MUHAMMADU BUHARI

Nigeria’s opposition has filed a petition in court against the ruling party’s victory in the West African nation’s presidential election.

Nigeria’s opposition has renewed calls for the election result to be overturned a day after the country announced its new president-elect.

Tinubu, 70, struck a unified tone while speaking to the nation for the first time after his victory in Saturday's election. He now faces a nation hungry for change and skeptical, that Tinubu is the person to ignite it. Tinubu received 37% of the votes, or nearly 8.8 million, while main opposition candidate Abubakar won 29% with almost 7 million. Tinubu has promised to pursue his agenda investing in infrastructure, agriculture, social welfare and security, with diligence and energy, he said. Nigerian politicians have a history of overpromising during campaigns and under-delivering when in power, Nigeria experts say.

The newly elected president of Nigeria is the first person chosen to lead the country with less than 50% of the vote.

Nigeria's ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of Nigeria's presidential election on Wednesday.

People are still voting across Nigeria, one day after Africa’s most populous nation went to the polls to vote for presidential and parliamentary elections

More people in Nigeria have cast ballots even though voting in the country's presidential and parliamentary elections had been supposed to end on Saturday.

People are still lined up hours after voting was supposed to close in Nigeria during the country’s presidential and parliamentary election which opened with large delays.

Third-party candidate Peter Obi is looking to upset contenders from Nigeria’s two main political parties: Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar.

ABUJA, Nigeria — (AP) — Officials rushed to prepare polling stations Friday, on the eve of Nigeria’s crucial election, amid new concerns of vote buying after police said one lawmaker was arrested with nearly $500,000 in cash and a distribution list. The last-minute developments came as Nigerians prepare to cast ballots Saturday in both parliamentary and presidential elections. The vote is being carefully watched as Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and one of the continent’s top oil producers. “Vote buying remains a major threat to our democracy,” Mahmood Yakubu, the head of Nigeria’s election commission, told reporters Thursday. The use of mobile phones is prohibited at Nigeria’s voting stations, Yakubu said.

The continent's largest democracy and biggest economy holds a presidential election Saturday that's come down to a race of three leading candidates.

Authorities say a Nigerian federal lawmaker has been arrested after being caught illegally carrying nearly $500,000 in cash a day before the West African’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

Nigerians head to the polls for a presidential election that sees for the first time a wild-card third party candidate, Peter Obi, and no military front-runners.

Nigeria’s top election official has dismissed concerns that the country’s cash shortage could affect Saturday’s presidential vote.

Saturday’s election in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has sparked unprecedented interest among young people tired of being ruled by an old guard who’ve done little to improve their living standards or chances of getting a job. That has given a fringe-party candidate, running against two long-familiar politicians in their 70s, a real shot at the presidency for the first time. All three have promised to right the ship, but it won’t be easy. President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years in powe

Here are things to know about the cash crisis in Africa’s largest economy and how it could affect the election:WHY IS THERE A CASH SHORTAGE IN NIGERIA? Policymakers also said it was supposed to limit the use of cash to buy votes, a common trend in Nigeria's elections. Buhari, the president, has directed that the 200 naira notes can be used until April 10, but they have always been scarce and rarely used. His order appears to have contradicted a supreme court directive that the old currency notes should remain in use pending its final decision. HOW IS THE CASH SHORTAGE WORSENING NIGERIA'S PROBLEMS?

Voters in Nigeria are electing a new leader Saturday, with 18 candidates vying to lead a country facing a series of struggles — the newest and most pressing being a shortage of cash.

ABUJA, Nigeria — (AP) — Frustrated by high unemployment and worsening violence, many younger Nigerians are flocking to a candidate outside the political mainstream in this month’s presidential election. Nigeria’s election commission extended the deadline to collect the cards by two weeks in response. “Either we get things right now in Nigeria, or never,” said Kingsley Chima, 26, as the first-time voter waited to collect his voting card from Nigeria’s election commission. In 2019, only 34% of registered voters cast their ballot in the presidential vote. Last year, the 26-year-old was keen to join other young Nigerians leave the country at a level unseen in recent years.

As Nigeria prepares for its presidential election this weekend, younger voters are mobilizing in record numbers to take part

As Nigeria prepares for its presidential election this weekend, younger voters are mobilizing in record numbers to take part.

