Hours before the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-queen-elizabeth-ii-dead-at-96" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death of Queen Elizabeth</a> was announced, a Carnegie Mellon professor blasted the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-kingdom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Kingdom</a> as a &#8220;genocidal empire&#8221; and wished the 96-year-old monarch “excruciating” pain.
Professor Uju Anya, who teaches linguistics and critical race studies at Carnegie Mellon University,” according to the website, sent out her maleficent remark via Twitter. At the time, the beloved queen&#8217;s death had not yet been announced.
“I heard the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying. May her pain be excruciating,” she tweeted.
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Pretty sure she deleted this disgusting tweet. But the internet is forever. <a href="https://t.co/YsuZUWqjDG">pic.twitter.com/YsuZUWqjDG</a>
&mdash; Nina Infinity (@Nina7Infinity) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nina7Infinity/status/1567932169607053312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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After the news broke of the queen’s death, Anya, who hails from Nigeria, doubled down with another nasty social media missive.
“If anyone expects me to express anything but disdain for the monarch who supervised a government that sponsored the genocide that massacred and displaced half my family and the consequences of which those alive today are still trying to overcome, you can keep wishing upon a star,” she wrote.
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If anyone expects me to express anything but disdain for the monarch who supervised a government that sponsored the genocide that massacred and displaced half my family and the consequences of which those alive today are still trying to overcome, you can keep wishing upon a star.
&mdash; Uju Anya (@UjuAnya) <a href="https://twitter.com/UjuAnya/status/1567933661114429441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Anya was apparently referring to the massacre of between 8,000 to 30,000 Igbo people in 1966 in Nigeria, when a reported one million Igbos fled to the eastern part of Nigeria, where Igbos dominated. On May 30, 1967, the head of the Eastern Region, Odumegwu Ojukwu, declared the state of Biafra.
Great Britain supported the Nigerian forces at war with Biafra, which shrank to one-tenth of its size during the war. An estimated 1 million Biafra children starved to death in a human rights crisis that horrified the world.
When an apparent Nigerian on social media slammed her, writing, “Why don&#8217;t you come back to Nigeria and live under ‘your people’s’ leadership?”, Anya tartly replied, “Come here and carry me,” prompting the Nigerian to answer, “We already have enough hypocrites here.”
Anya answered, “I didn’t ask about your mama.”
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I didn’t ask about your mama.
&mdash; Uju Anya (@UjuAnya) <a href="https://twitter.com/UjuAnya/status/1567879994008915969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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That prompted one social media user to slam Anya, saying of the queen, “She&#8217;ll always be a better person than you could ever hope to be.”
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She&#39;ll always be a better person than you could ever hope to be. <a href="https://twitter.com/UjuAnya?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UjuAnya</a>
&mdash; ISMV Star Fortress &#8211; Back in the Bubble. (@StarFortress) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarFortress/status/1567934630321594368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Anya served as assistant professor of clinical education at the University of Southern California from 2012-2016, then as assistant professor of second language learning at Penn State University before working at Carnegie Mellon.
“I come from a multilingual, multicultural, multinational background,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/news/news-stories/2022/january/fs-anya.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> in an interview on the CMU website. &#8220;I was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian dad and mom from Trinidad and Tobago. I came to the U.S. when I was 10 years old.”
The day before her incendiary tweet targeting Queen Elizabeth, Anya offered more insight into her personal life.
“Someone DM’d me the most hilarious thread of Nigerian homophobes discussing their obsession with my life as a lesbian once married to a man,&#8221; she tweeted. &#8220;I save so much money living rent free in people’s heads.”
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Someone DM’d me the most hilarious thread of Nigerian homophobes discussing their obsession with my life as a lesbian once married to a man. I save so much money living rent free in people’s heads 😂😂😂 <a href="https://t.co/TEE3JHZSOJ">pic.twitter.com/TEE3JHZSOJ</a>
&mdash; Uju Anya (@UjuAnya) <a href="https://twitter.com/UjuAnya/status/1567503625534013443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“Haters are my most loyal fans, I swear. Spending obscene amounts of their precious life watching and envying mine,” she added.
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Haters are my most loyal fans, I swear. Spending obscene amounts of their precious life watching and envying mine 😂😂
&mdash; Uju Anya (@UjuAnya) <a href="https://twitter.com/UjuAnya/status/1567562861056065537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Nigeria in 1960 gained its independence from Great Britain, which had controlled it since 1861 and made it a colony in 1914. In 1963, the African nation became a republic.
Bloodshed has continued in the troubled nation in recent years. In May, 20 Nigerian Christians were murdered by the Islamic group ISIS; in June, 40 Christians were murdered by terrorists in a church in Owo; as far back as 2014, 59 Christian school boys were burned alive or shot and 276 Christian school girls were kidnapped.
According to <a href="https://breakpoint.org/christian-genocide-in-nigeria/">Breakpoint</a>, “13 Christians per day were killed in Nigeria last year. &#8230; In the last 12 years, 43,000 Christians have been killed by Islamic radicals in Nigeria.”

