Chris Ewokor
BBC Africa, Abuja

Kidnappers in Nigeria's Lagos state can now be sentenced to death.

Under the new law, signed by state Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, convicted kidnappers can be killed when their hostages die.

The law also stipulates a penalty of life imprisonment for kidnapping for ransom. 

The government says the spate of kidnapping for ransom has reached a level that requires decisive action.   

In recent times, kidnapping has become a major threat to the safety of Nigerians. 

In October last year, four students, a vice principal and some teachers of the Lagos Model School, Epe, were kidnapped. This came less than six months after three female students were abducted from a junior school in Ikorodu. Two weeks ago, three students at the Nigeria Turkish International School and some staff were also kidnapped in neighbouring Ogun state. 

Anne-Marie Dias Borges
BBC Afrique

Image source, AFP

The death of Etienne Tshisekedi might jeopardise the transitional deal and has left the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party without its emblematic leader.

He was nicknamed the "Sphinx of Limete", because the mythological creature reflected his long career and many political guises - and Limete his home neighbourhood in the capital.

In 2014, he left Kinshasa for Brussels to receive treatment and back home it was his son, Felix, who gradually took over the reins of the party and emerged as a natural successor to his father. Not only does he resemble his father but he seems to have the same determination and charisma.

He has become such an important opposition personality that the Rassemblement coalition of opposition parties, which has signed the power-sharing deal with the government, has designated him as the potential next prime minister. 

Image source, AFP

Celebrations are continuing in Egypt after the country's semi-final victory in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) football tournament. 

Egypt reached a record-equalling ninth Afcon final, beating Burkina Faso 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Veteran goalkeeper Essam El Hadary proved Egypt's hero, saving Bertrand Traore's spot-kick to secure victory.

Egypt will face the winner of tonight's game between Cameroon and Ghana in Sunday's final.

Burkina Faso will face the loser in a play-off for third and fourth place on Saturday.

Martin Patience
BBC News, Nigeria correspondent

The UN says five people were killed - and several others injured - when unknown gunmen opened fire on one of their teams working along the Nigerian-Cameroonian border on Tuesday. 

The UN says the attack was carried out by gunmen close to the town of Kontcha, in northern Cameroon. 

The victims - three Nigerians, a Cameroonian and a Kenyan - were contractors employed by the UN demarcating the border.

The border area has been a source of tensions between the two countries in the past. 

It is not known who carried out this attack but Boko Haram militants operate in the far north of Cameroon.  

Image source, Getty Images

Zimbabwean police have charged pastor Evan Mawarire with "subverting constitutional government" between 13 July and December 2016.

The pastor, who started the #ThisFlag protest movement against Zimbabwe's leader, was arrested when he returned to the country yesterday. 

Until now it was unclear what charges he faced.

The BBC's Shingai Nyoka in Harare says the authorities are essentially holding him responsible for the violent protests that happened last year.

In July, protesters staged a national "shutdown" which led to a complete closure of schools, businesses and shops across the country. It was the biggest strike action since 2005.  

Image source, AP

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has condemned the arrest of Pastor Evan Mawarire, who was held on his return to the country on Wednesday. 

Mr Mawarire first came to fame last April when he posted a video on Facebook, external of himself wrapped in a Zimbabwean flag, complaining about the state of the nation.

It sparked a #ThisFlag protest movement against the leadership of the country.

There was no immediate word from the police about what charges the pastor may face.  

Mr Tsvangirai said Mr Mawarire had committed no crime. He said Zimbabweans would not be intimidated by President Robert Mugabe's party, Zanu PF.

He added they would "fight for a truly free and fair election in which their voice will count":

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa, Addis Ababa

About 100 people are stranded in Addis Ababa international airport after being deported from the US, the Ethiopian information minister has said. 

It follows an executive order by President Trump to halt the US refugee programme and deny entry to nationals of seven mainly Muslim countries including Yemen, Libya, Sudan and Somalia. 

A BBC team is trying to get access to the airport.The deportees arrived overnight and are currently in the transit area.

A Somali refugee living in a camp in northern Kenya, Ahmed Omar, has told the BBC that he has been seeking asylum in the US for 10 years and now his plans have been put on hold because of President Trump's executive order halting the US refugee programme.

Listen to what he told us via the link below:

The Church of England has apologised following reports that allegations of abuse of young boys by a former colleague of the Archbishop of Canterbury were mishandled. 

The accusations against John Smyth, a former leader of a Christian holiday camp for teenage boys in Britain, were aired in a Channel 4 television news report. 

Mr Smyth is a prominent lawyer and part-time judge who is now based in South Africa. 

A statement issued on behalf of the Archbishop, Justin Welby, said the Church of England had failed terribly. 

Image source, Reuters

Details are emerging about the circumstances of the death of DR Congo's main opposition leader.

Etienne Tshisekedi died in Brussels, aged 84, yesterday.

He was due to head a transitional council under a deal for President Joseph Kabila to step down this year.

The deputy secretary general of Mr Tshisekedi’s UDPS party, Rubens Mikindo, told the BBC:

One of the country's most important advocates of democracy, Mr Tshisekedi was a prominent opponent of successive Congolese leaders.

Read more on the BBC News website.

Janet Onyango
BBC Monitoring, Nairobi

The Sudanese authorities intend to demolish 25 churches in the capital Khartoum, according to the website of Netherlands-based Radio Tamazuj. The churches will be demolished for allegedly trespassing into residential areas.

The website quoted Rev Yahya Abdurrahman, a pastor of the Evangelical Church in Sudan, as accusing the government of deliberately targeting Christian places of worship for destruction.

“This move targets the churches in Khartoum, because they always claim that these churches have trespassed into public places, but it I think it is a plan," he was quoted as saying.

Image source, AFP

A dog that killed the son of Gambian President Adama Barrow has been put down, an agriculture ministry source has told AFP news agency.

"We concluded that it was not wise to allow this dog to continue roaming in the streets. We carried out some test and realised that the dog is not infected with rabies," the anonymous source said.

Eight-year-old Habibu Barrow is reported to have died on the way to hospital in Manjai near the Gambian capital, Banjul.  

Mr Barrow won the presidential election last year but then incumbent President Yahya Jammeh refused to hand over power.

Mr Jammeh eventually left The Gambia after regional powers said they were prepared to remove him by force, if necessary.

Mr Barrow missed his son's funeral because he was advised to remain in Senegal for his safety at the time.

Image source, AFP

A Nigerian soldier has been jailed for seven years for shooting dead a civilian at a market in the city of Maiduguri last year. The soldier, who was not identified, was found guilty of manslaughter. 

In court, he argued that he acted in self-defence after the man he killed, named as Umar Alkali, tried to wrestle his rifle from him. The military court rejected this argument, deciding that he had used disproportionate force.

Correspondents say it is a rare case of a soldier being held to account for excesses against civilians. Human rights groups have persistently accused Nigeria's military of abuses against civilians during the long-running conflict with militant Islamist group Boko Haram. 

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