Boko Haram child captives 'forgot names'

Cameroonian security forces have joined a regional battle against Boko Haram militants

About 80 children rescued from a Boko Haram camp in Cameroon cannot remember their own names or origins, according to an aid official who visited them.

The children - aged between 5 and 18 - did not speak English, French or any local languages, says Christopher Fomunyoh, a director for the US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI).

The children were found at a camp in northern Cameroon in November.

Nigeria-based Boko Haram militants have extended their campaign into Cameroon.

The militants are fighting to establish an Islamic caliphate in north-eastern Nigeria.

They control several towns and villages in the region and recently pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) militants, who have seized large areas of Syria and Iraq.

'Lost touch'

The children were rescued in Cameroon after security forces - acting on a tip-off - raided what was thought to have been a Koranic school.

Mr Fomunyoh told the BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah in Yaounde that he had visited an orphanage that was helping rehabilitate the children.

He said the children had spent so long with their captors, being indoctrinated in jihadist ideology, that they had lost track of who they were.

"They've lost touch with their parents," he said. "They've lost touch with people in their villages, they're not able to articulate, to help trace their relationships, they can't even tell you what their names are."

Meanwhile, a suspected Boko Haram attack on Tuesday killed at least six people at a marketplace in the northern Nigerian town of Maiduguri.

The suicide bombing was reportedly carried out by a middle-aged woman.

Curled form CNN

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Africa's Richest Man Loses Half His Fortune Due To Currency Depreciation In Nigeria

Aliko Dangote calls his homeland Nigeria as “one of the best-kept secrets.” The 57-year-old billionaire, who reportedly lost $10.3 billion in the last one year, is Africa’s richest man. IN PHOTO: Honoree and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, arrives at the Time 100 gala celebrating the magazine's naming of the 100 most influential people in the world for the past year, in New York April 29, 2014.

Aliko Dangote calls his homeland Nigeria as “one of the best-kept secrets.” The 57-year-old billionaire, who reportedly lost $10.3 billion in the last one year, is Africa’s richest man.

According to Dangote, a lot of foreigners are not investing because they’re waiting for the right time. However, he believes that “there is no right time.” Dangote was worth $25 billion in 2014. However, he lost more than the half of his fortune and is worth much less at the moment. The owner of the “Dangote Group” suffered heavy loss due to a reduced demand for cement and the depreciation of the Naira. The Nigerian Naira is at 200 to the dollar.

Dangote is ranked 67th on the World’s Billionaires List with his $14.7 billion fortune which he has earned mostly from flour, sugar and cement companies. Nigeria now has three new billionaires. Economists believe that Nigeria is going to be one of the countries in the world with the fastest average annual GDP growth between 2010 and 2050.

Africa’s most populous country has more than 170 million people. The number is expected to rise to 210 million by 2020. Nigeria is expected to overtake the United States by2050. However, Dangote’s country has a majority of its people earning less than $1.25 a day. The country, with a median age is 18.3, has half of its population illiterate.

Dangote is the biggest loser among the richest people in Nigeria due to the depreciation in the Nigerian Naira. His stock prices fell and he lost more than $7.8 billion of his fortune since February. Dangote was worth $21.6 billion on Nov. 7, 2014. However, he lost $4.4 billion more in the next four months.

Many companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange suffered disastrous outcomes in the last few weeks. Several companies like Dangote Cement, Transcorp, Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa hit one-year-lows as oil prices fell. While large cap companies have had weak earnings, there is also a general uncertainty surrounding the 2015 general election in the country.

Africa's largest manufacturer of cement, Dangote Cement, shed nearly 40 per cent of its market value since November. Dangote also lost more than $230 million in paper value on his stakes in publicly-traded Dangote Flour, Dangote Sugar and National Salt Company of Nigeria.

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Islamic State video shows killing of teen accused as Israeli spy

A video posted online by Islamic State militants on Tuesday showed a boy fatally shooting Muhammad Musallam, an Israeli Arab accused by the group of having signed up as a jihadi to spy for Israel's intelligence service.

After that, it showed Musallam being escorted to a field and then being shot in the head by a boy,

described by an older, French-speaking fighter as one of the "cubs of the caliphate".The video, published by the group's Furqan media outlet, showed Musallam, 19, sitting in a room wearing an orange jumpsuit, talking about how he had been recruited and trained by Mossad. He said his father and elder brother had encouraged him.

Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the footage, which also appeared on Twitter feeds used by Islamic State supporters.

Israeli security officials said they were aware of the video but could not confirm that it was authentic.

