You fooled me twice

The Nigerian armed forces have been attacked twice by Boko Haram in a week

Nov 21, 2024

Good morning, Big Brains. Apologies for the melodramatic subject but you’ll get it soon. But here’s a snippet - Boko Haram has been terrorizing the Nigerian armed forces and kinda getting away with it.

- Margaret

Word count: ~ 1, 200
Reading time ~ 5 mins

Let’s get into today’s edition:

Boko Haram is daring the Nigerian armed forces
Starlink won’t be taking new orders from Nigeria until NCC backs down
Dangote’s fuel has said “toodles” to Nigeria

The Big Deal

Boko Haram is daring the Nigerian armed forces

When you hear "terrorism in Nigeria," the first thing that probably comes to mind is Boko Haram. They've been causing problems since 2009, but lately, their name hasn’t been trending as much. Unfortunately, they’re back in the news, and it’s not for anything good.

In just one week, the terror group has pulled off two major attacks on Nigerian forces. On Saturday, November 17, they stormed a Nigerian Army camp in Kareto, Borno State, armed to the teeth with weapons and even a car bomb, destroying the camp along with 15 vehicles. While reports initially claimed that 20 soldiers lost their lives to the attack, the Defence Headquarters later said only five deaths were recorded.

As if that wasn’t enough, two days later, suspected Boko Haram fighters ambushed a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) team in Farin-Kasa, Kaduna State. The officers were on patrol when they picked up stranded foreigners for safety. Little did they know over 200 fighters were waiting on a nearby hill. Shots were fired, and while the NSCDC managed to kill 50 of the attackers, seven officers went missing, and others ended up in the hospital.

Why is this a big deal?

The recent attacks are not the only audacious move the terror group has made in recent times. In October 2024, Boko Haram beheaded four people in Gwoza, Borno State, made and released a video of the gruesome killing, calling it payback for their members who were killed by the Nigerian military.

In the same month, Boko Haram killed 40 Chadian soldiers after it carried out a similar surprise attack on a military base near the Chad-Nigeria border.

It’s one thing to have Boko Haram still causing chaos after 15 years, but now there’s a new terrorist group to worry about—Lakurawa. This terrorist group has started operations in Nigeria’s Northwest after strolling into the country through a weak border. And while Boko Haram and Lakurawa are two separate groups, they seem to be especially daring the Nigerian military this month.

Also, Nigeria has been pouring money it doesn’t have into the fight against terrorism. In the first six months of 2024 alone, the government spent ₦1.03 trillion on anti-terrorism efforts. That’s not a small amount, but the real question is what we have to show for it – ambushes on security forces, missing officers, and terrorists confidently taking over hills like they’re claiming territory.

This is also a dangerous sign for ordinary Nigerians. Comrade Bulama Abiso, the Executive Director of the Network of Civil Society in Borno State, believes that Boko Haram's resurgence particularly shows that “security agencies are relaxing.”

Over 2,300 Nigerians have already died from insecurity between January and March 2024, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). That’s more than 25 lives lost every single day. If Comrade Abiso’s claims are true, then these numbers might increase soon.

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Starlink won’t be taking new orders from Nigeria until NCC backs down

Elon Musk might be having a migraine today, and it's all because of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). In September, Musk’s Starlink shocked the Nigerian internet market when it announced a surprising 97% hike in its monthly subscription fees. Prices for its basic plan jumped from ₦38,000 to ₦75,000, while the hardware kit for new users went from ₦440,000 to ₦590,000. Starlink claimed this crazy hike was due to “excessive inflation,” but the move wasn’t well received by NCC and it in turn denied approving Starlink’s hike, backing up its claims with Sections 108 and 111 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, which require tariff changes to be cleared with the commission before hitting the market.

What followed was a back-and-forth worthy of a Nollywood adaptation. The NCC accused Starlink of breaking its license conditions and pressed Starlink’s neck until it temporarily backed down.

What’s happening now?

Things escalated in November. Starlink has now suspended new orders for its Residential kits across Nigeria. If you try to place an order, you’ll get a message saying the pause will only lift after they secure NCC’s approval for the price hike. This suspension will take effect nationwide.

Why does this matter?

Nigerians love Starlink and for good reasons too. In the fourth quarter of 2023, it became the third-largest internet service provider in Nigeria. With local telecoms struggling to deliver reliable service, Starlink has quickly built a reputation for providing high-speed internet. If the NCC doesn't back down, Starlink may be forced to either leave Nigeria or significantly reduce its operations in the country. This could mean fewer service options for Nigerians.

The bigger question is whether the NCC has the right to block Starlink’s price hike. According to the Nigerian Communication Act we quoted earlier, it does.

Even though ₦75,000 a month isn’t cheap, for over 20,000 Nigerians, it’s a small price to pay for fast, reliable internet. If NCC forces Starlink to stick to the old rates and the company decides to pack up, its existing users who would rather pay for its services than struggle with slow networks will be badly affected.

Dangote’s fuel has said “toodles” to Nigeria

Dangote’s new refinery has just levelled up. The refinery has shipped over 300,000 barrels of petrol to Togo, where fuel is usually shipped before being moved to other countries. This could be the beginning of the Dangote refinery's international impact on fuel markets across West Africa.

Last month, Dangote sent its first batch of petrol to Lagos, and now it's looking into supplying to other countries like Ghana, South Africa, and the Benin Republic. Ghana’s oil regulator even said that importing from Dangote could lower fuel prices and reduce strain on their foreign exchange. If the refinery reaches its 650,000 barrels per day capacity, this could change how fuel is traded for African countries.

This is great news for Nigeria because fuel exports mean higher government taxes and a stronger economy. It might still be too soon to do a little dance because we still don’t know where exactly Dangote’s 300,000 barrels of petrol are headed. Since Togo is usually used as a transfer point, the fuel could end up anywhere or nowhere for now. We’ll let you know what Dangote’s next move is when we know for sure.

This Week’s Big Question

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You can also share your response here, and if it’s as interesting as Tolu’s, we’ll feature it in the next edition.

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