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Spotlight: News from Nigeria in May 2018

16 May 2018

Boko Haram hostage turns 15 in captivity 

Christian schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu turned 15 last Sunday on what was her 84th day in captivity. Leah was abducted by Boko Haram on the 19th February 2018 in Dapchi, Yobe State following yet another schoolgirl kidnapping in North-eastern Nigeria. Of the 110 girls abducted, Leah remains the only one still in captivity after she refused to convert to Islam. During the unprecedented move to return the kidnapped girls to their village following negotiations with the Nigerian Government, Boko Haram warned their relieved parents not to send them back to school and that Western education is forbbidden (the rough translation of ‘Boko Haram’). Whilst the newly-released girls met with President Buhari upon their release, Leah’s mother has yet to be visited by any government officials. Read more about the lone schoolgirl here.

Leah Sharibu, the only remaining Dapchi schoolgirl in captivity. Source: CNN

 

Food insecurity in North-eastern Nigeria 

The on-going internal conflict in Nigeria’s Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states have exacerbated the poor living conditions during dry season. With over 1.7 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in these three states alone, it is estimated that the overall impact of the conflict on agriculture is US$3.7 billion. Additionally, the growing implications of climate change have resulted in weak crop yields and livestock productivity meaning people are even less capable to sustain their livelihoods. Despite the number of people suffering from acute food insecurity having halved from 4.7 million in May 2017 to 2.3 million in May 2018, indicators suggest that the projected number of people facing severe food insecurity during lean season (June-August 2018) is 2.9 million people across the three North-eastern states. Read more about Nigeria’s 2 million IDPs here.

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