2020 in Nigeria

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See also: 2020 in West Africa

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The following is a list of events in 2020 in Nigeria.

Incumbents[]

Federal government[]

Governors[]

Events[]

January[]

  • 3 January – 19 people are killed and homes and other buildings are burned by unidentified gunmen in Tawari, Kogi State.[2]
  • 6 January – 2020 Gamboru bombing: 30 killed and 35 injured in a bomb explosion in Gamboru, Borno State, apparently by Boko Haram.[3]
  • 8 January – American rapper Cardi B announces she will seek Nigerian citizenship.[4]
  • 15 January – 50th anniversary of the end of the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970).[5]
  • 16 January – Three aid workers who were held hostage since 22 December 2019 are released in Borno State.[6]
  • 24 January – Lassa fever outbreak kills 29 in 11 states this month.[7]
  • 31 January – U.S. President Donald Trump expands the travel ban to include Nigeria and five other countries.[8]

February[]

  • 1 February – A ban on commercial motorcycles goes into effect in Lagos State.[9]
  • 4 February
    • US $300 million (£230 million) seized from former president Sani Abacha's laundered accounts will be returned to Nigeria.[10]
    • Senate approves budget for customs.[11]
  • 7 February – American rapper Lil Wayne says, "I'm more Nigerian than American."[12]
  • 9 February – At least 30 people killed in Auno, Borno State, apparently by Boko Haram.[13]
  • 14 February – International flights to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos are diverted to Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, due to poor weather and complications with new equipment.[14]
  • 27 February – A stolen bronze statue from Ifẹ in the Yoruba kingdom is ceased at the Mexico City International Airport and returned to Nigeria.[15] The statue is later found to be a fake.[16]
  • 28 February – The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed an Italian citizen who works in Lagos has been confirmed as the first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.[17]

March[]

  • 4 March - Four police officers and two militiamen were killed by Boko Haram militants during a raid on an army base in Damboa, Borno State.[18]
  • 9 March – The emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, is dethroned for "disrespect to lawful instructions".[19]
  • 15 March - Abule-Ado explosion, Lagos State, killed at least 15 people and destroyed around 50 buildings.[20]
  • 24 March – March 2020 Chad and Nigeria massacres: About 70 soldiers are ambushed and killed by Boko Haram in Goneri village, Borno State.[21]

April[]

  • 13 April – People of African origin, including Nigerians, have faced discrimination in Guangzhou and elsewhere in China. Africans from Nigeria, Togo and Benin have been evicted from hotels in the middle of the night, a group of African students was forced to take COVID-19 tests despite not having travelled recently, and others reported being threatened with having their visas and work permits revoked.[22]
  • 17 April – Considerable fake news about the coronavirus is circulating in Africa.[23]
  • 18 April – April 2020 Katsina attacks: Armed bandits kill 47 people in attacks on villages in Katsina State.[24]
  • 19 April – Twenty-one employees of ExxonMobil from Akwa Ibom State were arrested for violating state quarantine standards in Rivers State, but were released when the union threatened industrial action. It is unknown if any of the arrested men have symptoms of infection.[25]
  • 23 April – Nigeria has tested only 7,153 people for COVID-19, 0.03% of the population. 873 cases and 28 deaths have been reported, but the Africa Centers for Disease Control fears the numbers may go much higher.[26]
  • 25 April – The Central Bank of Nigeria took 1.47 trillion naira ($3.8 billion) from lenders as additional cash reserves for failing to meet regulatory targets.[27]
  • 28 April – Gravediggers in Kano report a mysterious increase in deaths. There is speculation that the deaths may be linked to the coronavirus pandemic, but no one knows since autopsies are not routinely done. Another possibility is that the deaths may be related to other underlying diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, meningitis and acute malaria that have gone untreated because many hospitals are closed.[28]
  • 30 April – Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kano triple from 77 at the beginning of the week to 219 as health authorities ramp up "verbal autopsies". State officials insist most of the fatalities were due to other diseases rather than COVID-19. Nasiru Sani Gwarzo, head of the presidential COVID-19 taskforce sent to Kano, said the rise in deaths was also due to cuts to medical services for other ailments as a result of the crisis.[29]

May[]

