Desperate Nigerians sell homes, land and crowdfund to free their children
25 August 2021 |
8:51 am
Abubakar Adam has not seen seven of his 10 children in the two months since armed men snatched them from their boarding school in Nigeria's northern Niger state. He sold his car, a parcel of land, cleaned out his savings and along with other parents sought help from friends and relatives to raise 30 million naira ($72,993) to get their children back. But the bandits just took the money - and one of the men delivering it - leaving Adam with nothing. The rash of kidnappings across the largely poor northwest has left hundreds of parents facing the same desperate quandary: beg, borrow and sell assets, or risk never seeing their children again.
Related
8 May 2022
Kenya-based Yvonne Waiyaki uses art as therapy for deaf children. With support and proper follow-up, they are integrated in the community and can achieve as much as their hearing peers.
15 May 2022
More than 4,000 children from Ukrainian orphanages and care homes have been evacuated to Poland to escape the war. Separated from their parents or abandoned, they're coming to terms with trauma.
11 May 2022
At the start of a U.N. conference on desertification in Ivory Coast, President Alassane Ouattara has said the country wants to raise $1.5 bln to revive forests and land in the world's top cocoa producer.
25 May 2022
It is now less than 12 months to the 2023 general election, and different politicians have indicated interest to pilot the affairs of Nigeria. Both inter and intra-party politics have begun to take place within the parties. GuardianTV went out to speak with a cross-section of Nigerians and this is what they have to say about the President they want in 2023.
25 May 2022
A teenager shot dead 19 children at an elementary school in the small city of Uvalde, officials said. US President Joe Biden called for stricter gun laws, asking when "are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?"
29 May 2022
Jimia Abdul Yusuf is dedicated to spreading awareness about cancer, especially for children’s issues. A foundation helps parents raise funds for treatment.
10 Jun 2022
Jimia Abdul Yusuf is dedicated to spreading awareness about cancer, especially for children’s issues. A foundation helps parents raise funds for treatment.
10 Jun 2022
Israel has signed a free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates – its first with an Arab country. The historic pact builds on the normalisation of ties in 2020 and eliminates tariffs on 96 percent of goods. It aims to bring growth and lower prices to both countries. We take a closer look.
3 Jun 2022
Last month, Amazon's 8,000 warehouse workers in Staten Island, New York voted to form the company's first ever union. It was the first in a series of union victories at companies that pay hourly wages. Experts say this could be the most significant moment in decades for the US labour movement, sparking hope that a wave of unionisation could help millions of Americans secure fairer working conditions. But US corporations are fighting back. Our New York correspondents report.
12 Jun 2022
A one-of-a-kind LeBron James trading card is expected to sell for over $6 million at auction. The card includes patches taken from jerseys worn by James throughout his career.
13 Jun 2022
Eleven passengers seized by gunmen during an attack on a train in northern Nigeria have been freed, though dozens are thought to remain in captivity.
15 Jun 2022
Wall Street had one of its worst days in recent weeks on Monday as a worse-than-expected US inflation figure last Friday fuelled concern about more aggressive rate hikes to come from the Federal Reserve. Cryptocurrencies also continued to tank after a lender froze withdrawals. Plus, as Europe looks to bolster the continent's energy security, France's TotalEnergies signs a deal with Qatar on a major gas field project.
Latest
6 mins ago
The White House has said an American aid worker who was kidnapped in the West African nation more than six years ago has been released from custody.
10 mins ago
A Thai court has sentenced a 26-year-old man to two years in jail for selling satirical calendars featuring rubber ducks, which authorities said insulted the king. Inflatable yellow ducks were used as a symbol during pro-democracy protests in 2020.
11 mins ago
The Iranian authorities have promised that whoever is behind the poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls will be mercilessly punished — but the government has lost all credibility with the people.
3 hours ago
France's government decided to bypass the lower house of parliament with contested pension reforms. The snap decision came moments before a planned vote, sparking fury inside and outside of parliament.
3 hours ago
Is America facing a banking crisis? As regulators try to stem the fallout from the collapse of Silicon Valley and Signature Banks, we look at the risks for the rest of the system. Kate Moody speaks to economist Nicolas Veron from the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the European think tank Bruegel.
5 hours ago
Tunisian President Kais Saied ordered security forces to "halt the illegal migration of African migrants into the country." Has North Africa become the new go-to destination for African migrants and refugees? DW looks at the facts.