Nigeria and African news

The United States House of Representatives has urged the Departments of State and Treasury to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and organisations in Nigeria, including the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, over alleged violations of religious freedom. The call, according to agency reports, formed part of a resolution introduced before…

Bandits have released 32 of the remaining 63 abducted students of Bethel Baptist High School, Damishi, Kaduna. They were released on Friday evening after an undisclosed amount of money was said to have been paid to the bandits. The chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayab…

The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has said that the recently-introduced cash withdrawal policy is not intended to make life difficult for Nigerians but to strengthen the economy. Speaking with journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina state, Emefiele said many nations were adopting digitisation and…

The federal government has declared Tuesday and Wednesday as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el-Fitr celebration. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, announced the public holidays in a congratulatory message to the Islamic faithful in the country. Eid-el-Fitr festival is celebrated by Muslims worldwide after observing Ramadan fasting for 29 or 30 days. The minister…

Plateau state governor-elect, Caleb Mutfwang, has urged Christians not to see Easter as a mere ritual, but a period to reflect on the virtues of love and the renewal of life and hope. In a message marking Easter which he personally signed, Mutfwang admonished Christians to meditate on God’s ultimate plan for the salvation of…