Southwest States agree to reopen schools

The six Southwest States have agreed to reopen schools for SS3 students to participate in the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) next month.

The States are Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti.

Their decision is contrary to the position of most of the 19 northern states, which supported the Federal Government’s decision to suspend school reopening for SS3 students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Federal Government also declared last week that candidates will not participate on WASCE over safety concerns.

But at a virtual meeting by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission on Tuesday, Commissioners, Special Advisers on Education and SUBEB chairmen reached an agreement to reopen schools for SS3 students to write their final examinations.

The meeting also agreed on the needs for Southwest states to implement a 2016 plan to establish a regional examination body akin to IJMB in the North.

The plan was laid out at the roundtable on creating a collaborative framework for education development and advancement in Western Nigeria in Osogbo, the Osun State capital in 2016

The Nation

Police won’t name killers of One Million Boys leader

The remains of the leader of the dreaded One Million Boys gang, Biola (aka Ebila), were buried in Ibadan on Monday even as police refused to reveal his killers.

Ebila was shot dead on Sunday in the capital city. Some men believed to be members of his gang took his body to Idi Aro police station in a tricycle. Two of them were arrested by police.

While sources said he was shot dead by security agents while trying to collect ransom from relatives of a man he kidnapped, police said they were yet to get details of who killed him and in what circumstances. The operation of the security agents were said to be unofficial.

Kidnappers To Get Life Imprisonment in Nigeria

The Senate on Tuesday raised the punishment for an offence of kidnapping from 10 years to life imprisonment.

The Upper Chamber also deleted the statute of limitation on defilement as well as removed gender restrictions on the offences of rape.

These resolutions of the Senate followed the third reading and passage of “A bill for an Act to amend the Criminal Code Act CAP. C.38, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.”

Nelson Mandela's daughter Zindzi dies at 59

Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela and anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, has died at the age of 59.

She died in a Johannesburg hospital in the early hours of Monday morning, public broadcaster SABC said.

She was an activist in her own right and was serving as ambassador to Denmark at the time of her death.

The cause of her death was not immediately revealed.

BBCnews

Ortom to FG: declare killer-herdsmen terrorists

Benue Governor Samuel Ortom has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare armed herdsmen killing innocent Benue rural dwellers as terrorists.

The Governor’s call followed repeated herdsmen’s attacks on Benue communities in the last few months.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS) Terver Akase, the Governor said the latest of such attacks occurred on Saturday night at Tse-Chembe community near Anyiin in Logo Local Government Area where the herders murdered seven persons and left many others badly injured.

Ortom condemned the killings and described the situation as unacceptable.

He said Benue has a law, which prohibits open grazing of livestock and stressed that only a terrorist group would deliberately choose to violate the legislation as herdsmen have done since the law was enacted in 2017.

Ortom stated that declaring the armed herders operating in Benue State as terrorists will end the wave of impunity and guarantee the rule of law.He called on residents, particularly those living in the affected areas to report any suspicious persons to security agencies.

The Governor commended officers and men of Operation Whirl Stroke for their prompt response to distress calls, particularly the last attack on Tse-Chembe.

He reassured his administration will not surrender the state to criminal elements, be they herdsmen or any other group.

Ortom said no amount of threats and attacks will stop the enforcement of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of the State.

The Nation

Sudan scraps apostasy law and alcohol ban for non-Muslims

After more than 30 years of Islamist rule, Sudan has outlined wide-reaching reforms including allowing non-Muslims to drink alcohol, and scrapping the apostasy law and public flogging.

"We [will] drop all the laws violating the human rights in Sudan," Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari said.

A raft of new laws were passed last week but this is the first public explanation of their contents.

Sudan has also banned female genital mutilation (FGM).

Under the new laws, women no longer need permission from a male relative to travel with their children.

The reforms come after long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was ousted last year following massive street protests.

The current government is an uneasy mixture of those groups which ousted Mr Bashir and his former allies in the military, who ultimately staged a coup against him.

BBC News

Sex workers demand Germany's brothels reopen

Prostitutes demonstrated in Hamburg's red light district late on Saturday evening demanding that Germany's brothels be allowed to reopen after months of closure to curb the spread of coronavirus.

With shops, restaurants and bars all open again in Germany, where prostitution is legal, sex workers say they are being singled out and deprived of their livelihoods despite not posing a greater health risk.

"The oldest profession needs your help," read a notice held up by one woman in a brothel window in the Herbertstrasse, which was flooded with red light after being dark since March.

Some protesters wore theatrical masks while one played folk songs on a violin in the street just around the corner from the Reeperbahn, famous for its nightlife.

The Association of Sex Workers, which organised the protest, says the continued closure of licensed premises is forcing some prostitutes onto the streets, which is illegal and a far more dangerous and unhygienic way of working.

It said brothels could easily incorporate pandemic safety measures adopted by other industries, including face masks, ventilating premises and recording visitors' contact details.

"Prostitution does not carry a greater risk of infection than other close-to-body services, like massages, cosmetics or even dancing or contact sports," the association said in a statement. "Hygiene is part of the business in prostitution.

Reuters