News
UK Newspaper Links Samantha Lewthwaite, White Widow to Abuja Bombing
Samantha Lewthwaite, white widow, may be the terror mastermind behind a horrific attack in Abuja, capital of Nigeria yesterday which left 80 dead and hundreds wounded, according to Daily Star, UK based newspaper.
Lewthwaite, also known as Sherafiyah Lewthwaite, is the widow of 7/7 suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay and one of the world’s most wanted terrorism suspects.
On Monday, a huge explosion ripped through a busy bus station in the capital, Abuja, during the peak rush-hour.
The enormous blast destroyed 40 buses and left a sickening trail of death and destruction as fuel tanks on nearby vehicles also exploded amid the heat of the blast.
According to Daily Star, while nobody has officially claimed responsibility, security sources fear the bombing may have been a revenge attack for the death of al-Shabaab terror chief Makaburi, aka Sheikh Abubakar Shariff Ahmed – Lewthwaite’s mentor – just two weeks ago.
Lewthwaite is an alleged member of the Somali radical Islamic militant group Al-Shabaab.
She has been accused of orchestrating grenade attacks at non-Muslim places of worship, and is believed to have been behind an attack on those watching football in a bar in Mombasa during Euro 2012.
The infamous widow of 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay, is on the run in Africa with three children.
The daughter of a British Army soldier, she is already on Interpol’s Most Wanted list in connection with seven murders as well as the siege of the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya in September last year which left 67 dead and nearly 200 injured.
She was known to be ‘extremely close’ to Makaburi, who coordinated the Westgate atrocity.
According to Daily Star, a senior security source said agents across Africa were on high alert after the assassination of Makaburi – reportedly by the UK and US funded Kenyan Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) 14 days ago.
The source said: “Makaburi was always believed to be at the very top of the hierarchy of terror organisation al-Shabaab.
“Intelligence suggests he introduced Samantha Lewthwaite to many influential figures within the al-Shabaab network. He guided her on her path to Jihad.
“His murder was seen as yet another act of war.”
The source added that Lewthwaite and her associates “wanted revenge”.
Lewthwaite, 30, is believed to be in Nigeria, Kenya or Somalia, where Islamist terror networks are closely linked, making it far easier for her to evade detection than in Europe.
The world’s most wanted woman was reportedly caught at a checkpoint in Nigeria just six months ago – but managed to bribe her way to freedom.
It is thought she commands enormous loyalty and power as a white convert, female jihadist, having proved her worth in previous attacks.
As both a mother and widow of a 7/7 bomber, she also provides the groups with invaluable propaganda.
Local police have linked today’s bombing to the Boko Haram terrorist network, which has been threatening to attack the Nigerian capital.
Last year Boko Haram boasted of’merging’ with both al-Shabaab AND Al-Qaeda to form a pan-African terror super-network.
Together, the groups control a vast, arid area known as ‘Sahelistan’ – thousands of miles of sub-Saharan land which stretches from Senegal in west Africa to Somalia in the east.
This ‘ungovernable’ terrain has become a sanctuary for Islamist militants plotting atrocities in Africa and across the world.
The commander of the U.S. military’s Africa Command General Carter Ham said the groups now share money, explosives and even train together.
He said: “Each of those three organisations is by itself a dangerous and worrisome threat.
“What really concerns me is that they are coordinating and synchronising their efforts.
“That is a real problem for us and for African security in general.”
The White Widow, who has been on the run since January 2012, got her grim nickname after husband Germaine Lindsay blew up a London Tube train in the 7/7 bombings in 2005. Fifty six people were killed and more than 700 injured.
Interpol has issued a rare ‘Red Notice’ for the White Widow’s arrest.
Lewthwaite, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, is believed to have widely used the alias ‘Natalie Webb’ and travelled on a forged South African passport. She is now officially being hunted by 190 countries and is one of the most wanted international fugitives in the world.