The Queen Visits West Sussex

‘May Her Pain Be Excruciating’: Professor Wishes Dying Queen Elizabeth More Suffering

Death

Nigeria

Professors

Queen Elizabeth

Terrorists massacred dozens of Christian churchgoers in Nigeria on Sunday prompting a top leader in the country to promise that every resource at the country&#8217;s disposal would be used to track down those responsible and bring them to justice.
The terrorists rode up on motorcycles and began shooting those who showed up for mass at St Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo. Explosives were also reportedly used.
&#8220;A doctor at a hospital in Owo told Reuters that at least 50 bodies had been brought in to two hospitals in the town from the attack,&#8221; Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-kill-worshippers-during-church-service-nigeria-media-2022-06-05/">reported</a>. &#8220;The doctor, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the press, also said there was a need for blood donations to treat the injured.&#8221;
Guns are strictly regulated in Nigeria as citizens have &#8220;no legal right to gun ownership&#8221; and &#8220;civilians are banned from owning handguns, military rifles or machine guns,&#8221; AFP <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20180609-banned-weapons-stoke-deadly-violence-nigeria">reported</a>. &#8220;Licenses can be obtained from the police for double-barrel shotguns and hunting guns, but permission for this has been suspended because of the security situation.&#8221;
CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/05/africa/mass-shooting-nigeria-church-intl/index.html">noted</a> that such attacks are rare in the area but are more common in northern part of country where Islamic terrorists who belong to Boko Haram carry out such attacks. Knife-wielding Islamic terrorists belonging to ISIS <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10805093/Knife-wielding-ISIS-fanatics-execute-20-Christians-Nigeria-avenge-killings-Middle-East.html">executed</a> 20 Christians in Nigeria last month.
&#8220;I am deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people of Owo, worshiping at the St. Francis Catholic Church, Today,&#8221; Arakunrin Akeredolu, who is the governor of Ondo State in Nigeria, wrote on Twitter. &#8220;The vile &amp; satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years.&#8221;
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I am deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people of Owo, worshiping at the St. Francis Catholic Church, Today. 
The vile &amp; satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years. <a href="https://t.co/30fMbfnOxc">pic.twitter.com/30fMbfnOxc</a>
&mdash; Arakunrin Akeredolu (@RotimiAkeredolu) <a href="https://twitter.com/RotimiAkeredolu/status/1533447037395550209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;It is a black Sunday in Owo. Our hearts are heavy,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state.&#8221;
Akeredolu said that he has spoken with the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, and that the church official was on his way to the scene along with Akeredolu, who had to cut short a work trip to return to the area.
&#8220;This is an unexpected development. I am shocked to say the least. Nevertheless, We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay. We shall never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in our resolves to rid our state of criminals,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I urge our people to remain calm and vigilant. Do not take laws into your hands. I have spoken to the heads of the security agencies. I have equally been assured that security operatives would be deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom.&#8221;

Al-Qaeda linked al-shabab recruits walk

Terrorists Massacre 50+ Christians In ‘Vile And Satanic’ Attack On Nigerian Church

Christians

Terrorism

Terrorists

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is facing backlash after taking Nigeria off of a list of countries that endorse or allow religious violence as Christian groups point to the high level of persecution in the African nation. 
“State Department officials gave no reason for the move other than saying Blinken, upon the advice of various department sections, decided Nigeria didn’t meet the legal threshold to be named as ‘country of particular concern’ in an annual religious freedom list released by the secretary of State,” Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/23/christian-groups-blinken-nigeria-religious-violence-list-523258">reported</a>. 
The move was made just before Blinken made a diplomatic trip to the country. 
“It’s a victory for the terrorists — it’s a defeat for anyone concerned with human rights and religious freedom,” former Republican Congressman Frank Wolf said. 
Nigeria has been plagued by religious violence this year, with the number of Christians killed in July of this year already matching the total from last year, according to some <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nigerian-pastor-says-government-fully-supports-killings-of-christians-report">reports</a>. Many Christian aid organizations also rank Nigeria as a country with a lot of religious persecution, including Open Doors, which puts the African nation just inside the top 10 of worst persecuting countries in the world. 
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) was “appalled” at the State Department&#8217;s decision, calling the move “unexplainable.”
“[USCIRF] is especially displeased with the removal of Nigeria from its CPC designation, where it was rightfully placed last year, as well as the omission of India, Syria, and Vietnam. We urge the State Department to reconsider its designations based on facts presented in its own reporting,” Chair Nadine Maenza <a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-appalled-administrations-removal-nigeria-list-violators">said</a>.
Outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” in December 2020, and a May <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nigerian-pastor-says-government-fully-supports-killings-of-christians-report">report</a> from the State Department seemed to confirm that designation. 
Sam Brownback, who was the special ambassador for religious freedom under the Trump administration, said the decision was the “revenge of the bureaucracy” while noting that religion definitely played a role in the violence in Nigeria.  
One former State Department official told Politico that the move constituted “diplomatic malpractice.”
“You just gave leverage away. It was clearly tied to Blinken’s visit. The Nigerians clearly cared about it. Did we get anything out of it?” the former official asked. 
Some officials pushed back, arguing that Blinken’s visit to Nigeria and its delisting were not related. The removal instead had to do with the timing of the release of the list, according to one official. 
As Politico noted, however, deadlines are not always so strictly followed and Blinken had called out religious persecution in Nigeria earlier this year. 
“In Nigeria, courts continue to convict people of blasphemy, sentencing them to long-term imprisonment or even death,” he said. “Yet the government has still not brought anyone to justice for the military’s massacre of hundreds of Shia Muslims in 2015.”
Some Christians on the ground in Nigeria say that their government doesn&#8217;t care about them. Back in September, after the killing of more than 30 Christians by Islamic Fulani herdsmen, one local pastor said that the government was actually in favor of the persecution. 
“We have never seen an evil government in this country like the one of today. The government is fully in support of the bloodshed in Nigeria. We are being killed just because we are not Muslims,” Rev. Jacob Kwashi said.
He added: “These evil Fulani jihadists are enjoying the backing of the government to go about killing people, destroying their houses and farmlands, yet when we try to defend ourselves, the government will go about arresting our people. What kind of justice is this?”

Berlin Hosts 2nd Libya Conference

‘Victory For The Terrorists’: Blinken Faces Backlash After Taking Nigeria Off Of Religious Violence List

