermath Of Borno’s IDP Resettlement

by Kúnlé AdébàjòConflict, Journalism, Policy September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

The government insists it is resettling the displaced people for their good, but so far it hasn’t seemed that way. For many of the returnees, almost everything that could go wrong has. When Gambo Muhammad, 72, left his hometown of Sidiya Kari in Kala Balge, Northeast Nigeria, he felt he had no other choice. Rampaging terrorists …

Nigeria’s Intention For IDPs And How It Treats Them Are Miles Apart

by Kúnlé AdébàjòJournalism, Policy September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

IDPs should not have to struggle to access basic resources or fear that their rights would be violated — if only the country implemented a better part of its own policy. Since it returned to democratic rule in 1999, Nigeria has faced a steady rise in the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Ethnic fault …

Nearly 10,400 Killed In Nigeria In 2021, Worst Toll In 6 Years

by Kúnlé AdébàjòData, Journalism September 18, 2022September 18, 2022No Comments

Likewise, victims of kidnapping in the country were over 5,000 last year — equally the worst rate since 2015 at least. In 2021, Nigeria recorded its worst insecurity-related death toll since 2016, an analysis of data collected by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has shown. At least 10,398 persons were killed across the country between Jan. …