Niger

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) – Nigeria earned their first win at the 2016 Olympic Basketball Tournament by pulling off the biggest upset to date in the competition with a 90-76 defeat of Croatia on Saturday night.

With the victory, the African champions improved to 1-3 to keep alive their hopes of advancing to the Quarter-Finals. Croatia, meanwhile, dropped to 2-2.

Croatia led 28-21 at the end the first quarter but Nigeria outscored them 22-11 in the second to take a 43-39 half-time lead. Michael Umeh hit 5-of-8 three-pointers for 16 points first half points.

Nigeria’s hot shooting from long range continued in the third quarter as they hit 4-of-7 attempts and saw their lead reach 50-35 when big man Ike Diogu connected from beyond the arc.

An 8-0 run spanning the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth enabled Croatia to cut the deficit to single digits, 70-61. They would get within 74-71 on a Bojan Bogdanovic free-throw with 4:14 left to play but down the stretch Josh Akognon and Ebi Ere hit clutch three-pointers to secure the impressive win.

Turning Point: After Bogdanovic got Croatia within 74-71, Akognon knocked down a three-pointer and Ere hit a trifecta of them in the final 2:37 as Nigeria closed the game out on an 11-3 run.

Stats Don’t Lie: To say that three-point shooting was a big part of Nigeria’s win is an understatement. They shot 17-of-36 (47 percent) from beyond the arc. By comparison, they were 13-of-32 (41 percent) inside the arc.

Hero: The trio of Umeh, Akognon and Ere combined to shoot 13-of-21 from long range.

Bottom Line: This has to rank as Nigeria’s biggest win at the world level since they surprised Greece, 80-79, at the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Heading into their final game against hosts Brazil on the back of this win can only do their confidence a world of good. Croatia will face European rivals Lithuania and whether or not they reach the Quarter-Finals may be dictated by more than the result of their game.

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Hundreds of Boko Haram extremists attacked a military post in Niger near the country’s border with Nigeria, killing at least 32 soldiers, Niger’s defense ministry said Saturday.

The attack in Bosso on Friday left 30 Niger soldiers and two soldiers from Nigeria dead, the ministry said in a statement, adding that at least 67 other soldiers were wounded.

“They burned houses, looted food stores and shops, and burned the military post before fleeing with weapons and ammunition,” said Adam Boukarna, a deputy in Bosso..

Residents left Bosso during the attacks and headed to Toumour, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) to the west, he said.

The military launched a counterattack Saturday using air and land forces, pushing the militants out of Bosso and inflicting heavy casualties, the ministry said without giving further details.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack, saying 35 soldiers were killed, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi online postings. The Nigeria-based Islamic militants pledged support for the Islamic State last year.

Niger contributes to a multi-national force set up to fight Boko Haram in the region, where attacks have killed at least 20,000 people and displaced 2.7 million, according to Amnesty International and the United Nations.

Dozens gathered Saturday in Niger’s capital, Niamey, to march against the insecurity caused by the militant group which has launched several attacks in Niger in recent weeks.

NIAMEY (Reuters) – Six people were killed on Friday in a village in southern Niger in an attack thought to have been carried out by Boko Haram militants, the Defence Ministry said.

The six victims died from gunshot wounds or being burned alive, the ministry said. Another seven people were wounded in the attack and have been evacuated.

The militants torched about 10 homes, the market and some cattle and stole two vehicles, the ministry said.

A teacher in Bosso, 4 km (2.5 miles) from Yebi, said the attackers were young men who arrived on foot, horseback and camel. They filled up two pick-up trucks with food, he added.

Mamadou Bako, Bosso’s mayor, said the death toll could rise because security forces were searching through the rubble of burned homes.

Niger’s southern region of Diffa, which houses many refugees and internally displaced people who have sought to evade Boko Haram violence elsewhere, has been targeted numerous times in attacks blamed on the militants.

The attack took place one day after the military announced the liberation of 97 girls and women from the Islamist group and three days after the rescue of a teenager who was among more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok, northeast Nigeria, two years ago.

The group, headquartered across the border in northeastern Nigeria, seeks to carve out an emirate and impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

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