Antony Blinken

Persecution

Religion

Thirty-six Nigerian Christians have been killed in attacks reportedly carried about by Islamic Fulani herdsmen in the month of August.
The recent killings, which build on this year&#8217;s previously reported death toll of several thousand, have prompted an outcry from locals who accuse the government of inaction and even of supporting the attacks. 
“It rained at the time the herdsmen invaded our village,&#8221; Judith David, a resident of Machun village in the state of Kaduna, texted <a href="https://morningstarnews.org/2021/08/fulani-herdsmen-kill-36-christians-in-kaduna-state-nigeria/">Morning Star News</a>. &#8220;We all had already gone to houses to sleep when the herdsmen attacked the village, forcing us to flee into the bush in the rain.&#8221;
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs for Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan, put out a statement on the attack. “Police personnel responded to a distress call from Machun village and mobilized there,” he said. “On arrival, they were also alerted by gunshots from neighboring Manuka. As the assailants fled the area, the operatives found the corpses of three victims.”
Rev. Jacob Kwashi, a pastor from the area, has accused the government of being in favor of the attacks.
“We have never seen an evil government in this country like the one of today. The government is fully in support of the bloodshed in Nigeria. We are being killed just because we are not Muslims,” he said. 
Kwashi, speaking at a funeral for 17 slain Christians, continued. “These evil Fulani jihadists are enjoying the backing of the government to go about killing people, destroying their houses and farmlands, yet when we try to defend ourselves, the government will go about arresting our people. What kind of justice is this?”
Aruwan, the state official, claimed that the government had actually helped save lives during other attacks on Christians in other villages. “The troops of Operation Safe Haven also rescued 12 persons who were fleeing from the attackers,” he said. 
A May <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/nigeria/">report</a> from the U.S. Department of State highlighted the many violations of religious liberty throughout Nigeria and mentioned the high level of violence present in the country.
&#8220;The government undertook 20 targeted military operations whose aim it stated was to root out bandits and armed gangs in the region and to arrest perpetrators of communal and criminal violence, but multiple sources stated that the government measures were largely reactive and insufficient to address the violence,&#8221; the report stated.
It also noted that in December 2020, &#8220;the Secretary of State designated Nigeria a &#8216;Country of Particular Concern&#8217; for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom &#8230;&#8221;
Attacks are frequently pinned on the Fulani Herdsmen, a group which CBN news reports as frequently <a href="https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2021/august/bloodshed-in-nigeria-fulani-militants-kill-36-christians-in-30-days">being</a>, “radical Muslims who target Christians in their relentless attacks on villages across the West African country.&#8221;
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/over-3000-christians-reportedly-killed-in-nigeria-so-far-this-year">reported</a> in July, the killings of Christians in Nigeria this year have nearly matched the number killed last year. Nigeria is also <a href="https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/nigeria/">ranked</a> in the top ten of Christian relief organization Open Door&#8217;s list for the worst countries for Christian persecution, coming in at number nine. Nigeria ranked highly in all categories, coming in especially strong for the amount of violence.  
These attacks come at the same time as many have voiced concerns about the future of Christians in Afghanistan as the Taliban has come to power following the U.S. hasty withdrawal. As The Daily Wire previously reported, the Taliban were allegedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taliban-going-door-to-door-seeking-christians-searching-through-phones-for-bible-apps-report">combing</a> through phones to identify Christians. 
“We’re hearing from reliable sources that the Taliban demand people’s phones, and if they find a downloaded Bible on your device, they will kill you immediately,” said Dr. Rex Rogers, president of the Christian nonprofit organization <a href="https://www.sat7usa.org/sat-7-calls-for-prayer-as-afghan-christians-fear-the-future/">SAT-7 North America</a>, according to <a href="https://religionnews.com/2021/08/17/media-ministry-offers-lifeline-to-fearful-afghans-as-taliban-kill-christians/">Religion News Service</a>. 
Christians in the region continue to be targeted for religious persecution, often from radical Islamic terrorism.

