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Legislators discuss Nigeria’s state of emergency

By WTOP Staff

BASHIR ADIGUN
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Legislators called in Nigeria’s security chiefs Thursday to discuss extending a year-old military state of emergency in the country’s northeast aimed at curbing the Islamic uprising gripping the region.

Some northern politicians and all three governors in the northeastern states where the state of emergency holds say it has failed to stop the insurgents whose attacks are spreading as the states also see security force abuses. Armed with draconian powers under the emergency, Nigerian forces are accused of extrajudicial killings of thousands of civilians suspected of being members or of helping the Boko Haram terrorist network.

The state of emergency expires Thursday and President Goodluck Jonathan requested it be extended for another six months. It looked unlikely that the issue would be voted on Thursday.

Some politicians have suggested there is collusion between some in the military and the insurgents — one of the issues believed to be affecting the search for some 276 school girls and young women abducted from a remote northeastern school on April 15.

U.S. officials said Thursday freeing the girls is now one of its government’s top priorities, but they said there are limitations on U.S. cooperation and intelligence sharing with the Nigerian military due to human rights concerns and legal restrictions. They also expressed concern about the Nigerian government’s commitment and army’s ability to combat the group.

Robert Jackson, a State Department specialist on Africa, said the United States is boosting Nigeria’s intelligence and law enforcement capabilities, while seeking global sanctions on Boko Haram at the United Nations.

President Jonathan has ruled out the extremists’ demands that he swap the girls for detained Boko Haram suspects. Britain’s minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, said Jonathan made that clear in a meeting with him Wednesday in Abuja, the capital. Boko Haram has threatened to sell the girls into slavery if its militants are not freed.

Late Wednesday the government announced the arrest under an Interpol warrant of Abubakar Sadiq Ogwuche in the April 14 bombing in Abuja, that it said killed nearly 100 people.

Ogwuche is a British-born Nigerian who is an Arabic language student at Sudan’s International University of Africa. He served in an intelligence unit of the Nigerian army in Lagos from 2001 to 2006, when he deserted, a statement said.

Ogwuche was allegedly involved in terrorist activities that led to his arrest in 2011 when he arrived at Abuja’s international airport from London, but he was released on bail to his father, a retired army colonel, “following intense pressure from human rights activists, who alleged human rights violation,” the statement said.

Nigerian State Security agents earlier this week said they had also arrested five men, including confessed members of Boko Haram, on suspicion of being involved in the Abuja bombing.

The chief of Nigeria’s intelligence-gathering Department of State Services, Ekoenyong Ita, said Ogwuche’s arrest is proof that a lack of intelligence is not a factor in the failure to find the kidnapped students.

“If we can get the people who bombed Nyanya (in Abuja), we will get the girls,” he said in a government statement, urging Nigerians to be patient.

But the military’s apparent failures were addressed in Washington by Alice Friend, the U.S. Defense Department’s principal director for Africa, who said Thursday that “In general, Nigeria has failed to mount an effective campaign against Boko Haram” as the terrorist network becomes more dangerous by the day.

The town from which the schoolgirls were taken, Chibok, was again attacked by militants this week, Nigeria’s Defense Ministry said.

Four soldiers were killed in a firefight and angry soldiers subsequently protested by firing into the air when their commanding officer came to pay respects to the corpses at a barracks in Maiduguri, the state capital, the ministry said.

Soldiers who were there said they blamed the officer for the death of at least 12 soldiers killed in an ambush on a dangerous road from Chibok on Monday night. They said the mutinying troops fired directly at their commanding officers car but apparently did not mean to kill him, since he is unharmed.

International efforts to help rescue are underway, including overflights by U.S. aircraft and experts from Britain, France, Spain, Israel and the United States giving intelligence gathering, surveillance and hostage negotiation expertise. China also has promised help.

U.N. special representative on Nigeria, Said Djinnit, said the U.N. is preparing to offer help to the affected families, the population and the girls after their release including counseling, food and other emergency items

President Jonathan will meet with heads of state and representatives from Benin, Chad, Niger and Cameroon this weekend in Paris to discuss the fight against Boko Haram.

French officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the topic is sensitive, said there was no question that Boko Haram was beginning to extend its reach, saying Westerners have been targeted as well. French experience securing the release of its own citizens held by Boko Haram, including a family of seven kidnapped and a priest seized in Cameroon late last year, played a part in the decision to take an active role in finding the girls.

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Associated Press reporters Michelle Faul in Lagos, Nigeria, Lori Hinnant in Paris and Bradley Klapper and Matt Lee in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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