The video, which was about 13 minutes long, showed Musallam on his knees as he listened to the older fighter delivering the verdict in French.

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The mother and father of Muhammad Musallam, an Israeli Arab held by Islamic State in Syria as an all …

Then the boy, wearing a military uniform and armed with a pistol, stands face to face with Musallam and fires one bullet into his forehead. After Musallam collapsed, the child shot him three more times and chanted "Allahu Akbar!" (God is greatest).

In the video, Musallam repeated what he had said last month in an interview published by the group's English language magazine Dabiq, in which he said he had joined Islamic State to report to the Israelis on weapons caches, bases and Palestinian recruits. Israel and his family denied that he was an Israeli spy.

"I tell my father and my son: Repent to God. I say to the spies who spy on Islamic State: You will not be successful, they will expose you," Musallam said in the latest video, in Arabic.

An Israeli security official had said Musallam went to Syria to fight for Islamic State in October last year.

Musallam's father has denied his son was a spy, saying a month ago that his son had gone missing while on a tourist trip to Turkey.

Said Musallam and the youth's mother, Um Ahmad, wept at their home in East Jerusalem when they learned of his death. Clutching her son's photograph, Um Ahmad told reporters: "A spy of 19? How is that possible? Why would he have gone there if he were a spy?"

Said Musallam said his son had been trying to return home when he was captured. He accused the militants of forcing his son to say he was a spy before killing him just for show.

"Mohammad was told by them to say about himself that he works for the Israelis," Said Musallam said. "They took him as a victim, only to show the world, so the world would be afraid of them."

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Jonathan fires Agwai as SURE-P chairman

Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.)

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday sacked Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.) as the Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, five days after the former Chief of Army Staff delivered the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 78th birthday lecture.

The President has named Mr. Ishaya Dare Akau as Agwai’s replacement.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President attributed Agwai’s sacking to the continuation of government’s efforts to continuously reposition Federal Government’s agencies for optimal delivery.

Agwai had, while delivering the Obasanjo lecture last Thursday, said change in the national leadership was inevitable and that the country’s leaders must accept it and move with it.

He had said, “In life, you find out that everything needs change, if that is what the community wants, what the people want, you must give it to them and as such, it becomes inevitable.

“You can have everything nice, but if you don’t have the right leadership to propel it, it cannot go anywhere. Integrity matters, doing what is good for the larger society, and not just what you want to do for a narrow society to please yourself.”

He titled the lecture, “Imperatives of a national security framework for the development and progress of Nigeria.”

Abati’s statement on Agwai’s sack read, “In furtherance of his efforts to continuously re-energise and reposition agencies of the Federal Government for optimal service delivery, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has appointed Mr. Ishaya Dare Akau as the new Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).

“Mr. Akau, whose appointment takes immediate effect, replaces Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.), who served as chairman of the SURE-P until today (Tuesday).

“The new SURE-P chairman hails from the Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State and holds Bachelors’ Degrees in the Arts and Law.

“Mr. Akau comes to the job with years of experience as a high-level administrator in the nation’s public service. His record of service includes tenures as Chairman of the Kaduna State Universal Education Board and Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission.

“President Jonathan thanks the outgoing Chairman of SURE-P, Gen Agwai, for his service to the nation and wishes him well in his future endeavours.”

Jonathan had in February 2014 appointed Agwai to replace the pioneer SURE-P chairman, Chief Christopher Kolade, who resigned his appointment.

As the deputy chairman to Kolade, Agwai had acted as acting chairman before the President confirmed his appointment.

Meanwhile, the Forum of Chairmen of Subsidy Re-investment Programme in the 36 states of the country and Abuja, has said that Agwai did not represent its interest when he urged the Nigerian Army to stay away from politics.

Agwai had, while delivering the Obasanjo lecture in Abeokuta, noted that the military had found itself in a “strange” terrain.

The former COAS had said that the country might be troubled if the military participated in the nation’s political system.

But the Chairman of the forum and Edo State SURE-P Chairman, Mr. Lucky Imasuen, dismissed the call for change by Agwai, arguing that the change clamoured for already existed under the administration of Jonathan.

Imasuen, who was a former deputy governor of the state, claimed that Agwai’s comment caused unnecessary panic in the country, noting that the military had been a stabilising factor in the Nigeria’s political development.

He said, “He (Agwai) should be aware that soldiers are dying every day fighting insurgency. I know that the Nigerian military is having serious challenges dealing with insurgency.

“But they are doing their best and winning the war. I expect those in uniform and out of uniform to be careful of what they say.”

