NEWS - The African Mirror

Feb

09

2026

NIGERIA: Three killed, Catholic priest and 10 parishioners kidnapped

NEWS

GUNMEN have abducted a Catholic priest and 10 parishioners during a pre-dawn raid on a church compound in northern Nigeria, killing three residents in an attack that underscores the country's worsening kidnapping crisis. Reverend Father Nathaniel Asuwaye, parish priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Karku, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was taken along with 10 others around 3:20 a.m. on February 7, according to the Catholic Archdiocese of Kafanchan. The assailants fired indiscriminately before fleeing into the surrounding forests with their captives. The attack comes just days after 82 kidnapped parishioners were released elsewhere in the region,…

Feb

09

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Ghana’s Mahama recalls top diplomat in unprecedented anti-corruption crackdown

NEWS

IN a dramatic assertion of executive authority, President John Dramani Mahama has yanked Ghana's High Commissioner to Nigeria from his diplomatic post, sending an unmistakable message that no official - regardless of rank or party loyalty - stands above scrutiny in matters of electoral integrity. The immediate recall of Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, announced Saturday, represents one of the most forceful anti-corruption moves by an African head of state against a sitting diplomat in recent memory. Ahmed stands accused of voter inducement during National Democratic Congress parliamentary primaries in Ayawaso East Constituency—allegations serious enough to trigger both internal party investigations…

Feb

09

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

ZIMBABWE: Investor takes government to Constitutional Court over alleged seizure of lodge

NEWS

A foreign investor is taking the Zimbabwean government to the country's highest court in a dramatic legal showdown over what he describes as an attempt to seize his lifetime investment without fair compensation. Terry Kelly, owner of Chewore Lodge and Campsite, announced late this week that he is filing an urgent Constitutional Court challenge and preparing a major damages lawsuit against the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority after government-led negotiations to resolve the ownership dispute collapsed. The move sets the stage for a high-stakes legal confrontation that could test Zimbabwe's constitutional protections for private property and send ripple effects…

Feb

07

2026

By The African Mirror

Eastern DRC descends into atrocity as regional rights crackdown intensifies

NEWS

A surge in civilian atrocities across the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has coincided with an intensifying assault on democratic freedoms throughout Central Africa, creating what human rights monitors describe as a deteriorating regional crisis demanding urgent international intervention. The dual trends - escalating war crimes in Congo's eastern provinces and systematic rights suppression across four countries - form the central finding of Human Rights Watch's World Report 2026, released today, which documents what the organisation characterises as rampant abuses against civilian populations. "People in Central African countries have faced increasing risks in the past year, whether under attack or…

Feb

07

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Month-long kidnap hell ends for Nigerian churchgoers, security crisis deepens

NEWS

ALL 166 worshippers abducted at gunpoint from two churches in northern Nigeria have been rescued after a month in captivity, the Christian Association of Nigeria has announced, marking the latest chapter in a kidnapping epidemic that has plagued the country for over a decade despite massive military investment. The rescue concludes a harrowing ordeal that began January 18 when armed gunmen stormed the Haske Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church and another congregation in Kaduna state, dragging 177 worshippers into nearby forests. Eleven managed to escape during the initial raid. The Christian Association of Nigeria credited both military operations and "the…

Feb

07

2026

By STAFF REPORTER

Rwanda’s Kagame defends regional policy, rejects external pressure

NEWS

RWANDAN President Paul Kagame delivered a defiant address at the country's 20th National Dialogue Day on Wednesday, forcefully rejecting international criticism of Rwanda's involvement in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) while emphasising national self-reliance over dependence on foreign goodwill. Kagame directly confronted longstanding accusations that Rwanda's military operations in eastern DRC are motivated by mineral wealth or territorial expansion. Instead, he framed Rwanda's cross-border activities as existential security concerns centred on the presence of Interahamwe militia forces - remnants of the groups responsible for Rwanda's 1994 genocide. "They try to avoid the real issue," Kagame said, asserting that Interahamwe…

Feb

06

2026

By The African Mirror

Trump takes down racist post depicting Obamas as monkeys, refuses to apologise

NEWS

HE has not apologised but US President Donald Trump has taken down the racist video on Truth Social containing AI-generated imagery depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed onto monkeys' bodies. The video was posted just hours after Trump hosted African heads of state at the National Prayer Breakfast at the White House. The racist imagery appeared approximately 59 seconds into a one-minute video that promoted false election fraud conspiracy theories about Dominion Voting Systems' alleged role in the 2020 presidential election. The brief clip, set to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by…

Feb

06

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Nigerian President deploys army following massacre of 162 in Kwara State

NEWS

NIGERIA’S President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of a military battalion to Kwara State o following an overnight attack by Boko Haram terrorists that killed 162 people in the village of Worro, located in Kaiama Local Government Area. The massacre represents the latest in a series of attacks by Islamic extremist groups operating in Nigeria, where terrorist violence has claimed thousands of lives over the past decade and displaced millions from their homes. According to a statement from presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the newly deployed forces will establish a military command to lead Operation Savannah Shield, tasked with securing…

Feb

06

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

US court denies early release for disgraced ex-minister in Moz corruption case

NEWS

A US federal court has rejected former Mozambican Finance Minister Manuel Chang's bid for early release, ensuring the 70-year-old will serve out his eight-and-a-half-year sentence for orchestrating the country's devastating $2 billion "hidden debts" corruption scheme. Chang, who cited kidney problems, hypertension, and diabetes in his clemency request, argued he posed no risk of reoffending after completing over 80% of his term. The court's decision means he will remain imprisoned until approximately late March 2026 with good behaviour credits, followed by likely deportation to Mozambique, where additional charges may await. The ruling marks the latest development in a case that…

Feb

06

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Zimbabwean gang leader, accomplice jailed for £300,000 UK NHS fraud

NEWS

THE ringleader of a sophisticated fraud network that stole more than £300,000 from a major London hospital trust has been jailed for three years and eight months, along with his accomplice, who received three years and two months. Edias Mazambani, 42, masterminded what a judge described as a "parasitic" scheme while working as an account controller at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital Trust in Southwark between 2016 and 2019. He recruited a network of Zimbabwean nationals based in Manchester and other cities to launder taxpayer money meant for legitimate NHS creditors. At Southwark Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hehir handed down…