The strikes hit the village of Jilli on Saturday, with casualty figures varying widely. A UN security report seen by AFP said at least 56 people were killed and 14 injured when Nigerian Air Force fighter jets carried out the operation targeting suspected militants.

Amnesty International said more than 100 people were killed and 35 seriously wounded, while local chief Lawan Zanna Nur estimated total casualties, including injured, at around 200. A market committee member, Bulama Mulima Abbas, said 36 bodies had been counted at the scene, describing the victims as traders.

The Nigerian military said it had conducted a “precision air strike” on a known militant enclave and logistics hub near Jilli, reporting that “scores of terrorists” were killed but making no reference to civilian casualties.

In a separate statement, the air force said it had launched an investigation into reports that the strike may have hit a local market, causing civilian deaths.

Nigeria has faced repeated incidents of civilian casualties during air operations against insurgents, including fighters from Boko Haram and its splinter faction Islamic State West Africa Province, which have waged an insurgency since 2009.

Recent cases include a January 2025 airstrike in Zamfara state that killed at least 16 people after vigilantes were mistaken for armed groups, and a December 2023 strike in Kaduna state that killed at least 85 people when a religious gathering was misidentified as militants.

Violence has intensified in recent months, with more than 100 people killed across northern Nigeria in the past 10 days in attacks attributed to both insurgents and criminal gangs, according to local accounts.The security situation has drawn international scrutiny, including from Donald Trump, whose administration has pressed Nigeria to intensify its campaign against militant groups.

The United States has also deployed about 200 troops to provide technical and training support to Nigerian forces.

Nigeria’s government has stepped up legal action against suspected militants, with Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi saying authorities had prosecuted 508 cases and secured nearly 386 convictions in mass terrorism trials.

The raids, carried out by criminal groups locally known as bandits, targeted villages in Sokoto State on Thursday, following several days of deadly assaults in the country’s predominantly Muslim north.

Ahmad Yahaya, a community leader in Dan Adua village, said at least 12 people were killed and 43 abducted across Isa and Sabon Birni local government areas during the attacks. He said heavily armed gunmen carried out the raids.

Lawmaker Muhammad Saidu Bargaja, who represents the affected areas, confirmed the violence, reporting similar casualty figures and describing the security situation as “highly devastating.”

The districts are believed to be under the influence of Bello Turji, a notorious gang leader whose network imposes levies on communities and conducts retaliatory raids against those who refuse to comply.

The latest violence comes amid a wider escalation of attacks by both criminal gangs and jihadist groups. Earlier in the week, a senior military officer, Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, was killed along with several troops during an overnight assault on a military base in northeastern Nigeria, according to local officials and intelligence sources.

Separate attacks in the northwestern states of Kebbi and Niger have also left at least 90 people dead since Sunday, based on figures from local authorities, humanitarian groups and church sources.

The surge underscores ongoing security challenges in northern Nigeria, where armed groups continue to target civilians, security forces and infrastructure despite military operations aimed at curbing the violence.

Zuwaira Hanafi stood outside a healthcare facility in Kaita, in Nigeria’s northern Katsina state, as medical staff hurried into a ward where her eight-month-old daughter lay semiconscious, underscoring the urgency confronting health workers in a region grappling with rising levels of severe malnutrition.

At the entrance, clinicians used colour-coded measuring tapes to assess the mid-upper arm circumference of children, a standard method for diagnosing malnutrition.

A steady flow of mothers, including teenagers, arrived with infants in critical condition, reflecting what humanitarian agencies describe as a deepening hunger crisis affecting large parts of the country.The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has warned that as many as 33 million Nigerians could face severe hunger in 2026, a record level.

Data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicates that approximately 6.4 million children in Nigeria are expected to be acutely malnourished by the end of the year, with the burden concentrated in northern regions such as Katsina.

Dr Soma Bahonan, head of the Nigeria mission for the Alliance for International Medical Action (Alima), which operates the Kaita facility in partnership with local authorities, said the crisis is expanding beyond children. Increasing numbers of mothers are also presenting with acute malnutrition, compounding the risks to infant health and survival.

Alima has expanded its operations to include mobile clinics designed to reach remote populations unable to travel to fixed facilities. These services include transport support for critical cases from surrounding communities.

However, Bahonan described the scale of need as exceeding operational capacity, particularly in Katsina, which has become a focal point of what aid workers describe as an intergenerational hunger crisis.Longstanding drivers of food insecurity, including climate variability and structural governance challenges, have been intensified by rising insecurity.