NIGERIA-RELIGION-ASH-WEDNESDAY

Nigerian Pastor Says Government ‘Fully’ Supports Killings Of Christians: Report

Christianity

Roughly 3,462 Christians have been killed by Islamic militants in Nigeria this year.
The <a href="https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/300372/3462-christians-hacked-to-death-by-nigerian-jihadists-in-20.html">International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law</a> — a Nigeria-based nonprofit — reports that the number of deaths halfway through 2021 is nearly equivalent to the number of deaths in all of 2020.
The group explains:
<blockquote>This number further represents daily average Christian deaths of seventeen and second highest since 2014 when over 5000 Christian deaths were recorded in the hands of Boko Haram and Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen. While Boko Haram killed over 4000 Christians in 2014, the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen accounted for 1,229 Christian deaths. In our last report issued on 11th May 2021, covering January to April 2021, we found that no fewer than 1,470 Christians were hacked to death and in the past 80 days or 1st May to 18th July 2021, not less than 1, 992 Christian lives have been lost. </blockquote>
The group also observed a rise in the number of abducted Christians and damaged churches: 
<blockquote>We also found that no fewer than 780 additional Christians were abducted in 80 days or 1st May to 18th July whereas between 1st January and 30th April, 2200 were abducted. This brings the total number of the abducted Christians since January to 3000, out of which at least three out of every abducted thirty Christians were most likely to have died in captivity; thereby indicating additional secret death in jihadists’ captivity of 300 Christians… The number of Churches threatened or attacked and closed or destroyed or burnt since January 2021 is also estimated to be around 300 with at least ten priests or pastors abducted or killed by the jihadists.</blockquote>
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law — which uses “direct contacts with the victims, eyewitnesses, media tracking, review of credible local and international reports, interviews and closed sources” to track violence against Christians — pointed to the government’s lax handling of the crisis as a factor that encourages increased violence. 
Particularly in northern Nigeria, the jihadists allegedly “operate freely under the cover and protection of the security forces.”
As detailed by <a href="https://heartcrymissionary.com/">HeartCry Missionary Society</a> — an American ministry that supports several dozen pastors in Africa — Nigeria is “divided roughly in half between Muslims, who live mostly in the north, and Christians, who live mostly in the south. The nation has “the world’s fifth-largest Muslim population and sixth-largest Christian population,” leading to “heavy persecution of Christians by Muslims in northern Nigeria.”

TOPSHOT-NIGERIA-UNREST-BOKOHARAM

Over 3,000 Christians Reportedly Killed In Nigeria So Far This Year

Radical Islamic Terror

One day after Twitter deleted a “controversial tweet” made by the country’s president, Nigeria’s minister of information and culture announced that Twitter was being suspended “indefinitely” in the African nation. Twitter responded by describing the &#8220;#OpenInternet&#8221; as &#8220;an essential human right in society,&#8221; prompting accusations of hypocrisy from critics.
“The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria,” read a statement, ironically posted on <a href="https://twitter.com/FMICNigeria/status/1400843062641717249">Twitter</a>. “The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria&#8217;s corporate existence.”
“The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria,” the statement added. The statement was signed by “Segun Adeyemi,” who is “Special Assistant To The President (Media), Office of the Minister of Information and Culture” in Abuja, Nigeria.
According to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-nigeria-technology-d872b33657bfc80360517af9d1345a68">The Associated Press</a>, Mohammed “criticized Twitter for deleting the post,” saying, “The mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very suspicious,” arguing “that Twitter had in the past ignored inciting tweets against the Nigerian government.&#8221;
In the deleted tweet, Mohammed made a comment about a secessionist movement, vowing to respond to pro-Biafra separatists accused of targeting law enforcement and government buildings &#8220;in the language they understand.”
“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Biafra war,” he <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/5/22520166/twitter-suspended-nigeria-delete-tweet-president-violate-rules">wrote</a>. “Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”
Amnesty International condemned the move. “We call on the Nigerian authorities to immediately reverse the unlawful suspension and other plans to gag the media, repress the civic space, and undermine Nigerians’ human rights,” Amnesty said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the U.S. mission in Nigeria argued against the decision, saying that Nigeria’s constitution protects freedom of expression.
“The Government’s recent #Twitterban undermines Nigerians’ ability to exercise this fundamental freedom and sends a poor message to its citizens, investors and businesses. Banning social media and curbing every citizen’s ability to seek, receive, and impart information undermines fundamental freedoms,” the U.S. mission said in a statement.
Twitter also released a statement, expressing deep concern.
“We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society,” announced the Twitter Public Policy account. “We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OpenInternet?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OpenInternet</a> is an essential human right in modern society.
We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeepitOn?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeepitOn</a>
&mdash; Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) <a href="https://twitter.com/Policy/status/1401151115022979076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Critics of the social media platform quickly pointed out the arguable hypocrisy of Twitter’s condemnation.
“Access to the free &amp; #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society&#8230; unless you’re Donald Trump. Or reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop. Or discussing the biology of gender. Or the murderous dictator of Iran. Or a  Chinese Communist Party peon lying about COVID,” <a href="https://twitter.com/Liz_Wheeler/status/1401191886405111825">responded</a> Liz Wheeler.
&#8220;I am deeply concerned by the suspending of President Donald Trump on Twitter,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/lavern_spicer/status/1401158219003744259">wrote</a> Florida Republican congressional candidate Lavern Spicer. &#8220;Access to the free and <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OpenInternet?src=hashtag_click">#OpenInternet</a> is an essential human right in modern society, even if you disagree with their politics.&#8221;

