West Africa

The head of an Islamic school has been suspended by the government in Nigeria’s north-central Kwara state after a video emerged showing a group of students being repeatedly lashed. The students, who included some males and a female, were accused of drinking alcohol at a birthday party of one of …

Laurent Delahousse, the head of the European Union in Liberia said he is sorry for saying that the Liberian capital Monrovia is a “disgusting” and “dirty” city, following a backlash. Speaking at an event organised by the Monrovia City Corporation last week, the EU envoy in Liberia said that Monrovia …

Police in Nigeria say they have rescued 47 people from what they describe as a “torture house” in the northern state of Kano. The property, in Kano city, was supposed to be a rehabilitation centre. In other words, a privately run facility where parents send their children who they believe …

Following the enactment of a law by President Julius Maada Bio prohibiting the death penalty which was accepted by lawmakers in July, Sierra Leone officially abolished the death penalty. “As a nation, we have today exorcised horrors of a cruel past,” the president said in a statement quoted by AFP …

The new Guinean Prime Minister, Mohamed Beavogui, has called for unity to ensure a smooth transition to civilian rule. Mr Beavogui said his administration will be “a government with a specific mission”. “We will be honest about what we can do and what we must do. What is important, once …

Army in Nigeria has confirmed the arrest of the famous actor Chiwetalu Agu for wearing an outfit bearing the flag of the proscribed group Ipob and inciting people to join it. The Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) is a group that wants a breakaway state in south-east Nigeria. The army …

At least 187 villagers who were abducted from their homes by criminal gangs have been rescued by police in northwest Nigeria. The victims, who had spent several weeks in captivity, were freed by security forces following an operation in Tsibiri forest in Zamfara state, police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said. The …

Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore on Wednesday has appointed Col-Maj Ouédraogo Gilbert as the new head of army amid rising terrorist attacks. The appointment was read through a statement on state TV. Col-Maj Somé Vinta was named the new deputy head of the army, while Col Ouédraogo Souleymane …

A few days after taking the oath, the head of the coup d’état in Guinea which overthrew former president Alpha Condé appointed a new prime minister. The appointment of Mr Mohamed Béavogui was announced on Wednesday in a decree read on public television. The Guinean presidency has tweeted :“The President …

Nigerian police say it has arrested 20 suspected armed kidnappers in the north-west of the country where abductions for ransom are very frequent. According to the authorities, the abductors arrested belonged to two separate gangs that had mainly operated on major motorways in the region. In a statement Police Spokesperson …