Attacks by jihadist groups and other non-state actors have disrupted farming activities and restricted access to agricultural land, further weakening household food production and income stability.The strain on the healthcare system is evident in workforce shortages. Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio is estimated at roughly 1:9,000, significantly below the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio of 1:600.

Medical professionals continue to leave the country, citing delayed salary payments and limited career prospects, further reducing service capacity in already underserved areas.While digital health startups and private-sector partnerships have made progress in urban centres such as Lagos and Abuja, their reach remains limited in rural and conflict-affected regions due to infrastructure deficits and high inflation.

This uneven distribution of innovation has widened disparities in healthcare access.Analysts describe Nigeria’s current situation as a convergence of multiple crises. Joachim MacEbong, a senior analyst at Control Risks in Lagos, said the country faces overlapping economic, security, and human development challenges that reinforce one another.

He noted that these interconnected pressures are contributing to deteriorating health outcomes and weakening institutional response capacity.Humanitarian organisations have begun planning for the annual lean season, typically spanning June to September, when food stocks decline and malnutrition rates tend to rise.

The period is expected to place additional stress on already constrained health and nutrition services.Policy interventions have been introduced, though their impact remains uncertain.

In 2025, the Nigerian government partnered with the World Bank to implement the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria project, aimed at delivering basic nutrition services to vulnerable households.

A second phase of the programme is currently under way, but experts say broader structural reforms are required to improve food affordability and strengthen social protection systems.Supply chain inefficiencies continue to limit access to essential medicines and equipment.

Peter Bunor Jr, co-founder and head of growth at Field Intelligence, a health technology company focused on pharmaceutical logistics in Africa, said disruptions in global and domestic supply chains are contributing to shortages at the point of care.

Patients often travel long distances only to find that prescribed drugs are unavailable or replaced with alternatives, frequently at higher cost.Bunor said the impact of these shortages is amplified during a hunger crisis, as malnourished individuals are more susceptible to infections and require timely medical intervention.

He emphasised the need for better data integration and forecasting to prevent stockouts.In 2018, Field Intelligence launched the Nigeria Health Logistics Management Information System, a platform designed to track pharmaceutical supply data across public health programmes.

The system, now managed by the federal health ministry, has been expanded with support from UNICEF, and stakeholders are encouraging wider adoption among health agencies to improve coordination and anticipate shortages.Funding constraints remain a central concern.

Nigeria allocated approximately 5.2% of its 47.9 trillion naira national budget to the health sector, well below the 15% target set under the Abuja Declaration by African Union member states. Per capita health spending remains among the lowest on the continent.

In February, Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate disclosed that of the 218 billion naira allocated for operations and capital projects under the ministry, only 36 million naira had been released. The figure, representing a small fraction of the approved budget, has raised concerns about implementation capacity and fiscal prioritisation.

MacEbong said the funding gap illustrates broader structural challenges in public finance management, noting that limited budget execution undermines service delivery even where allocations exist. He added that the scale of the crisis requires sustained government attention, particularly in sectors directly linked to human capital development.

Aid organisations continue to call for increased domestic investment in health and nutrition, alongside improved coordination with international partners.

As conditions in northern Nigeria worsen, frontline health workers face mounting pressure to manage a growing caseload with limited resources, highlighting systemic vulnerabilities in one of Africa’s largest economies.

Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, the theatre commander of Operation Hadin Kai, disclosed that foreign mercenaries, including those from Pakistan, are contributing to a dangerous shift in the operational capabilities of terror groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Speaking during a media tour in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, Abubakar warned that these foreign actors are arming and training local terrorist factions, resulting in more sophisticated and deadly attacks on Nigerian forces.

“The infiltration of foreign mercenaries in the joint operations area has significantly escalated the threat posed by terrorist groups like ISWAP and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS),” Abubakar told reporters, as quoted by The Cable.

According to military sources, the four Pakistani nationals were detained over suspected links to terrorism and arms smuggling. Their arrests underscore the growing international dimension of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism challenge.

“These individuals were allegedly involved in supplying arms to terrorist groups,” Abubakar revealed, warning that this external support is enabling jihadist groups to adapt modern battlefield tactics.

Among the enhanced tactics observed are the use of drones for surveillance and attacks, production of advanced improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and the laying of strategic ambushes designed to inflict maximum casualties on troops.

