West Africa

During a sermon on Sunday, David Ibiyeomie, a Nigerian pastor of Salvation Ministries church said people who do not pay their tithes are criminals. The evangelist insisted on the obligation for the Christian to give 10% of his monthly income to the church. Comparing tithing to paying taxes to the …

Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed about 255 hectares of cannabis farms in Ondo state in the south-west of the country. “Thirteen suspects were arrested and 250 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds as well as 63.85 kilogrammes (of) cannabis weeds were recovered,” the AFP news agency quotes the …

Suspected Islamists killed at least 18 people in an attack in western Niger, local media reported on Tuesday, citing authorities. According to the government, armed bandits on motorbikes attacked a truck transporting people between two villages in the Tillaberi region. Militants linked to IS and al-Qaeda are active in the …

Liberian President George Weah has pardoned former Defense Minister Brownie Samukai sentenced to two years in prison for corruption by the Supreme Court. This is rather good news for former minister Brownie Samukai. Although sentenced, he never entered jail and the pardon means that he may be able to take …

A federal high court in Nigeria has upheld the police force’s decision to sack an unmarried officer who fell pregnant last year, the BBC reports. Justice Inyang Ekwo said he found no compelling reason “to disrupt the discipline of the force”. “Any person who joins the force must abide by …

Malian authorities have sued the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) over sanctions imposed on the country after the military junta failed to hold elections scheduled for February. Malian authorities unhappy with the regional monetary institution have decided to sue the latter for imposing severe economic sanctions after the …

The United States’ annual counterterrorism training program for African forces began Sunday in Ivory Coast, as Islamist fighters control large areas and coups increase, Reuters reports. The training program, known as Flintlock, will bring together more than 400 soldiers from across West Africa. Central to this year’s training is coordination …

Mali’s National Assembly has unanimously approved a plan allowing the military leader to rule the country for up to five years. Mali’s interim government now has the power to lead the West African nation for the next five years and no date has yet been set for future polls. Elections …

Authorities in Nigeria have announced the seizure of 120 tonnes of imported animal hides and skins, often sold as food, in the city of Lagos, local media reported. According to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nafdac), they were intercepted on suspicion that were already processed …

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday rejected Malian government’s demand to withdraw French troops from the country “without delay” and warned against any threat to their security. “We have announced the re-articulation of the system and it will be applied in good order to ensure the security of the United …