Several children killed in stampede at a holiday fair event in Nigeria, state governor says

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Several children have died during a stampede on Wednesday at a holiday funfair in southwestern Nigeria, authorities said. The incident happened at the Islamic High School in Basorun, Oyo State, near the economic hub of Lagos. Security forces attended the scene...

Nigerians press for solar jobs and electricity, with little success

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In sun-drenched Nigeria, 14 new solar farms were supposed to jumpstart a meager solar industry and generate huge amounts of power, about one-fifth as much as the country’s entire electric grid offers on a good day. “We were very excited because we were...

Deadly violence in Nigeria linked to breakup of United Methodist Church over LGBTQ policies

A religious schism has turned deadly in Nigeria, with a church member fatally shot and two young children killed as homes were set ablaze, according to United Methodist News Service. The news service said the reported violence on Sunday stemmed from a schism in the worldwide United...

West Africa regional bloc sets up court for crimes under dictatorship in Gambia

SERREKUNDA, Gambia (AP) — West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS on Sunday approved setting up a special court to try crimes committed in Gambia during its military dictatorship. The landmark decision was announced at the summit of regional heads of state in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja....

West Africa regional bloc approves exit timeline for 3 coup-hit member states

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS approved Sunday an exit timeline for three coup-hit nations after a nearly yearlong process of mediation to avert the unprecedented disintegration of the grouping. In a first in the 15-nation bloc’s nearly 50 years of...

In Nigeria's lithium boom, many mines are illegal and children do much of the work

NASARAWA, Nigeria (AP) — Dressed in a faded pink dress, 6-year-old Juliet Samaniya squats under scorching skies to chip at a jagged white rock with a stone tool. Dust coats her tiny hands and her hair as she works hour after hour for less than a dollar a day. The landscape around her is dotted...

Hardest-hit Nigeria is latest African country to provide malaria vaccine to young children

BAYELSA, Nigeria (AP) — Ominike Marvis has lost count of the number of times her 6-year-old son has had malaria. So when Nigeria started offering a malaria vaccine, she was eager to protect her youngest child. She took the 6-month-old baby to get his first shot at a health center...

Takeaways from AP's report on child labor in Nigeria lithium mines

NASARAWA, Nigeria (AP) — Growing demand for the lithium used in batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage has created a new frontier for mining in Nigeria. But it’s led to exploitation of children who are often poor and take work in small, illegal mines to support...

Gunmen kidnap at least 50 people in northwestern Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Armed men kidnapped dozens of people in northwestern Nigeria, residents and the police told The Associated Press on Tuesday, in the latest mass abduction in the region. The gunmen abducted at least 50 people, including several women and children, in the...

At least 27 people died and more than 100 are missing after a boat capsizes on Niger River, authorities in Nigeria say