Abubakar noted that beyond providing weaponry, the foreign mercenaries are delivering both strategic and tactical training, allowing insurgents to conduct more coordinated and lethal operations. “The growing influence of these mercenaries is evident in the terrorists’ increased sophistication, leading to higher troop casualties and significant equipment losses,” he stated.

He further warned that Nigeria’s fight is no longer against local insurgents alone but against a transnational terror network that is receiving material and strategic support from external actors.

The commander emphasized the urgency of a coordinated regional response, calling for enhanced intelligence-sharing, surveillance, and tighter cross-border security cooperation with neighboring countries.

“Boko Haram and ISWAP are not just fighting our armed forces; they are waging war against Nigeria itself,” Abubakar asserted.

Northern Nigeria has been plagued by insurgency for over a decade, but the involvement of foreign mercenaries—particularly from regions like Pakistan—marks a disturbing evolution in the conflict, demanding swift and unified international action.

The attack happened at about 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) on Monday, at Gurokayeya village, Gaidam local government in Yobe State, the state’s police spokesperson Abdulkarim Dungus said.

He said gunmen opened fire on villagers, killing at least 17 people and that on Tuesday a land mine exploded, killing at least 20 villagers who were returning from burying victims of the previous attack.

The Islamist group has been killing and abducting villagers in Borno state, a hotbed for militancy that has been the epicentre of a 14-year war on insurgency in Nigeria.

President Bola Tinubu and his cabinet on Monday approved $2.8 billion supplementary budget to fund “urgent issues” including defence and security.

Tinubu, preoccupied with the economy, has yet to disclose how he would tackle insurgency in the north and widespread insecurity in other parts of the country.

The Yobe community had been at peace for over a year before this attack, residents said. The last time a bomb exploded in Yobe state was in April 2022.

Lawan Ahmed, a resident, told Reuters the militants shot at villagers sporadically from motorbikes, killing about 18 people on Monday.

Ahmed added that the same insurgents on Tuesday attempted to eliminate those who had gone to the burial on Monday, killing more than 20 people.

Since establishing formal diplomatic relations in 1961, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have maintained a fruitful mechanism of bilateral consultations and coordination. Ambassador Lawal noted that over the past six decades, the bilateral cooperation, which initially focused on Hajj-related matters, has diversified to encompass several mutually beneficial areas. He highlighted the contributions of Nigerian professionals and compatriots, including talented football players, in various fields, further strengthening the relations between the two brotherly nations.

Ambassador Lawal also mentioned the ongoing negotiations of more than a dozen agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) within the framework of the Nigeria-Saudi Joint Commission. He expressed optimism that the finalization and implementation of these agreements would unlock the immense potential in the relationship and elevate the cooperation to a strategic level.

Both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are active members of various international organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+), the International Energy Forum, the G77, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Islamic Development Bank, the Digital Cooperation Organization, and the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition. The two nations effectively utilize these platforms for close interaction and coordination, sharing similar aspirations for a stable oil market and promoting South-South cooperation for trade, investment, and sustainable economic development.

In alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Nigeria is also diversifying its economy away from oil dependence. The Nigerian ambassador highlighted the country’s focus on agriculture, mining, the digital economy, and tourism to promote sustainable development. Nigeria has implemented various programs and policies, including the National Digital Economic Policy and Strategy, the establishment of Special Agro Industrial Processing Zones, the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Programme, and the Petroleum Industry Act, aimed at transforming and opening up the oil and gas sector. The country has also introduced incentives to attract domestic and foreign investments, such as tax holidays, easy company registration, pioneer status incentives, and access to credit facilities.

Ambassador Lawal expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for sending a ministerial delegation to Abuja to participate in the investiture ceremony of Nigeria’s new cabinet. Fruitful bilateral talks were held between the delegation and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, reaffirming Nigeria’s support for Saudi Arabia to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh. The ambassador also appreciated Saudi Arabia’s peace efforts in Sudan, annual scholarship awards to Nigerian students, and humanitarian interventions through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.

Furthermore, Ambassador Lawal commended Saudi Arabia for its initiative to host the Saudi-Africa and Arab-Africa summits in Riyadh. He expressed hope that these historic forums would lay the foundation for a new era of partnership between the Kingdom and Africa, particularly with the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. The AfCFTA is projected to significantly boost Africa’s income and intra-African exports, fostering economic growth and cooperation across the continent.

