Daily Watch – Boko Haram abducts 42 Borno women, Ghana traders warned of attacks in Niger

Boko Haram has abducted at least 42 women during an attack in Borno State. According to the Associated Press, the terrorists struck while the women gathered firewood in the Jere district of Borno. The abduction was revealed by a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force local security group who identified himself as Abba. Kachalla Maidugu, a government spokesman in the district, confirmed the incident. “We received information yesterday that 46 women were abducted, but only four were allowed to return home while 42 were held back,” said Maidugu. He also said the rebels demanded a ransom of ₦50,000 for each woman, though the locals negotiated for less money to pay for the women’s freedom. The latest abduction by the extremists occurred hours after they had ambushed security forces protecting farmers in the area, according to Abba with the local security group.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to pull civil servants out of the National Housing Fund (NHF), citing difficulties faced by workers in accessing the mortgage scheme despite monthly contributions to the fund. The congress also criticised the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) over its management of contributors’ funds. The committee is investigating remittances of the mandatory NHF contributions and the utilisation of the fund from 2011 till date.

Ghana’s Defence Ministry has cautioned Ghanaian traders to avoid going to Niger for business purposes at this time. This follows the recent shooting of a Ghanaian truck driver and the burning of his truck in Burkina Faso by unidentified assailants. Also, three trucks carting foodstuff from Niger to Ghana have been burnt at the Burkina Faso border by suspected terrorists. Before now, several drivers have died in similar attacks with over ten Ghanaian trucks set ablaze. Speaking to JoyNews, the Deputy Defence Minister, Kofi Amankwaa Manu, said it will be difficult for Ghanaian forces to protect the traders and drivers beyond the country’s borders. According to him, the areas where these attacks were carried out are beyond Ghana’s territorial jurisdiction, thus the country will be unable to provide traders and their drivers with any protection.

Two mediators have been appointed to find an out-of-court settlement to the dispute between Meta and 184 content moderators for Facebook in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, according to a document consulted by AFP on 23 August. These employees of Sama, a Meta subcontractor responsible for removing violent and hateful publications from Facebook, filed a complaint in March against their employer and Meta as the principal. They claim to have been unfairly dismissed by Sama, which has announced the end of its content moderation business. They are also seeking compensation for their salaries, which are “insufficient for the risk to which they were exposed,” and for the “damage caused to their mental health.” Their dismissals had been suspended on 2 June by the Nairobi Employment and Labour Relations Tribunal, pending a ruling on the merits. In an agreement consulted by AFP, the parties agreed to negotiate to “reach an amicable settlement through mediation,” to be held “within 21 days” from 23 August.