Claims about poverty, unemployment and insecurity feature prominently in this election campaign.

The leading contenders in Nigeria’s presidential election have made their last push for support as the campaign period nears its end.

A changeover to redesigned currency has plunged Africa's largest economy into crisis just ahead of a presidential election: There aren't enough new banknotes in a country reliant on cash. “We were told to drop the old currency (notes) in the bank and that new one is coming," she said. Businesses unable carry out transactions have been forced to close, and people are illegally selling new currency notes at higher rates. As people become more desperate for cash, the impact is likely to spill into the Feb. 25 presidential election. Nasir Yusuf closed his shop for the day, devoting his time to trying to withdraw cash he needed.

Like many people in Nigeria, Godgift Inemesit’s savings are trapped in a bank.

Nigerians have been unable to access cash in recent weeks after the country's central bank started switching out currency notes of higher denominations of 1,000 naira ($2.16), 500 naira ($1.08), 200 naira (43 U.S. cents) with redesigned ones. But a limited supply of new notes in banks has resulted in pain instead for many who deposited their old currency ahead of a Feb. 10 deadline but are now unable to withdraw cash to use. The limited supply has forced people to wait in line at banks all day and night to try to withdraw cash only enough to last them a day. “Unscrupulous officials in the banking industry” sabotaging the court-contested monetary policy by hoarding new currency notes must be prosecuted, said Buhari, who extended the use of the old 200 naira note until April 10. “I am deeply pained and sincerely sympathize with you all over these unintended outcomes.”Copyright 2023 The Associated Press.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says the country’s redesigned currency would bolster the upcoming presidential election.

Nigeria’s government stands accused of causing economic chaos with a botched plan to tackle the country’s vast informal economy. The idea was to bring cash circulating under the radar into the regular banking system by compelling citizens to swap their old money for newly designed naira bills. But banks ran out of the new notes before all the old ones had been handed in, frustrating citizens and disrupting businesses just as Africa’s most populous nation was gearing up for a presidential electio

Nigerian authorities directed all universities to shut down for almost three weeks as the large African nation elects a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Nigerians are gearing up to choose a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, whose eight years in power have been blighted by economic decay, soaring unemployment, heightened insecurity and an exodus of the educated elite. The Feb. 25 vote in Africa’s most populous nation pits long-familiar politicians in their 70s against a challenger from a fringe opposition party who held a hefty lead in early polls. The election has sparked unprecedented interest among young Nigerians tired of being ruled b

Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy but growth has been stalled for many years because of poor infrastructure and mismanagement. “There is poor and underinvested rail network connectivity, and the roads are not in top-notch condition," said Ayotunde Abiodun, an economic analyst with the Lagos-based SBM Intelligence firm. The project would drive economic development not just for Lagos but for the entire country, according to Cui Jianchun, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria. “This is (the) engine of the economy not only for (the) governor of Lagos but also for the Federal Republic of Nigeria," Jianchun said. “A more troubling challenge has been the focus of these agencies on revenue generation rather than on value service delivery.

Nigeria's president has marked the opening of a $1.5 billion, Chinese-funded deep seaport in the commercial hub of Lagos that authorities hope will help grow the West African nation’s ailing economy.

ABUJA, Nigeria — (AP) — Four security officials were killed in a car bomb targeting a former government official in southeast Nigeria, authorities said Tuesday. Three police officers and a paramilitary official were killed in the attack in Imo State on a convoy carrying the former governor Ikedi Ohakim, Police Commissioner Mohammed Barde said. The four security personnel were killed in a different car, he said. The attack was an unfortunate setback to government efforts to restore peace in some of Nigeria’s conflict-ridden southeastern states, said Barde. The violence comes months after an ambush on a lawmaker in the southeastern Anambra State which killed four police officers in September.

Police in Nigeria say that gunmen ambushed a former governor in the country’s southeastern Imo state and bombed one of the cars in his convoy, killing three police officers and one paramilitary officer

Nigerians have until the end of January to exchange their highest-value banknotes for freshly-issued bills. The aim is to bring an estimated 2.7 trillion naira ($6 billion) that circulates in informal channels into the regular banking system. But cash is the lifeblood of Africa’s biggest economy and there’s concern that the switchover could trigger the kind of chaos that broke out when India tried something similar in 2016.

