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(VIDEO) ISWAP terrorists claim responsibility for attack on Nigerian prison

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The extremist terrorist group, Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, has claimed responsibility for an attack on a medium security prison on Tuesday night in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, where authorities confirmed the escape of 994 inmates, including 64 believed to be members of terror groups.

Though Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd), said most of the escaped prisoners were immediately re-arrested and returned to the facility, about 400 are still at large.

However, in a statement on Thursday, the extremist group said it was responsible for the attack on the prison.

The statement said the invasion of the facility which lasted over 50 minutes, was carried out by three groups with one attacking the prison’s gate, a second group invaded the prison, while a third group blocked access roads leading to the prison to prevent security operatives gaining access.

The group added that the well coordinated attack was part of its campaign to free its members held in different detention facilities across the country.

The terror group which is an offshoot of the dreaded Boko Haram sect which was formed by Abubakar Shekau in 2021, has been waging an insurgency war against the Nigerian state and its citizens and in the last few years, have laid claim to devastating attacks on several institutions in the West African country including churches, schools and other places of worship.

The deadly group which is linked to Al-Qaeda backed IS, operates mainly on the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin in Nigeria’s North-East, while its activities have led to the death of more than 30,000 Nigerians, abduction of school children and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of others.

A video of the attack released by the group’s A’maq agency showed how the attack was carried out with shouts of “Allahu Akbar,” meaning Allah is the greatest and sporadic gunshots in the background.

Metro

Nigerians plunged into darkness as national grid collapses again

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The hopes of many Nigerians celebrating the Easter period in the comfort of their homes may be truncated after the national electricity grid collapsed again on Thursday.

The national grid’s collapse was the fourth time
in the first three months of the year, despite assurances from the Minister of Power, Adelabu Adebayo, that everything had been put in place to curb the incessant collapse of the grid.

This recent blackout occured when the national electricity grid centrally managed from Osogbo, Osun State, suffered a collapse at 4:30 pm on Thursday, leaving millions of homes and businesses without power.

According to a statement from several distribution companies (DisCos) across the country, the collapse caused their feeders to become inactive resulting in widespread blackouts across the country.

Data from the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN’s) further showed that the grid collapse had left to power dropping from 2,984 megawatts (MW) to zero in an hour, with all 21 plants connected to the grid ceasing operations by 5 pm.

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), in a statement on the situation, said the power outage was due to a system failure from the national grid.

“The system collapsed at about 16:28 hours today 28 March 2024, causing the outage currently being experienced across our franchise area,” the AEDC said in a statement.

“We appeal for your understanding as all stakeholders are working hard to restore normal supply,” it added.

In a notice to its customers, the management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) said the system collapse resulted in a loss of power supply across its network.

“We are currently working with our partners as we hope for speedy restoration of the grid. We will keep you updated as soon as the power supply is restored. Kindly bear with us,” EKEDC said.

Major power generation plants which were affected by the grid collapse included th Egbin, Afam, Geregu, Ibom Power, Jebba, Kainji, Odukpani, and Olorunsogo, among others, which remained dormant, further exacerbating the electricity deficit nationwide.

Over the past 10 years since the privatisation of the electricity industry, the grid has experienced collapses a staggering 141 times, underscoring the magnitude of the systemic challenges facing the sector.

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Egypt’s population growth declines by 1.4%

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Egypt’s planning ministry has announced that the country’s population went down to its lowest rate of population increase in decades in 2023, at 1.4%.

 

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt frequently emphasizes the need to control population growth, saying the country’s budget and services are being overburdened by the country’s high birth rate.

 

 

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt frequently emphasizes the need to control population growth, blaming the country’s budget and services for being overburdened by the country’s recent high birth rate. The population is currently estimated by Egypt’s official statistics office to be just over 106 million.

 

It is believed that 60% of the population lives below or near the poverty line in a nation plagued by a shortage of water, a dearth of employment possibilities, and congested hospitals and schools.

 

World Bank data from 1961 indicates that Egypt’s population growth peaked in 1984–85 at 2.8%, declined to 1.9% in 2006, and then increased to 2.3% in 2014. It has progressively decreased since then, reaching 1.6% in 2022.

 

Sisi has started many massive projects that critics claim waste money and add to Egypt’s debt load, but he claims will create jobs and infrastructure for the country’s expanding population.

 

Egypt started a family-planning campaign called “Two Is Enough” in 2019 intending to question the customs of large families in rural areas.

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