Source : Sahel weather February 2025

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In Nigeria, at the beginning of February, a large-scale swindling network exploited young Ivorians in search of a better future. Lured by the promise of a trip to Europe, many young people are persuaded to pay sums ranging from 500,000 to 3 million CFA francs to travel. Once they arrive in Nigeria, their documents are confiscated, and all contact with their loved ones is severed, leaving them in a very precarious situation.

In view of the scale of the phenomenon, the Côte d'Ivoire embassy in Abuja sent a letter to the Ivorian Minister of Foreign Affairs to alert him to the situation and to help the victims. Earlier this month, Nigerian police arrested 110 illegal Ivorians suspected of involvement in a pyramid scheme. Some 50 of them were repatriated to Côte d'Ivoire, on grounds put forward by Abuja that they had entered the country illegally.

But this case is part of a wider context: Nigeria has become a veritable epicenter of cybercrime, attracting international networks with complex ramifications. On February 3, 2025, the Nigerian courts tried almost forty foreigners accused of belonging to an organization specializing in online scams. Arrested in mid-December by the National Anti-Corruption Agency, the suspects, mainly from China, the Philippines, Pakistan and Indonesia, are charged with cyberterrorism, identity theft and possession of false documents. According to the investigation, they recruited and clandestinely employed Nigerians to carry out their fraudulent activities, posing a threat to the country's economic and security stability.

Between insecurity, political tensions and humanitarian emergency

While the authorities fight this growing crime, another tragedy has shaken Nigeria. On February 5, a fire broke out in an Islamic school in the Kaura Namoda district of Zamfara state, in the northwest of the country. The school was attended by around a hundred children at the time of the tragedy, and at least seventeen (17) of them lost their lives, according to the National Emergency Response Agency. While the exact origin of the fire has yet to be determined, initial investigations indicate that it was caused by a stock of oral hygiene sticks, known locally as "Kara", stored near the school. In response, President Bola Tinubu offered his condolences to the bereaved families and urged schools to reinforce child safety. But above all, this incident highlights the fragility of the Nigerian education system. Already facing multiple challenges, it has to cope with persistent insecurity, which feeds parents' fears and encourages children to drop out of school. According to UNICEF, some 18.3 million Nigerian children are not in school, an alarming figure in a country where education is crucial to the future.

Parallel to this situation of insecurity, political tension is intensifying. On February 7, 2025, several Nigerian MPs called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), imprisoned since 2021 and accused of terrorism. Founder of this separatist movement, Kanu is a central figure in the pro-independence movement in the south-east of the country. His detention continues to inflame tensions and fuel a climate of instability. Against this backdrop, the chairman of the parliamentary committee responsible for regional development declared that his release would be "a first step towards peace and stability". However, the violence continues unabated: demonstrations and dead cities are regularly organized, while mutual accusations between the federal government and the IPOB multiply, each blaming the other for the attacks and kidnappings that rock the region.

Finally, on the humanitarian front, the Nigerian authorities are attempting to limit the damage caused by another emergency situation. On February 14, 2025, Parliament approved an additional budget of $200 million to strengthen the health sector. This decision was taken in response to the 90-day suspension of USAID funding by the US administration.

While this initiative is intended to fill the gap left by the absence of US financial support, it may not be enough to offset the impact of this suspension on other sectors. In particular, humanitarian aid in the north-east of the country is likely to suffer, even though this region has been plagued by a jihadist insurgency since 2009. Deprived of crucial assistance, thousands of displaced people could find themselves in an even more precarious situation.