Twitter

Twitter Reacts To Nigeria Ban, Mocked For Calling Open Internet ‘Essential Human Right’ After Censoring Trump

Donald Trump

Liz Wheeler

Social Media Censorship

A Nigerian state governor announced on Tuesday that hundreds of girls who were kidnapped last week from a boarding school have been freed.
The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/279-kidnapped-schoolgirls-freed-nigeria-3409c28c47d426329edf5cbfaac68cdb">Associated Press</a> reported:
<blockquote>The girls, ages 10 and up, dressed in light blue hijabs and barefoot, packed into Zamfara state’s Government House conference room. They appeared calm, chatting to one another as they sat in long rows while journalists photographed them. They will receive a medical checkup before being returned to their parents.</blockquote>
Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle said that 279 girls had been released after being taken from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School in Jangebe town on Friday. Last week, the government reported that 317 girls had been taken. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/279-kidnapped-schoolgirls-freed-nigeria-3409c28c47d426329edf5cbfaac68cdb">AP</a> notes that it is not yet clear whether the higher number was a miscalculation or if there are still some girls who have not been returned.
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“Alhamdulillah! (God be praised!) It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students,” Matawalle said in a Twitter post on Tuesday. “I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to rejoice with us as our daughters are now safe.”
</div>
The country has recently faced a growing amount of kidnappings, some specifically targeted at school groups. Authorities claimed that &#8220;bandits&#8221; were responsible for the kidnapping last week. These bandits are &#8220;groups of armed men who operate in Zamfara state and kidnap for money or to push for the release of their members from jail,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/279-kidnapped-schoolgirls-freed-nigeria-3409c28c47d426329edf5cbfaac68cdb">AP</a> report.
One of the girls told the AP her experience of the kidnapping,
<blockquote>“We were sleeping at night when suddenly we started hearing gunshots. They were shooting endlessly. We got out of our beds and people said we should run, that they are thieves,” she said. Officials ended the interview before the girl could give her name.
The attackers eventually found her and some classmates and held guns to their heads, she said.
“I was really afraid of being shot,” she said, adding that they asked for directions to the staff quarters and the principal. “We said we don’t know who she is.” </blockquote>
Authorities did not reveal whether or not the bandits had been paid a ransom in order for the girls to be freed.
The governor said: “We have been in discussion since Friday with the abductors and reached agreement on Monday.&#8221; He added that there would be increased security at schools in the area.
Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari released a statement, saying, “I join the families and people of Zamfara state in welcoming and celebrating the release of these traumatized female students&#8230;Being held in captivity is an agonizing experience not only for the victims, but also their families and all of us.”
The president reportedly also warned that the use of ransoms will only add to the number of attacks and kidnappings.
Ernest Ereke, of the University of Abuja, said that paying criminals is giving perpetrators the ability to increase their reach and purchase more weapons.
“It is a lucrative venture in a country where a lot of young people are impoverished, jobless and hungry,” he said. “The state, which should confront these criminals, is enabling them by always pandering to their dictates. It should be the other way round, that is, the criminals should be scared of the state, but, in this case, it is the state that is scared of criminals.”
The well-known 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of 276 girls gained international attention and sparked the #BringBackOurGirls movement. Over 100 of those girls remain missing, however.

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279 Kidnapped Schoolgirls Freed In Nigeria

Crime

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