Sudan protesters reject anti-Islamist reforms

Dozens of pro-Sharia supporters have protested in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, over recent government reforms that allow non-Muslims to drink alcohol, and scrap the apostasy law and public flogging.

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

The protesters, who oppose any easing of Islamic laws, shouted: "God's laws shall not be replaced" - and had banners saying: “No to secularism”, according to the AFP news agency.

Addressing Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who leads the transitional government, the agency quoted some as saying: "Hamdok, Khartoum is not New York.”

Some held up photographs of Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari, who had announced the reforms last weekend.

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

Non-Muslims are now allowed to consume alcohol in private, however the ban on Muslim drinking remains.

And anyone convicted of renouncing Islam, or apostasy, will no longer face the death penalty.

The imposition of strict Islamist laws in the 1980s was a key factor in the long-running civil war which eventually led to independence for South Sudan, where the majority of people are Christian or follow traditional religions.

Nigeria's Zamfara state offers repentant bandits cows for AK-47s

Repentant bandits in Nigeria's north-western state of Zamfara are being offered two cows for every AK-47 they surrender.

It is an attempt to encourage them to give up a life of crime and live a normal life as responsible citizens, Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle said.

Motorcycle-riding armed bandits have been terrorising the state.

Cows are valued by the Fulani herder community who have been accused of being behind a wave of attacks.

However, members of the community have repeatedly rejected the allegations saying that they too were victims.

An average cow in northern Nigeria costs about 100,000 naira ($260; £200) while an AK-47 on the black market could cost as much as 500,000 naira ($1,200; £950), the BBC's Mansur Abubakar reports.

"These bandits who choose to repent initially sold their cows to buy guns and now that they want a life free of criminality, we are asking them to bring us an AK-47 and get two cows in return, this will empower and encourage them," Mr Matawalle said in a statement.

BBC News

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