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.”
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.
Cisco is exploring artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions to support smallholder farmers in Nigeria, as part of efforts to expand digital inclusion and technology adoption.
The initiative focuses on improving agricultural productivity through accessible, data-driven tools.
The move aligns with growing collaboration between Nigeria and the United States under the Commercial and Investment Partnership, which prioritises the digital economy, agriculture and infrastructure.
Speaking at the 2026 World Business Chicago, Brian Tippens, chief social impact and inclusion Officer at Cisco, said the company is assessing practical AI applications to help farmers combine local knowledge with data insights.
He said Cisco is exploring tools such as AI-enabled WhatsApp communities, geospatial mapping and weather intelligence to support day-to-day farming decisions.
The approach reflects a shift towards low-cost, mobile-first solutions suited to rural environments.
Tippens added that the Cisco Foundation is investing in early-stage startups developing technologies for local agricultural challenges.
Industry analysts note that AI adoption in emerging markets depends on locally relevant solutions, rather than large-scale enterprise deployments alone.
Beyond agriculture, Cisco plans to expand digital skills development in Nigeria through programmes such as the Cisco Networking Academy’s One Million Learners initiative.
Tippens said the programme also supports partnerships with organisations working with persons with disabilities, including those developing tools for people with visual impairments.
He added that Cisco’s social impact strategy aims to improve access to technology and promote inclusion, including in conflict-affected regions such as Borno State.
Cisco’s initiatives form part of broader efforts to link digital skills, connectivity and AI adoption to economic development in Nigeria.
Federal Government has launched a nationwide Artificial Intelligence (AI) capacity-building programme for teachers in Federal Unity Colleges, with about 11,700 educators set to acquire digital skills aimed at improving classroom instruction and preparing students for a technology-driven future.
The initiative advanced with the signing of the Terms of Reference (ToR) between the Federal Ministry of Education and ICEDT Consult Limited, paving the way for the nationwide implementation of the AI Teacher Capacity Development Programme.
The programme, to be implemented through the ministry’s Education Support Services Department, is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to modernise Nigeria’s education sector, strengthen teacher professionalism and equip students with skills required in the digital economy under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking during the signing ceremony in Abuja, the Director of the Education Support Services Department, Gabriel Amudipe, described the initiative as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s teaching workforce and the future of education.
He said the nationwide rollout followed the successful completion of a pilot phase conducted in selected Federal Unity Colleges.
According to him, the implementation model developed by ICEDT Consult Limited will ensure effective coordination and quality delivery of the programme across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Amudipe urged officials responsible for monitoring the project to ensure strict compliance with the implementation guidelines and maintain the standards achieved during the pilot phase.
“The ministry remains committed to supporting innovative initiatives that strengthen teacher professionalism, improve learning outcomes and promote the responsible integration of emerging technologies into education,” he said.
Earlier, the Deputy Director of the Education Support Services Department, Oladele Fapohunda, described the programme as a strategic intervention designed to deepen digital innovation across Federal Unity Colleges.
He stressed that collaboration among all stakeholders would be essential to achieving the objectives of the initiative nationwide.
Also speaking, the Head of Strategic Partnerships and Learning Scientist at ICEDT Consult Limited, Dr Abdulrahman Orosanya, said the Federal Government approved the national rollout after the successful pilot implementation in six Federal Unity Colleges representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
According to Orosanya, the pilot demonstrated the potential of Artificial Intelligence to improve lesson planning, classroom delivery, assessment methods and teachers’ productivity.
He said the nationwide implementation would strengthen teachers’ digital competencies, improve instructional delivery and support the government’s vision of building a technology-driven education system capable of producing globally competitive graduates equipped with 21st-century skills.
The ceremony ended with the formal signing of the Terms of Reference by officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and ICEDT Consult Limited, signalling the commencement of preparations for full implementation across all Federal Unity Colleges.
The ministry said the programme would directly train about 11,700 teachers, while thousands of students across the country’s Federal Unity Colleges are expected to benefit through improved classroom instruction, increased digital innovation and the responsible application of Artificial Intelligence in teaching and learning.
It reaffirmed its commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to modernise Nigeria’s education system, improve teacher quality and deliver inclusive, equitable and future-ready education nationwide.
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