Experts raised concerns over a new policy announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria that heavily limits withdrawals of money in a push for a cashless economy.

In a story published November 23, 2022, about new Nigerian currency notes, The Associated Press erroneously reported that 200 Nigerian naira amount to 5 U.S. cents.

More than 1.3 million people have been displaced and over 82,000 houses have been destroyed, officials said.

ABUJA, Nigeria — (AP) — The death toll from floods in Nigeria this year has increased to 603 as local authorities race to get relief items to hundreds of thousands being evacuated from their submerged homes. More than 1.3 million people have been displaced by the disaster, which has affected people across 33 of Nigeria's 36 states, the nation's humanitarian affairs ministry said late Sunday. Nigeria experiences annual flooding especially in coastal areas but this year’s floods are the worst in more than a decade. Sadiya Umar Farouq, Nigeria’s minister of humanitarian affairs, warned that five states are still at risk of experiencing floods up till the end of November. Last week, President Buhari approved 12,000 metric tons of grains for the flood victims, the humanitarian affairs minister said.

Officials in Nigeria say the death toll from this year’s flooding has now risen to 603

Officials in Nigeria say the death toll from this year's flooding has risen to 603.

Officials in southeastern Nigeria say that 76 people including many women and children are missing after a boat capsized in the region

Officials in southeastern Nigeria say that 76 people including many women and children are missing after a boat capsized in the region.

An emergency management official said the water level in the Niger River was "very high and too risky for a smooth search and rescue operation."

The record 20.5 trillion naira ($47.3 billion) proposed expenditure “reflects the serious challenges” faced by Nigeria and contains “key reforms necessary to address them,” Buhari told lawmakers when presenting the budget in the capital city of Abuja on Friday. The budget expected to be approved and take effect in January 2023 is 19% higher than this year’s government expenditure and is also Nigeria's highest ever, prioritizing fiscal sustainability, economic growth and security. With projected economic growth of 3.7% and 16.87 trillion naira ($38.9 billion) in expected federal government revenue in 2023, Buhari said Nigeria is aiming to achieve “higher, more inclusive, diversified and sustainable growth” with the proposed budget. External borrowings to the tune of 8.8 trillion naira ($20.3 billion) would fund the budget deficit, Buhari said, amid concerns over the country’s high public debt of 41 trillion naira ($96.7 billion) as of March. The country has also missed out on rising oil prices with limited crude production blamed on oil theft.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is making a big bet to revive the West African nation’s economy and end its security woes with a record 20.5 trillion naira ($47.3 billion) proposed expenditure plan presented lawmakers in the capital city of Abuja on Friday

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is making a big bet to revive the West African nation’s economy and end its security woes with a record 20.5 trillion naira ($47.3 billion) proposed expenditure plan presented lawmakers in the capital city of Abuja on Friday.

ABUJA, Nigeria — (AP) — Nigerians celebrated the 62nd anniversary of their independence Saturday with the country's leader acknowledging the economic and security hardships citizens are facing as they prepare to vote for a new president in four months. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari rode a wave of goodwill to power in 2015 after promising to overcome the obstacles stifling the country's progress despite being Africa's most populous nation and largest economy. “I share the pains Nigerians are going through and I assure you that your resilience and patience would not be in vain,” Buhari said. “The Nigerian government worries more about people with placards than it worries about people with weapons,” Ayo Sogunro, a Nigerian human rights lawyer said of the heavy security presence. Campaigning for the highly anticipated presidential election began this week, with 18 candidates vying for the country's top political job.

Nigerians are celebrating the 62nd anniversary of their independence as presidential candidates wrangle for votes ahead of the country's general elections in February next year.

All 18 candidates in Nigeria's 2023 Presidential election have signed an accord committing to a peaceful election, as violence usually accompanies elections in Nigeria.

Presidential candidates in Nigeria have signed an accord committing to a peaceful campaign for the 2023 election

Cameroonian Foreign Affairs Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella says it’s more urgent than ever to finalize the rules for implementing the Paris climate agreement.

UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — In speech after speech, world leaders dwelled on the topic consuming this year’s U.N. General Assembly meeting: Russia’s war in Ukraine. He, too, was quick to bring up the biggest military confrontation in Europe since World War II. But comments such as Buhari’s quietly spoke to a certain unease, sometimes bordering on frustration, about the international community’s absorption in Ukraine. President Andrzej Duda of Poland — on Ukraine's doorstep — stressed in his speech that “we mustn’t show any ‘war fatigue’” regarding the conflict. To be sure, most leaders made time for issues beyond Ukraine in their allotted, if not always enforced, 15 minutes at the mic.