Police seized her laptop in 2011 and found detailed plans of how to build bombs and evidence she was planning multiple terrorist attacks both in Africa and the West.
She has also been linked to grenade attacks at non-Muslim places of worship in Africa and a terrorist attack on western football fans watching Euro 2012 in the Jericho bar in Mombasa.
Head of Interpol Ronald Noble said: “There is a global ‘tripwire’ for this fugitive.
“All 190 member countries are aware of the danger posed by this woman, not just across the region but also worldwide.”
Atte Ayodeji, a Nigerian computer scientist,has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of detecting, counting, grouping and generating healthy hair follicles during hair transplant procedures, an innovation that earned him the Best Innovative Technology award.
Atte Ayodeji
Ayodeji also graduated with a Distinction in his Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science from Birmingham City University on Friday, adding another milestone to an impressive academic year.
Beyond his award-winning hair transplant innovation, the Nigerian researcher developed a system and framework on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) as a professional responsibility in the diagnosis of lung cancer.
His dissertation received a silver award at the PGXPO2026 Winter, further highlighting the impact of his research in applying artificial intelligence to healthcare.
Sunday Dare, special adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Tinubu, celebrated Ayodeji’s achievements in a post on X, recalling how he first met him in 2019 during his National Youth Service.
“In 2019 when I became a Minister of the Republic, I met a young man of medium height, genteel with penetrating eyes: Atte Ayodeji. His words rarely come out and he could easily be passed by unnoticed. But I noticed him especially when my SA Kemi Areola brought him to me asking my approval for him to do his Youth Service in my office. I approved. From then on he was unstoppable. His brilliance shown and he developed skills beyond his frame.”
Highlighting Ayodeji’s recent accomplishments, Dare congratulated him saying, “Congratulations Atte. I am proud of you!”
Mr. Joseph Tegbe, minister of Power, has said that the federal government plans to end power sector subsidies from 2027 and that there are no immediate plans for tariff increases.
Mr. Joseph Tegbe, minister of Power
The minister told journalists during the media interactive session at the weekend that the government has announced plans to phase out electricity subsidy payments from 2027 as part of efforts to address mounting liabilities in the power sector.
He explained that the planned removal forms part of the broader reforms aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the electricity sector, while tackling the financial challenges confronting the industry.
According to the minister, despite the planned subsidy withdrawal, there are no immediate plans to increase electricity tariffs, reassuring consumers that the government is not considering a tariff hike in the short term.
Patience Okala, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office has urged African countries to stop exporting raw materials and instead focus on adding value to its natural resources if it is to fully harness the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
She stated this on Thursday at the Streamsowers & Köhn 20th Anniversary Business Forum, where she stressed that value addition and beneficiation are essential to Africa’s industrialisation and long-term economic growth.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, she said the AfCFTA goes beyond the elimination of tariffs, serving as a framework for industrialisation, value addition, and job creation across the continent.
“AfCFTA is not only about tariffs; it is also about value addition. Africa has to stop exporting raw materials. We need to add value and ensure that beneficiation is done on the continent,” she said.
Okala also said Africa’s economic transformation would depend on the effective implementation of the AfCFTA rather than on the signing of trade agreements alone.
“We have moved beyond negotiations. The success of AfCFTA will be measured by the extent to which businesses can access new markets, trade seamlessly across borders, and benefit from the opportunities created by the agreement,” she said.
She noted that Nigeria had intensified efforts to implement the agreement under the leadership of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, including the development of simplified AfCFTA guides in six languages to help businesses understand and take advantage of opportunities under the trade pact.
Okala called for stronger collaboration among governments, regulators, and the private sector to eliminate barriers to trade and investment and build a truly integrated African market.
“As we move from policy to implementation, our collective responsibility is to ensure that the opportunities created by AfCFTA become practical realities for businesses, particularly MSMEs, women-owned enterprises, and young entrepreneurs across the continent,” she said.
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