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Don’t let Jonathan deceive you again —Buhari

Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)

The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on Tuesday urged Nigerians, especially those in the South, not to be deceived by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Buhari spoke through the Director of Media of the APC Campaign, Mallam Garba Shehu, in Abuja.

He explained that it was pertinent to draw the attention of well-meaning Nigerians to “the deceit, squander and looting associated with this administration.”

According to the campaign, the administration had been unable to deliver on its promise to construct the East-West Road, on which it had spent and continued to spend billions of naira.

He said, “It is on record that work started on the road in 2006, under former President Obasanjo but due to the activities of Niger Delta militants then, it was stopped midway and the initial contractor, Julius Berger, left the site.

“In 2009, work was restarted on the road. This time, to be handled by three construction firms to hasten its completion by 2011, as anticipated.

“It is pertinent to note that appropriations were made for the construction in 2009 and 2010, but after Yar’Adua’s death, work stopped on the road and money set aside was diverted.”

Buhari also noted that the administration was also trying to hoodwink the people of the South-East over the Second Niger Bridge.

He said contrary to the efforts of the Jonathan team to assure the people of the South East that the Second Niger Bridge had been awarded and now under construction, “the truth is that the PDP administration is only deceiving the people.”

The Buhari campaign team recalled that President Jonathan anchored his 2011 campaign in the South- East on the construction of the Second Niger Bridge. However, four years since then, the bridge is still at the drawing board and may not be realised under Jonathan.

The Campaign team alleged that the money set aside for the project had since been channelled into the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan.

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Malaysia Airlines Towelette Found On Western Australia Beach

An unwrapped moist towelette branded with the Malaysia Airlines logo has been found on a beach in West Australia -- and it's now being tested to see if it is the first confirmed piece of evidence from the airline's missing plane.

Kingsley and Vicki Miller found the package on July 2 of last year, nearly four months after the plane vanished, but news of the discovery was not publicly reported until today.The package was found by a couple strolling the beach near the town of Cervantes, Nine News reports.

They reported the discovery to the local police who handed it over to the Joint Agency Coordination Center which is handling the investigation into the missing plane.

No photos of the actual packet the Millers discovered has been release,d but they showed an example of the type of moist towelette that they said matched their find.

A spokesman for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau confirmed their discovery to the Sydney Morning Herald, though urged caution.

"It is unlikely, however, that such a common item with no unique identifier could be conclusively linked with MH370," he said.

Malaysia Airlines flight 370 departed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on March 8, 2014 and never made it to its intended destination of Beijing. No debris and no remains from the 239 people on board have ever been found.

The one year anniversary of the disappearance of the plane has renewed speculation about the aircraft's location and presumed crash site.

ABC News aviation consultant Steve Ganyard, who previously served as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, said that while we have not been able to find the plane, investigators “have a general idea of where that airplane was going” and have a rough search area approximately 1,000 miles west of Perth, in western Australia.

“I'm pretty comfortable with the satellite hits that we have now,” he told ABC News. “There’s pretty solid evidence that we have now of the airplane heading due south and the last satellite hit."

Curled form Yahoo

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Kaduna denies Buhari access to rally venue – APC

Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

The All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State on Tuesday said the Kaduna State government denied the party’s presidential candidate, Maj. Gen Muhammmadu Buhari (retd.), access to the Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna, for his North-West zonal rally ahead of the rescheduled March 28 and April 11 general elections.

Our correspondent learnt that preparation for the rally, which is expected hold today (Wednesday), had reached an advanced stage when the zonal office of the party was informed that the state had refused the party the permit to use the facility.

“The PDP is jittery already. They are simply afraid of the popularity strength of the APC in the state and indeed the northern part of the state,” a party official, who asked not to be named, said.

The spokesman for Governor Mukhtar Yero, Malam Ahmed Mayaki neither picked calls to his mobile nor respond to a text message sent to his phone on the development.

Meanwhile, the APC in the state has accused the Yero-led administration of preparing the ground for crisis ahead of the elections in the state.

Spokesman of the APC Campaign Council in the state, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, at a media briefing said those championing hatred and disaffection in the state were those in government.

He noted that the government was not interested in ensuring peace and that it had been paying lip service to the issue of peace in the state.

Aruwan said the Kaduna State government had engaged in promoting violence in the state.

He said, “As a movement of the people, the APC is resolutely committed to free, fair and credible elections, held in an atmosphere of peace.

“The PDP government of Kaduna State is actively stoking religious and ethnic tension. Along with its affiliates and supporters, the PDP has been trying to whip up religious resentments against General Muhammadu Buhari and Mallam Nasir el-Rufai (the APC governorship candidate)”.

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