Author: The North Journals

Conflict Analysis ◆ May 16, 2026 ◆ West Africa Security Desk Breaking Analysis — Counterterrorism Dead in the Lake Chad Dark:Nigeria’s Biggest Counterterrorism Win — And Why the War Isn’t Over Yet The killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’s global second-in-command, in a joint US-Nigerian strike is historic. But for a conflict that has claimed over 35,000 lives since 2009, one bullet doesn’t end a war. AA Aminu Adamu Conflict Analyst | MSc Student, Peace & Conflict Studies Published: Saturday, May 16, 2026 · 18-min read On the night of Friday, May 15, 2026, somewhere in the dense, politically volatile terrain…

By Sani Saidu Muhammad Lead levels 180 times the safe limit. Cadmium silently destroying kidneys. A river turned into an open sewer,  under cover of night, while regulators look away. And the community-built sensor network fighting back. ⚠ CRITICAL FINDING Laboratory analysis from the 2025 Sentinel Network audit confirms that Lead concentrations in the Jakara River stand at 0.90 mg/L — approximately 180 times the maximum level permitted by the FAO and WHO for irrigation water. This water is being pumped, every single day, onto farmland feeding Kano’s urban population. The clock tower at the Kofar Mazugal gate has…

By Sheku Desmond Residents of Kolloh Town and Bonga Town in Freetown have launched a community-led initiative to plant mangrove trees in low-lying areas of their neighborhoods, in a bid to curb the devastating flooding that has long plagued both communities during Sierra Leone’s rainy season. The initiative, driven entirely by community members, targets waterlogged slum areas where rainwater accumulates and causes the most damage. Community leaders say they are ready to execute the plan but are calling on the government and development organizations for financial and logistical support before the rains begin. Kolloh Town, located in the West Area…

By Aminu Adamu There is a particular kind of man that Nigerian politics rarely produces organically. One who arrives at the campaign podium not through inheritance, not through the slow accumulation of political debts, and not through the midnight negotiations that define so much of the country’s democratic theatre. This kind of man arrives instead through a longer, quieter road: through the discipline of documentation, through the intimacy of community work, through the weight of personal grief refashioned into public purpose. Apochi NelsonOwoicho is, by most conventional measures, an unlikely politician. He is not the son of a senator. He…

By Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah A silent but rapidly escalating global health crisis is drawing urgent attention as Nigeria prepares to host world leaders for a high-level summit on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a threat experts say is already responsible for millions of deaths each year. Known scientifically as Antimicrobial Resistance, the phenomenon occurs when life-saving medicines lose their ability to treat infections, turning once-manageable illnesses into potentially fatal conditions. From minor infections to routine surgical procedures, the risks are intensifying worldwide. A Growing Global Crisis Health experts warn that the surge in drug resistance is largely driven by the misuse and…

DOUALA, Cameroon A rare show of unity among conservation groups has yielded a major breakthrough in the fight to save the Cross River Gorilla, the world’s most endangered gorilla subspecies, as fewer than 300 individuals remain scattered across forest fragments along the Nigeria–Cameroon border. At a three-day knowledge exchange workshop held in Douala from February 25 to 27, nine conservation organisations came together to form what experts describe as a long-overdue coordinated front against the species’ imminent extinction. Convened by the African Conservation Foundation and funded through Conservation Connect, the workshop — titled Knowledge Exchange on Community Forests in the…

By Ibrahim Babangida Lawal A sweeping 27-year analysis of presidential movements across Nigeria has revealed stark regional disparities in federal engagement, with a handful of states receiving disproportionate attention while others remain largely overlooked. The study, conducted by the Digital Data Clinic, examined presidential travel records from 1999 through April 2026, uncovering patterns that analysts say reflect a mix of economic priorities, political calculations, and personal affiliations. Lagos, Kano, Katsina Dominate Presidential Itineraries At the center of the findings is Lagos State, which recorded a striking 217 presidential visits—more than any other state in the federation. The commercial hub is…

By Aminu Adamu There is a village in Zamfara State where the people no longer sleep. They take turns keeping watch through the night, each one holding whatever crude weapon they can find, because by the time the police arrive, it is always too late. The bandits who raid their community come well-armed. They arrive on motorcycles, carrying AK-pattern assault rifles and sometimes rocket-propelled grenade launchers. They are not improvising. They are supplied. This is not an isolated story from the fringes of Nigeria. It is the daily reality for millions of Nigerians stretched across the northwest, northeast, and Middle…

By Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah At a busy primary health centre in Dutse Alhaji, Bwari Area Council of Abuja, six-months pregnant Mrs. Precious Innocent sits quietly among other expectant mothers. Her story reflects a subtle but powerful transformation unfolding in Nigeria’s maternal healthcare system. Her concern began at her first antenatal visit. “When I did the test here for the first time, they told me that my blood was a little bit low. The nurses advised me to keep taking my drugs and eat more vegetables,” she recalled. Soon after enrolling for antenatal care, she was introduced to Multiple Micronutrient Supplements, known…

By Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah  Glaucoma is steadily emerging as a major public-health crisis in Nigeria, silently depriving millions of people of their sight while many remain unaware of the disease until it reaches an advanced and irreversible stage. Medical experts are increasingly warning that the condition, which damages the optic nerve and leads to permanent blindness, is one of the most under-recognised yet urgent health threats facing the country today. Speaking during the commemoration of World Glaucoma Day, glaucoma specialist Dr. Magdalene Ajani called for urgent, coordinated national action. She cautioned that millions of Nigerians may already be living with the…