The event in Riyadh was attended by Riyadh Deputy Governor Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, highlighting the significance and support extended by Saudi Arabian authorities to strengthen the bilateral relationship.

Tinubu has embarked on the country’s boldest reforms in decades, which have been welcomed by investors. However, reforms have brought additional hardship to Nigerians already dealing with a cost of living crisis.

The country’s main unions plan to go on strike next week and an stage an indefinite shutdown later this month.

“The focus of the summit will be heavily predicated on the urgent need to attract foreign direct investment … and to ensure that we are able to mobilize private capital from around the world toward the development of Nigeria’s public infrastructure,” Tinubu’s spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale said in a statement.

The summit in India will hold on Sept 9 and 10.

Nigeria wants to encourage investments rather than rely on borrowing to create jobs, its finance minister said on Monday, as the new government tries to revive the West African nation.

Tinubu inherited a struggling economy with record debt, shortages of foreign exchange and fuel, a weak naira currency, inflation at a near two-decade high, skeletal power supplies and falling oil production due to crude theft and underinvestment.

Ngelale said Tinubu will meet leaders from Brazil, India, South Korea and Germany on the sidelines of the G20.

Tinubu also plans to meet Indian executives, including Jindal Steel and Power Company, among others, Ngelale said.

Airtel’s Africa (AAF.L), owned by India’s Bharti Airtel (BRTI.NS), is Nigeria’s third-biggest listed firm.

Tinubu has called for more U.S. investment in his country after accepting an invitation by U.S. President Joe Biden to meet later this month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Nigeria, with a population of more than 200 million people, has installed power generation capacity of 12,500 megawatts (MW) but produces a fraction of that, leaving millions of households and businesses reliant on petrol and diesel generators.

Mini grids, made up of small-scale electricity generating units, typically range in a size from a few kilowatts to up to 10 MW, enough to power some 200 households.

Speaking during a visit to a mini grid site on the outskirts of the capital Abuja, Banga told reporters that nearly 150 mini grids had been built, partly funded by the World Bank, to bring power to communities without access to electricity.

“We are putting another 300 in, but our ambition with the government is to go all the way to 1,000. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars that are being invested,” said Banga, without giving a timeline.

“Now the idea is not for the World Bank to be the only person putting the money. We put part of the money like a subsidy.”

World Bank data shows that in sub-Saharan Africa, 568 million people still lack access to electricity. Globally, nearly 8 out of 10 people without electricity live in Africa.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has pumped 27.34 million barrels per day (bpd) this month, the survey found, down 840,000 bpd from June. That’s the lowest since September 2021 according to Reuters surveys.

Saudi Arabia pledged to cut output by 1 million bpd in July as part of OPEC+’s deal in June which limits supply into 2024. Oil has begun to rally in response, with Brent crude trading above $85 a barrel, up from near $71 in late June.

The Saudi move, which Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman called a “Saudi lollipop,” came on to top of earlier voluntary cuts that Riyadh and several other members of OPEC+ had announced, and added to reductions made under a late 2022 OPEC+ agreement.

Increases in Angola and Iraq due to higher exports limited the decline in OPEC output in July, the survey found.

OPEC’s output is still undershooting the targeted amount by almost 1 million bpd partly because Nigeria and Angola lack the capacity to pump as much as their agreed level.

Saudi Arabia lowered output by 860,000 bpd month-on-month, the survey found. Figures from Kpler show crude exports down over 600,000 bpd month-on-month, although another tanker tracker found a smaller export decline.

The second-biggest decline was in Nigeria where Shell suspended loadings of Forcados crude due to a potential leak at the export terminal. Libyan output edged lower due to a brief stoppage at some fields due to a protest.

The Reuters survey aims to track supply to the market. It is based on shipping data provided by external sources, Refinitiv Eikon flows data, information from companies that track flows such as Petro-Logistics and Kpler, and information provided by sources at oil companies, OPEC and consultants.

Abuja (Reuters) – Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday suspended the head of the economic and financial crimes unit Abdulrasheed Bawa indefinitely for abuse of office, the presidency said in a statement.

The move came a week after the president suspended the country’s central bank governor Godwin Emefiele.

A spokesman for the economic and financial crimes unit (EFCC) did not immediately respond to calls for comment.

Created 20 years ago, the EFCC investigates and prosecutes financial crimes, including money laundering and corruption.

Bawa, the fifth chairman of EFCC, was appointed two years ago after the Senate refused to approve the reappointment of his predecessor who acted for four years.