  • 6 May – Olalekan Hameed is sentenced to death in a trial broadcast on Zoom for the murder of his employer's mother.[30]
  • 15 May – A controversial plan to close Koranic schools in 19 northern states and sending ′′almajirai′′ (″pupils″) home results in spreading COVID-19. Sixty-five boys test positive in Kaduna, 91 in Jigawa, eight in Gombe, and seven in Bauchi State.[31]
  • 18 May – Boko Haram extremists attacked a village just as people were preparing to break their Ramadan fast after sundown, killing at least 20 people in the first attack of its kind in northeastern Nigeria since the holy month began.[32]
  • 30 May – #JusticeForUwa is trending in Nigeria, with the family of Uwavera Omozuwa family appealing for help to track down her rapists and killers in a church in Benin City, Edo State.[33]

June[]

  • 9 June – Gunmen suspected of belonging to Boko Haram kill 81 villagers in Borno State.[34] Another 20 people are killed in an attack in Katsina State.[34]
  • 10 June – The World Trade Organization accepts the nomination of two-time Nigerian minister Okonjo-Iweala as its Director-General.[35]
  • 11 June – An Aide-de-camp to First Lady Aisha Buhari is arrested after shooting at presidential nephew and aide when the latter refuses to go into self-isolation after a trip to Lagos.[36]
  • 12 June
  • 22 June – Cross River gorillas including babies, once thought to be an extinct species, are captured on film by conservationists in the Mbe Mountains near the border with Cameroon.[39]

July[]

  • 8 July – Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos reestablish domestic flights after a three-month shutdown; other airports will open soon. No date has been given for the resumption of international flights.[40]
  • 13 July – A retired American woman was rescued by a Police Intelligence Response Team after being held hostage for 15 months by a 34-year-old man in a hotel. The man had extorted US$48,000 from her.[41]
  • 18 July – Between three and 16 security forces died and up to 28 are wounded in an attack inside a forest near Jibia in Katsina state.[42]
  • 23 July – Militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province, which broke away from Boko Haram several years, ago claimed responsibility for killing five aid workers who were kidnapped last month in northeastern Nigeria.[43]
  • 29 July - Fourteen people are killed in a mass shooting in Kogi State.

August[]

  • 11 August – Musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, 22, is sentenced to death by hanging in Kano State for blasphemy against Muhammad.[44] A number of Independent UN human rights experts, including the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Karima Bennoune, urged the Government to immediately release the singer.[45]
  • 20 August – The army regains control of Kukawa, Borno, where the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) had taken hundreds of captives on 18 August.[46]
  • 23 August – Two die in clashes between security forces and Biafran separatists.[47]
  • 25 August - Eighteen people were killed after Islamic State in West Africa militants planted an improvised explosive device on the road between Monguno and Baga, Borno.[48]

October[]

  • 20 October - Lekki massacre in the #Endsars protest, armed security personnel use live bullets to disperse crowd in Lekki leading to casualties and fatalities. Lagos State's governor declares a 24 hours curfew in the state.[49]
  • 30 October – NaijaHacks, Africa's largest Hackathon, holds NaijaHacks from home 2020 Hackathon.[50]
  • 31 October - United States Navy SEALs from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group rescued a 27-year-old American hostage held captive by armed gunmen near the border with Niger.[51]

November[]

  • 14 November – Witnesses say that soldiers shot civilians during a peaceful protest is Lagos on October 20.[52]
  • 28 November - Koshebe massacre: 110 civilians and peasant farmers were killed and six were wounded as they worked in rice fields in Koshebe village. It is the deadliest attack against civilians in Nigeria this year.[53]

December[]

  • 8 December – Amnesty International says 10,000 civilians have died while in police custody since the beginning of the Boko Harum insurgency in 2011.[54]
  • 14 December – About half the 800 boys kidnapped by bandits in Katsina State are still unaccounted for.[55]
  • 16 December – Seventeen of the schoolboys kidnapped by Boko Harum are rescued and two are killed; 300 are still unaccounted for.[56]
  • 18 December – The schoolboys are released. One hundred girls kidnapped in the 2014 Chibok kidnapping are still missing.[57]
  • 22 December – Eighty Muslim schoolboys are kidnapped and then released in Katsina State.[58]
  • 25 December – Boku Harum militants kill eleven people and burn a church in Pemi, Borno State.[59]
  • 29 December – The International Monetary Fund estimates the GDP of Nigeria at US$442.976 billion, making it the largest in Africa and the 26th largest in the world.[60]
  • 31 December – Traditional Christian "crossover" end-of-year celebrations are subdued as churches are held to 50% capacity. Nigeria has had 85,500 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 1,260, although the actual totals may be higher because of a low testing rate.[61]