In speech after speech, world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly are spotlighting Russia’s war in Ukraine

In speech after speech, world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly are spotlighting Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Nigerian authorities say gunmen have killed 14 people in attacks targeting two communities in the country’s northern region

Nigeria’s president says the 18 candidates vying to become his successor will run in a “free and fair” election next year

The Latest on the U.N. General Assembly (all times local):10:15 a.m.Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says developing countries are “literally paying the price” when it comes to climate change. “Africa and other developing nations produce only a small proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, compared to industrial economies. Yet we are the hardest hit by the consequences of climate change as we see in the sustained droughts in Somalia and floods of unprecedented severity in Pakistan,” he told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday. “These and other climate-related occurrences are now sadly becoming widely commonplace in the developing world. We are, in effect, literally paying the price for policies that others pursue.

A Nigerian official says that nearly 900 inmates escaped in a jailbreak in Abuja, the capital.

Four Chinese nationals were among people kidnapped on Wednesday in an attack in northcentral Nigeria that left “many security personnel” dead, authorities said on Thursday

Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda’s capital to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A former governor of Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, has been nominated to be the ruling party’s presidential candidate in next year’s presidential election

A former governor of Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, has been nominated to be the ruling party’s presidential candidate in next year’s presidential election.

Dozens of people were feared killed and scores injured in the attack in southwestern Ondo State, where religious violence is rare. Most violence in Nigeria has taken place in the northeast, where Boko Haram has waged an Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, regularly attacking churches and kidnapping schoolchildren. Security was visibly tighter across Ondo State on Monday, witnesses told The Washington Post. While he doubted Boko Haram was responsible, he said it was worrying that other groups may be trying to use the same tactics to terrorize the country’s Christian community. “In saying this is not Boko Haram, we can’t say this does not have a religious connotation.”Wroughton reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

Lawmakers in southwestern Nigeria say more than 50 people are feared dead after gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives at a church.

Lawmakers in southwestern Nigeria say more than 50 people are feared dead after gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives at a church.

ABUJA, Nigeria — (AP) — Gunmen have kidnapped the prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, police said Monday, in an incident that once again mirrors the troubling security challenges in the West African nation. His Eminence Samuel Kanu Uche was kidnapped Sunday along a highway in the Umunneochi area in Nigeria's southeastern Abia state, police spokesperson Geoffrey Ogbonna told The Associated Press. Nigeria’s southeast has in recent years grappled with violent attacks and abductions often blamed on unknown gunmen. Authorities have accused members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a leading separatist group, of being behind many of the attacks. Other political and religious leaders have also called for the release of the prelate and many others in captivity in Nigeria, where abductions for ransoms have been a worrying trend.

The head of the Methodist Church Nigeria has been abducted in southeast Nigeria, a region which has grappled with violent attacks and abductions in recent years, the police told The AP on Monday

Nigeria’s financial crimes agency has arrested the country’s accountant-general, accusing him of diverting government funds worth $192.4 million

Aid agencies are warning that acute malnutrition is on the rise in northeast Nigeria.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has lauded Nigerian authorities' efforts to reintegrate repentant Boko Haram militants, saying the initiative is “the best thing we can do for peace.”.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — (AP) — Dozens of passengers kidnapped five weeks ago from a train near Nigeria's capital are being used as human shields by their abductors, President Muhammadu Buhari said. The kidnappers “are using civilians as human shields, thereby making it difficult to confront them directly,” Buhari said in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Monday. “They don’t care about killing their hostages if they come under attack.”The Nigerian president described the situation as a “delicate” one that requires wisdom and patience. Those armed groups are now working with the jihadi extremists who have been waging a 10-year insurgency in the country's northeast, according to the Nigerian military. More than 4,000 people were killed in Nigeria's armed violence last year, according to data from the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations which collates incidents reported by Nigeria’s media.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says dozens of people abducted from a passenger train near the nation’s capital in March are being used as “human shields” by their captors

The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will head to West Africa on Saturday to join Muslims marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan and to highlight the impact of the Ukraine war on the African continent

Nigeria’s Senate has passed a bill amending the country’s Terrorism Prevention Act to bar the ransom payments. When the bill passed on Wednesday becomes a law, it can “turn around not only the security situation in Nigeria but even the economic fortunes of our country,” said Nigeria Senate President Ahmad Lawan. However, activists say the proposed law does not address “the root cause” of Nigeria’s security problems and endangers the lives of those kidnapped. The bill also creates “more opportunities for further violations of people’s rights,” Osai Ojigho, Nigeria director of Amnesty International told AP. She identified the “lack of resources” for security forces to investigate and prosecute crimes as a big challenge in Nigeria’s quest for peace.

