Today In Nigerian History: 8th February

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On this day in 2013, gunmen suspected to be members of the IBoko Haram insurgent group shot and killed at least nine women who were taking part in a polio vaccination drive in Kano…

Kano State Police commissioner, Ibrahim Idris immediately ordered the arrest of three radio journalists for allegedly being responsible for the killings.  Police claimed on-air comments about a vaccination campaign in the area sparked the attacks.

Also on this day in 2007, Benin, Nigeria, and Togo formed a new regional body aimed at fast-tracking the integration of their economies.  The body, known as the Co-Prosperity Alliance Zone (COPAZ), was formally inaugurated following a mini-summit of Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo, Benin’s President Boni Yayi and Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe.