News
Nigeria: EU allocates €1 million to fight diphtheria outbreak
Nigeria: EU allocates €1 million to fight diphtheria outbreak
By: Michael Mike
The European Union (EU) has released €1,000,000 (about N847 million) in humanitarian funding to fight the spread of diphtheria disease and assist the most affected communities.
According to a statement on Tuesday, this latest funding is in addition to €150,000 which the EU allocated to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in March 2023 in an effort to help control the epidemic.
The statement said this new EU funding will enable UNICEF and the medical NGO ALIMA to contribute to the response by providing technical and staff support to frontline health agencies to enhance surveillance and case detection, treatment of cases, community awareness raising, and to assist with the procurement of vaccines.
Nigeria is currently facing the world’s second largest diphtheria outbreak with 10,322 confirmed and 16,616 suspected cases since the beginning of the year. Kano State in the Northwest represents the outbreak’s epicentre with 8,447 confirmed cases and 589 deaths. The most affected states are Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, and Kaduna which collectively account for 96% of all suspected cases.
Despite control efforts since the start of the outbreak in late 2022, the disease has gradually spread to other states in the Northwest and Northeast. Children aged 1 to 14 years represent 72% of all confirmed cases. Analysis of the vaccination status reveals that over 60% of all suspected cases have not been vaccinated.
According to the statement, this funding is part of the EU’s Epidemics tool, created to provide rapid funding in case of a disease outbreak. Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection transmitted between humans. It causes an infection of the upper respiratory tract, which can lead to breathing difficulties and suffocation. Those most at risk are children and people who have not been fully vaccinated against the disease.
The European Union, together with its Member States, is the leading donor of humanitarian aid in the world. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent, and alleviate human suffering and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.
The European Union through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. Through its headquarters in Brussels and its global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people based on humanitarian need alone.
Nigeria: EU allocates €1 million to fight diphtheria outbreak
Troops rescue 31 kidnapped passengers in Kogi, search ongoing for others
By; Zagazola Makama
The Nigerian Army troops in collaboration with police and local hunters rescued 31 kidnapped passengers along the Apata-Obajana road on Thursday night.
Zagazola Makama informed reliably that the incident occurred on May8, at about 11:50 p.m. when two Toyota Hiace buses travelling from Lagos to Kano and Katsina respectively were attacked by armed hoodlums.
The first bus with registration number DTF 773 XA driven by Saminu Yahaya was heading to Kano with 17 passengers, while the second, with registration number KNA 170 XA, driven by Bashir Dahiru, was en route to Katsina with another 17 passengers.
A distress alert was received from a local hunter, prompting a swift response by the troops who engaged the assailants in a fierce gun duel, which forced the attackers to abandon 31 of the 38 victims and flee into the forest.
Four of the rescued passengers sustained machete injuries, while one victim was hit by a bullet in the left thigh. All injured victims were immediately evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.
Efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining seven abducted persons have been intensified.
Troops rescue 31 kidnapped passengers in Kogi, search ongoing for others
Troops of Operation Safe Haven arrest notorious gunrunners, recover arms in Kaduna
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) have arrested three suspected notorious gunrunners and recovered arms and ammunition in Golgokofa village under Godogodo Chiefdom, Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The operation, which was conducted on May 8, followed credible intelligence that led the troops to the suspects’ hideout.
The suspects were identified as Adamu Musa, 65; Lukman Isah, 35; and Umar Jammo, 25.
Items recovered from the operation include one AK-47 rifle, one fabricated gun, one AK-47 magazine, a round of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition, and three motorcycles.
The suspects are currently in custody and making useful confessions to aid further operations aimed at arresting other members of the criminal network and recovering additional arms.
OPSH reiterated its commitment to working with the public and utilizing actionable intelligence to rid the region of criminal elements and ensure a safe and secure environment.
Troops of Operation Safe Haven arrest notorious gunrunners, recover arms in Kaduna
Cattle Herder Survives ISWAP Terrorists Attack in Monguno LGA, Borno
By Hamza Suleiman
On May 7, 2025, at approximately 2030hrs, a cattle herder, Hassan Bukar, 55, was attacked by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists while grazing his cattle in Wulo bush, Monguno Local Government Area, Borno State.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the assailants used a knife to cut him at the nape of his neck, but the victim, despite the severity of the injury, managed to survive.
The victim was immediately rushed to Monguno General Hospital by a patrol team from Monguno Division, where he was admitted and is currently receiving treatment.
Troops of Sector 3 MNJTF and Operational Hadin Kai have intensified efforts to track and nutrialised the terrorists.
Cattle Herder Survives ISWAP Terrorists Attack in Monguno LGA, Borno
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Troops rescue 31 kidnapped passengers in Kogi, search ongoing for others
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