Nigerian lawmakers have passed legislation to bar the payment of kidnap ransoms at a time when the West African nation is struggling to stem the rise of armed violence and kidnaps for ransom in its troubled northwest and central regions

Nigerian lawmakers have passed legislation to bar the payment of kidnap ransoms at a time when the West African nation is struggling to stem the rise of armed violence and kidnaps for ransom in its troubled northwest and central regions.

Remains of more than 100 workers and traders who died after an illegal refinery exploded in southeast Nigeria were buried on Tuesday in an official ceremony after an incident that shocked the region

Nigeria Oil Explosion People gather Saturday April 23, 2022 at the site of an explosion that took place the day before at an illegal oil refinery in Ohaji-Egbema local government area in Imo state, southeast Nigeria. Although Nigeria is Africa’s largest producer of crude oil, for many years its oil production capacity has been limited by a chronic challenge of oil storage and the operation of illegal refineries. As many as 30 illegal oil refineries were busted in the Niger Delta region in just two weeks, Nigeria’s Defense Department said earlier this month when it announced a task force to curb crude oil theft. The problem of illegal refineries “has never been this bad” and remains “difficult to end,” said Opiah, the Imo petroleum commissioner. I am sure more illegal refineries will be cropping up in other places.”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

A Nigerian oil official says as many as 100 people may have died in an explosion at an illegal oil refinery in southeastern Nigeria.

A prolonged fuel shortage in Nigeria, Africa’s top crude oil producer, has provoked growing frustration and many citizens are demanding government action.

The Biden administration’s competition with China for influence hasn't gotten off to a great start in Africa.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Africa next week as the Biden administration intensifies diplomatic efforts to resolve crises in Ethiopia and Sudan and seeks to boost counterterrorism cooperation.

Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s Nobel-winning author, sees his country’s many problems — misgoverning politicians, systemic corruption, violent extremists, and kidnapping bandits — yet he does not despair.

Joshua Samuel painfully recalls the day, one year ago, that Nigerian soldiers opened fire in Lagos while he and thousands of others were protesting police brutality.

Nuclear disarmament might seem like a must-discuss topic in world leaders' annual speeches at the U.N. General Assembly, which has espoused that cause since its founding.

Nigerian police say gunmen have abducted nine students on their way home from an Islamic school in the country’s northwest, two days after a mass school abduction took place in a neighboring state.

Armed kidnappers in Nigeria have released 28 of the more than 120 students who were abducted at the beginning of July from the Bethel Baptist High School in the northern town of Damishi.

Authorities say a Nigerian leading the movement for the secession of southeast Nigeria from the rest of the country has been arrested.

Millions of Nigerians were unable to access Twitter after the government enforced an indefinite suspension of the microblogging platform’s operations in Nigeria.

Nigeria's government says it's suspending Twitter indefinitely after the platform deleted a tweet made by President Muhammadu Buhari and called it abusive.

West African leaders have suspended Mali from their regional bloc over what they say amounted to a coup last week.

President Joe Biden has wrapped up his two-day climate summit, saying the climate crisis has created an opportunity to remake the global economy and produce millions of jobs in clean energy and technology.

Families in Nigeria waited anxiously on Sunday for news of their abducted daughters, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of school students in the West African nation. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Mansur)JANGEBE – Families in Nigeria waited anxiously for news of their abducted daughters after more than 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped by gunmen from a government school in the country's north last week, the latest in a series of mass school kidnappings in the West African nation. Police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the girls, said Mohammed Shehu, a police spokesman in Zamfara state. In December, more than 300 schoolboys from a secondary school in Kankara, in northwestern Nigeria, were taken and later released. The government says large groups of armed men in Zamfara state are known to kidnap for money and to press for the release of their members held in jail.

(AP Photo)LAGOS – Students, teachers and relatives abducted two weeks ago from a school in northern Nigeria have been freed. The students, teachers and family members were abducted Feb. 17 by gunmen from the Government Science College Kagara. Their release was announced a day after police said gunmen had abducted 317 girls from a boarding school elsewhere in northern Nigeria, in Zamfara state. “We will not succumb to blackmail by bandits and criminals who target innocent school students in the expectation of huge ransom payments,” he said. In December, 344 students were abducted from the Government Science Secondary School Kankara in Katsina State.

One of the students who was not kidnapped from a Government Girls Junior Secondary School following an attack by gunmen in Jangebe, Nigeria, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation. “We will not succumb to blackmail by bandits and criminals who target innocent school students in the expectation of huge ransom payments,” he said. AdFriday’s attack came less than two weeks after gunmen abducted 42 people, including 27 students, from the Government Science College Kagara in Niger State. In December, 344 students were abducted from the Government Science Secondary School Kankara in Katsina State.

It takes about 12 weeks to install a hospital oxygen plant and even less time to convert industrial oxygen manufacturing systems into a medical-grade network. AdIn Brazil’s Amazonas state, a pair of swindlers were caught reselling fire extinguishers painted to look like medical oxygen tanks. Only then did President Muhammadu Buhari release $17 million to set up 38 more oxygen plants and another $670,000 to repair plants at five hospitals. AdLeith Greenslade of the Every Breath Counts Coalition, which advocates for wider access to medical oxygen, said the looming shortages were apparent last spring. The main provider of medical oxygen to Brazil’s Amazonas state, White Martins, operated at half capacity before the pandemic.

Usman Garuba, one of the freed boys, described the horror of their six days walking through the forest and being beaten. Boko Haram, Nigeria's jihadist rebels, claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but the government later said the abduction was carried out by bandit groups rampant in the northwest. Nigeria’s military and police forces, with the backing of local self-defense groups, are outgunned, outnumbered, underfunded and underpaid, he said. More than 800 security forces were killed in 2019, one of the deadliest years since Boko Haram’s establishment more than 10 years ago. It is really disturbing.”___AP journalists Lekan Oyekanmi in Katsina, Nigeria, and Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed.

Usman Mohammad Rabiu, a 13 year old student of Government Science Secondary School Kankara, his mother Asmau Hassan, and his siblings at their family house in Ketare, Nigeria, speaks to the Associated Press, Saturday Dec. 19, 2020. Nigeria's freed schoolboys have reunited with their joyful parents after being held captive for nearly a week by gunmen allied with jihadist rebels in the country's northwest. Relieved parents hugged their sons tightly on Saturday in Kankara, where more than 340 boys were abducted from the Government Science Secondary school on the night of Dec. 11. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)KANKARA – Nigeria's freed schoolboys have reunited with their joyful parents after being held captive for nearly a week by gunmen allied with jihadist rebels in the country’s northwest. “Fear gripped me when they said if they ever see us in school again, that they will kill us,” said freed Kankara student, Usman Mohammad Rabiu.

The school boy who escaped says the students were kidnapped by young, armed men in military uniform. The attack, claimed by Boko Haram, Nigeria's jihadist rebels, has prompted an outcry in the West African nation against the government for not doing enough to stop attacks on schools in the north. Boko Haram kidnapped the schoolboys because it believes Western education is un-Islamic, the rebels’ leader Abubakar Shekau said in a video claiming responsibility for the attack, according to SITE Intelligence Group. For more than 10 years, Boko Haram has engaged in a bloody campaign to introduce strict Islamic rule in Nigeria's north. In April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from a government boarding school in Chibok in northeastern Borno State.

Anxiety has overwhelmed many parents in Nigeria’s northern Kankara village who await word on their sons who are among the more than 330 kidnapped by extremists from a government boys’ school last week. Nigeria’s Boko Haram jihadist rebels have claimed responsibility for the abduction of the students from the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara. Across Nigeria, people are closely following the fate of the kidnapped boys and many criticize the government for the continuing extremist violence. For more than 10 years, Boko Haram has engaged in a bloody campaign to introduce strict Islamic rule. In February 2014, 59 boys were killed when Boko Haram attacked the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi in Yobe State.