Juju is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Nigeria’s traditional religious and cultural history. In popular culture, the word is often associated with mysterious charms, curses and supernatural powers. However, historically, the traditions that came to be described as juju were much broader. They formed part of complex indigenous religious systems involving deities, ancestors,…
For more than a decade, Sierra Leone was trapped in one of the most brutal civil wars in modern African history. From 1991 to 2002, the country experienced massacres, mutilations, forced recruitment, sexual violence, displacement and the destruction of entire communities. At the centre of the conflict was the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel…
Nigeria’s first military coup on January 15, 1966, did not end with the overthrow of the civilian government. Instead, it opened a chain of events that would push the country toward military rule, ethnic violence and, eventually, the Nigerian Civil War. Among the darkest episodes was the killing of dozens of military officers during the…
In the spring of 1803, a group of enslaved Africans made a desperate choice on the coast of Georgia. They had been violently removed from West Africa, carried across the Atlantic and sold into slavery in Savannah. Their destination was the plantations of St. Simons Island. But before they could be forced into plantation life,…
Moremi Ajasoro is one of the most celebrated women in Yoruba history and oral tradition. Remembered as a courageous queen of Ile-Ife, she is said to have risked her life to uncover the secret behind the mysterious enemies who repeatedly attacked her people. Her story combines history, legend, sacrifice and courage. For generations, the tale…
In the turbulent years after Nigeria gained independence, few young men challenged the Nigerian state as boldly as Isaac Adaka Boro. In February 1966, Boro, an Ijaw nationalist from the Niger Delta, declared the region an independent republic and launched an armed rebellion against the Federal Government. His revolt lasted only twelve days, but it…
On 10 November 1995, Nigeria carried out one of the most controversial executions in its modern history. Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa, writer, businessman and environmental activist, was hanged alongside eight other Ogoni men after a military tribunal found them guilty of involvement in the murder of four Ogoni leaders. The executions immediately provoked international condemnation. Human-rights…
On the morning of February 13, 1976, Nigeria was plunged into one of the darkest moments in its political history. General Murtala Ramat Mohammed, the country’s Head of State, was travelling to his office in Lagos when his official Mercedes-Benz was ambushed by armed soldiers. Within minutes, Nigeria’s leader was dead. The attack was part…
In the history of Nigerian crime, few names became as mysterious and feared as Shina Rambo. During the early 1990s, the name was associated with armed robbery, carjacking and violent criminal activity across southwestern Nigeria and along the Lagos Cotonou corridor. Unlike many criminals whose stories ended with a highly publicized arrest or execution, Shina…
In July 1984, an extraordinary political drama unfolded between Nigeria and Britain. A former Nigerian government minister was kidnapped from the streets of London, drugged and hidden inside a large wooden crate. The apparent plan was to secretly transport him back to Nigeria. When British authorities discovered the plot, the incident triggered an international diplomatic…