Scheduled events[]

  • 29 October − Mawlid Muslim and public holiday[62]
  • 22 December – Sambisa Memorial Day, Borno State[62]
  • 25 December – Christmas Day (Christian holiday)[62]
  • 26 December – Boxing Day public holiday[62]

Deaths[]

January[]

  • 9 January – Chukwuemeka Ike, writer.[63]
  • 13 January – , actor.[64]

February[]

March[]

April[]

  • 11 April – Dr. Aliyu Yakubu, doctor.[74]
  • 15 April – Dr. Emeka Chugbo, doctor.[74]
  • 21 April – Richard Akinjide, jurist and former Minister of Justice.[75]
  • 30 April – Tony Allen, drummer.[76]

June[]

July[]

August[]

September[]

October[]

  • 12 October – Abai Ikwechegh, 97, jurist.[95]
  • 13 October – J. P. Clark, 85, poet.[96]
  • 26 October – Theophilus Adeleke Akinyele, 88, civil servant.[97]

December[]

  • 11 December – Sam Nda-Isaiah, 58, political columnist, entrepreneur and journalist, founder of Leadership.
  • 17 December – Peter Yariyok Jatau, 89, Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Kaduna (1975–2007).[98]
  • 21 December – Ikenwoli Godfrey Emiko, 65, traditional ruler, Olu of Warri (since 2015); COVID-19.[99]
  • 25 December – Chico Ejiro, film producer and director, seizure.[100]
  • 29 December – Gregory Ochiagha, 89, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Orlu (1980–2008).[101]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b The World Factbook, Nigeria CIA, retrieved 4 Feb 2020
  2. ^ "Unidentified gunmen kill 19 people in central Nigeria". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  3. ^ Nigeria hit by deadly bomb attack near Cameroon Deutsche Welle, 7 Jan 2020
  4. ^ "Cardi B's pledge to seek Nigerian citizenship sparks rivalry". AP NEWS. 2020-01-08. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  5. ^ Nigerians mark 50 years of the end of bloody civil war by Fidelis Mbah, Al Jazeera, 15 Jan 2020
  6. ^ Armed group frees kidnapped hostages in Nigeria Al Jazeera, 16 Jan 2020
  7. ^ Lassa fever outbreak kills dozens in Nigeria Al Jazeera, 31 Jan 2020
  8. ^ Trump expands travel ban to six additional countries Al Jazeera, 27 Jan 2020
  9. ^ Nigeria: Effects of Okada, Keke Ban Bite Harder As Lagosians Resume Work By Taofeekat Ajayi, Premium Times (allAfrica), 4 Feb 2020, retrieved 8 Feb 2020
  10. ^ Jersey bank's £230m seizure set to be returned to Nigeria BBC News, 4 Feb 2020
  11. ^ 2020 budget: Senate okays N238.15bn for Customs Daily Post, 4 Feb 2020
  12. ^ Nigeria: I'm More Nigerian Than American - Lil Wayne allAfrica, retrieved 7 Feb 2020
  13. ^ Reuters (February 10, 2020). "Suspected Boko Haram Fighters Kill at Least 30 in Nigeria". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. At least 30 people have been killed in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno region after suspected Boko Haram fighters set ablaze several trucks carrying passengers on Sunday night, eyewitnesses and residents told Reuters.
  14. ^ Aisha Salaudeen (Feb 14, 2020). "International flights to Lagos divert to Ghana due to poor equipment, leaving passengers stranded". CNN World.
  15. ^ Mexico returns ancient bronze sculpture to Nigeria BBC, 27 Feb 2020
  16. ^ Yoruba archeological piece Mexico returned to Nigeria is false El Universal, 18 March 2020
  17. ^ "Nigeria confirms first coronavirus case in Sub-Saharan Africa". France 24. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  18. ^ "Six killed in attack on Nigeria military base". www.aljazeera.com.
  19. ^ Influential Nigerian traditional ruler dethroned Al Jazeera, 9 Mar 2020
  20. ^ Ukomadu, Angela; Sanni, Seun; Eboh, Camillus; Ohuocha, Chijioke (March 15, 2020). Maclean, William; Hudson, Alexandra (eds.). "Lagos gas blast kills 15, destroys several buildings, Nigerian officials say". Reuters. An explosion at a gas processing plant on Sunday killed at least 15 people and destroyed about 50 buildings after a fire broke out in a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, emergency services said. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said the explosion was triggered after a truck hit some gas cylinders stacked in a gas processing plant near the corporation’s pipeline in Abule Ado area of Lagos state.
  21. ^ At least 50 Nigerian soldiers killed in Boko Haram ambush Al Jazeera, 24 Mar 2020
  22. ^ "China accused of discriminating against Africans as part of coronavirus fight". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 20, 2020.
