Maarten Freriks

Born Guilty: The History of Witchcraft Accusations Against Children in Northern Nigeria In March 2024, a young boy in Alkaleri Local Government Area, Bauchi State, reportedly lost his eyesight after an attack linked to […]

One People, Two Names: The History Behind the Hausa-Fulani Identity And Who Benefits From Breaking It In March 2025, sixteen Hausa hunters travelling to Kano were lynched by a mob. They had not committed any crime. They were […]

Nigeria Has Banned Street Begging in Almajiri Schools. We Have Heard This Before This month, the Federal Government unveiled what it is calling a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s Almajiri education system. Street […]

The Medicine Men: How Unregulated Drug Sellers Endanger Public Health in Nigeria Go to any bus stop in Kano, Bauchi, or Kaduna. You will find him. He has a folding table. Bottles arranged in neat rows. Sachets with […]

Who Owns the Land? The History Behind Nigeria's Farmer-Herder Crisis In May 2023, over 130 people were killed in Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State, in two days. Farmers. Herders. Villages burned. […]

The Almajiri Pipeline: How a Centuries-Old System Became a Recruitment Ground for Extremism in Northern Nigeria The Boy on the Road He is easy to miss. He stands at a junction in Kano, Kaduna, or Bauchi  bare feet on hot asphalt, a tin bowl in […]

The Silence of the Emirs: How Northern Nigeria's Traditional Rulers Have Failed Their People The Meeting That Changes Nothing In May 2025, the governors of all 19 northern states gathered with members of the Northern Traditional […]