  23. ^ "Coronavirus: What misinformation has spread in Africa?". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 20, 2020.
  24. ^ "'Armed bandits' kill 47 in northwest Nigeria's Katsina state: police". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 19, 2020.
  25. ^ "Nigerian oil union suspends industrial action after Exxon Mobil workers freed". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 20, 2020.
  26. ^ "Africa's 43% jump in virus cases in 1 week worries experts". ABC News. Retrieved Apr 24, 2020.
  27. ^ "Nigerian Banks to Take $3.8 Billion Hit for Missing Targets". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 26, 2020.
  28. ^ "What is behind Nigeria's unexplained deaths in Kano?". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 28, 2020.
  29. ^ "Virus cases leap in Nigeria's Kano". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  30. ^ "Coronavirus: Nigeria's death penalty by Zoom 'inhumane'". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  31. ^ "Coronavirus in Nigeria: The child beggars at the heart of the outbreak". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  32. ^ "Authorities: Boko Haram attacks Nigerian village, killing 20". ABC News. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  33. ^ "#JusticeForUwa trends in Nigeria after student murdered in church". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  34. ^ a b "Fighters kill dozens, raze village in Nigeria's Borno state". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  35. ^ Udo, Bassey (10 June 2020). "Nigeria: WTO Names Okonjo-Iweala Among Candidates for DG Election". allAfrica.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  36. ^ "Nigeria: Gunshots in Presidency As Aisha Buhari Moves Against President's Aide, ADC Arrested". allAfrica.com. 13 June 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  37. ^ "Nigeria: All 36 Governors Declare State of Emergency Over Rapes and Violence". allAfrica.com. Voice of America. 13 June 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  38. ^ Aisha Salaudeen. "Netflix partners with Nigerian filmmaker in new major deal". CNN. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  39. ^ "Rare gorillas in Nigeria captured on camera with babies". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  40. ^ "Nigeria restarts domestic flights amid easing coronavirus restrictions". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  41. ^ "American woman freed after being held captive in Nigeria". ABC News. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  42. ^ "World News - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  43. ^ "Islamic State group says it killed 5 aid workers in Nigeria". AP NEWS. 23 July 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  44. ^ "Nigerian singer sentenced to death for blasphemy in Kano state". BBC News. August 10, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  45. ^ "Rights experts denounce death sentence against Nigerian singer who posted on WhatsApp". UN News. 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  46. ^ "Nigerian army says 'in full control' of town where hostages taken". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  47. ^ "Nigerian security clash with Biafra separatists turns deadly - DSS". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  48. ^ "Nigerian soldiers and police killed in IS ambush in Borno state". BBC News. September 27, 2020. The Nigerian military says 18 people have been left dead after an ambush on a government convoy in the north-east of the country. It said four soldiers, 10 police officers and four civilians were killed in the attack targeting Borno state officials on Friday.
  49. ^ "End Sars protests: People 'shot dead' in Lagos, Nigeria". 21 October 2020.
  50. ^ MENAFN. "NaijaHacks announces the 2020 virtual NaijaHacks from home". Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  51. ^ Schmitt, Eric (31 October 2020). "Navy Commandos Rescue American Kidnapped in Niger". The New York Times.
  52. ^ George, Libby (November 14, 2020). "'The soldiers kept shooting:' witnesses testify in Lagos protest probe". msn.com. Reuters. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  53. ^ "Northeast Nigeria attack claimed at least 110 lives: UN". The Guardian. 29 November 2020.
  54. ^ OLUKOYA, Sam (December 8, 2020). "10,000 Nigerians died in military custody, alleges Amnesty". ABC News. AP. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  55. ^ "Nigeria school attack: Gunmen who seized children in Katsina 'surrounded'". news.yahoo.com. BBC News. December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  56. ^ "17 Nigerian students rescued from Boko Haram, two dead: Official". aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera English. December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  57. ^ "Nigerian official: More than 300 abducted schoolboys freed". AP NEWS. AP. 17 December 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  58. ^ "More students abducted in Nigeria but are quickly rescued". AP NEWS. 20 December 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  59. ^ "Boko Haram kill villagers in Christmas Eve attack". news.yahoo.com. Al Jazeera English. December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  60. ^ Emejo, James (29 December 2020). "Nigeria Remains Largest Economy in Africa, 26th in the World - IMF". allAfrica.com. This Day. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  61. ^ "Nigerian worshippers at a loss as 'crossover' prayers cancelled". msn.com. AFP. December 31, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  62. ^ a b c d "Holidays and observances in Nigeria in 2020". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  63. ^ Chukwuemeka Ike is dead Sun News Online, 10 Jan 2020
  64. ^ Veteran Actor Toyosi Arigbabuwo Is Dead
  65. ^ Liberty great Peter Aluma dead at the age of 46
  66. ^ Former Ogun Assembly Leader, Yinka Mafe, Dies After Celebrating 46th Birthday
  67. ^ Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Bostaji is dead Daily Post, 4 Feb 2020
  68. ^ Plateau Senator, Ignatius Longjan dies in Turkish hospital
  69. ^ Victor Olaiya, Nigerian highlife musician, dies at 89
  70. ^ Katsina-Ala Catholic Diocese loses Bishop, Most Rev Dr. Peter Iornzuul Adoboh.
  71. ^ Veteran Yoruba actor, Pa Kasumu is dead
  72. ^ Nigeria’s Female Paralympic Gold Medalist Ndidi Nwosu Is Dead
  73. ^ Enugu Rangers striker Ifeanyi George killed in car crash
  74. ^ a b 'Brilliant' doctor dies of coronavirus in Nigeria BBC News, 16 Apr 2020
  75. ^ Richard Akinjide, Former Justice Minister, Is Dead
  76. ^ Tony Allen, Pioneering Afrobeat Drummer, Has Died
  77. ^ Nigerian reggae legend Majek Fashek dies at 57
  78. ^ Nseyen, Nsikak (24 June 2020). "Nollywood actress, Bose Adewoyin, 'madam Tinubu' is dead". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  79. ^ Ajimobi: Former Oyo state governor dies at 70 after battling COVID-19
  80. ^ AKINYOADE, AKINWALE (25 June 2020). "Veteran Nollywood Actor Ogun Majek Is Dead". guardian.ng. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  81. ^ "Kogi Chief Judge dies in Abuja COVID-19 isolation centre". Vanguard News. 28 June 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  82. ^ "Parakoyi Of Ibadanland, Bode Akindele, Dies At 87". Independent. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  83. ^ Ex-APC NWC Member, Inuwa Abdulkadir, Is Dead
  84. ^ “Village Headmaster” Actor, Jimmy Johnson, Is Dead
  85. ^ Air force’s first female combatant helicopter pilot dies in freak accident
  86. ^ Buhari, Atiku, Saraki, others mourn Isa Funtua
  87. ^ NNPC announces sudden death of former Group Managing Director
  88. ^ "Buruji Kashamu dies of COVID-19". Archived from the original on 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  89. ^ Adamawa declares 3-day mourning as former Gov Wilberforce Juta dies
  90. ^ Nigerian goalkeeper dies in Senegal
  91. ^ AFCON ’92 Eagles star Babalade dies at 48
  92. ^ Ayo Akinwale, Nollywood actor, academician dies at 74
  93. ^ Veteran Yoruba Actor, Jimoh Aliu, Is Dead, To Be Buried On Friday
  94. ^ Emir of Zazzau is dead
  95. ^ Ex-Appeal Court Judge, Ikwechegh, Dies At 97
  96. ^ Renowned poet, J. P. Clark, dies at 85
  97. ^ Bobajiro of Ibadan, Akinyele, dies at 88
  98. ^ The Universal Church Lost A Unique Bishop
  99. ^ Olu of Warri Ikenwoli Godfrey Emiko dies of COVID-19
  100. ^ Nollywood producer Chico Ejiro dies 1 day after directing movie
  101. ^ Bishop Gregory Obinna Ochiagha

External links[]

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