Frank Geng Quarong was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend - a killing that shocked Nigeria.

Nkechi Ogbonna
West Africa business journalist, BBC News

The US Department of State says it is aware of the reports of the detention of its citizen in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan was arrested last month - together with his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who holds both British and Kenyan passports - as part of a tax evasion probe against the cryptocurrency platform.

"When a US citizen is detained overseas, the department works to provide all appropriate assistance," a spokesperson for the American Embassy in Nigeria told the BBC.

The embassy declined to provide further comments on the detention citing "privacy considerations".

Although Mr Anjarwalla is no longer in Nigerian custody following confirmation by authorities of his escape with a "smuggled passport", a close family source said he left Nigeria through "lawful" means.

Nigerian authorities say they are working with Interpol to issue an international warrant for his arrest.

Authorities on Monday formally filed tax evasion charges against Binance at the High Court in Abuja, and named Mr Anjarwalla among the respondents.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service is accusing the cryptocurrency platform of non-payment of value added tax, company income tax, failure to file tax returns and complicity in aiding customers to evade taxes through its platform.

BBC Africa Daily podcast

Thirty years after Nelson Mandela's government took over and introduced a policy to build low cost houses in South Africa, millions of people still live in shanty towns.

The idea behind the initiative, known as the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), was to reverse the devastating legacy of apartheid.

Although the RDP policy successfully delivered more than three million homes for the poor, factors like population growth, rapid urbanisation and internal migration have contributed to its regression.

One of those who've been living in a Soweto shanty town since the mid-1980s, is 76-year-old Lala Maria Sebetlele.

"We were told to patiently wait here because they will help us. But they never did. They promised to build houses, install electricity and fix roads," she tells BBC Africa Daily.

She says life in a shanty town is "unbearable".

"You have to be a resilient person to survive. There's no electricity. The roads are almost non-existent. On sunny days, the shack gets too hot. You can’t stay inside. When it’s cold, it gets very cold. When it’s raining, it gets flooded."

The South African government blames the scarcity of resources, saying there are many competing priorities.

In an attempt to help ease the accommodation burden, the University of Johannesburg has come up with an initiative of its own, using a highly sophisticated 3D printer that constructs a fully-fledged house in about 10 hours.

• Listen to the full episode here

A Nigerian Muslim cleric has been summoned over his call for talks and amnesty for criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, local media report.

Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a former army captain based in northern Kaduna state, has frequently offered to mediate between local authorities and the gangs, blamed for rising cases of kidnapping in the country.

Recently, the cleric is reported to have offered to dialogue with kidnappers for the release of the dozens of pupils who were captured by gunmen earlier this month from a school in the north-western town of Kuriga.

But Kaduna state Governor Uba Sani said Mr Gumi was not involved in the safe return of the pupils.

Information Minister Mohammed Idris on Monday said security agencies had invited Mr Gumi for questioning, noting that the cleric "is not above the law".

“When you make remarks, especially those that border on our national security, it is incumbent on our national security to think further, and they are doing just that," Mr Idris was quoted as saying.

Mr Gumi has previously claimed to have met bandit leaders to abandon their kidnapping activities.

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Image source, AFP

Ethiopia’s largest commercial bank has said it recouped more than three-quarters of money it had lost after a technical glitch allowed clients to withdraw or transfer more money than they had in their accounts.

In a press statement on Tuesday the head of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Abe Sano said more than $14m (£11m) was withdrawn from cash machines or transferred to other accounts during the incident that took place on 16 March.

More than $10m has already been recovered, Mr Abe said.

Initial reports by local media said the amount of money transacted during the glitch could be as high as $40m.

Many of the transactions were made by university students.

According to the bank’s chief, thousands of clients returned the money voluntarily.

He added that those who haven’t done so could face criminal charges.

Read more:

• Commercial Bank of Ethiopia head warns 'no escape' for clients who profited from glitch
• Commercial Bank of Ethiopia glitch lets customers withdraw millions

Jenny Hill
BBC News

South Africa’s governing party African National Congress (ANC) has failed in a legal bid to stop a newly formed party which is backed by the country’s former President Jacob Zuma, from running in May’s general election.

The ANC had argued that uMKhonto weSizwe, known as MK, had not met the criteria for official registration.

The country’s electoral court on Tuesday morning rejected that challenge.

The ANC – which polls predict could lose its majority when South Africans vote on 29 May – has also instigated separate legal proceedings against MK.

Mr Zuma's new party is gaining popularity since he joined it early this year, opinion polls suggest.

The party’s name comes from the now disbanded armed wing of the ANC, which has accused it of copyright infringement.

Read more:

• Jacob Zuma's MK - the political wildcard in South Africa's election

Image source, Getty Images

Rwanda's lower house of parliament has passed a bill that proposes stricter regulations to protect forests in the country.

The bill forbids the harvesting, use and trade of immature trees.

It additionally requires Rwandans to obtain permits from authorities before cutting any trees, including privately planted ones.

The bill also proposes harsher penalties for those who cut trees before they mature or without a licence, with fines of up to 3m Rwandan francs ($2,300; £1,800).

"This law aims to further preserve the environment and prevent the effects of climate change," the lower house of parliament said after passing the bill on Monday.

Rwanda also aims at using the bill to sell carbon credits, pro-government New Times new website reported last year, citing Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya.

But the proposed law is unpopular among many Rwandans, who view it as an inconvenience that will make it difficult to access wood for cooking, construction and other common uses.

Rwanda's tree conservation efforts have grown the country's forest cover from 10.7% in 2010 to 30.4% in 2022, according to the environment ministry.

Image source, Reuters

South Africa has welcomed the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

In a vote on Monday, the council urged a ceasefire for the rest of the month of Ramadan - which ends in two weeks.

South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor in a statement said her country was "pleased" with the resolution but called for a "lasting sustainable ceasefire"., external

"It is now the responsibility of the United Nations Security Council to ensure that there is compliance with the resolution, which is binding on the parties," Ms Pandor added.

The resolution, which also called for the release of all hostages, followed several failed attempts at similar measures since the 7 October attacks.

It is the first time the council has called for a ceasefire since the war began.

The US abstained in the vote, while the remaining 14 members voted in favour.

Read more:

• What is South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ?

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa's special tribunal has ordered German multinational company SAP to pay back 500m rand ($26m; £20m) that the firm reportedly earned through corrupt contracts.

The country's anti-corruption body says that the contracts - signed between SAP and public power company Eskom - did not comply with public finance management laws, resulting in "fruitless and wasteful expenditures" for Eskom.

The two contracts were entered between 2013 and 2016 and were valued at $58m.

The payment order follows a settlement agreement between SAP and the anti-corruption agency Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

The Special Tribunal last week upheld the settlement and termed the contracts "constitutionally invalid".

SIU said on Monday that the payment was part of efforts "to recover financial losses suffered by state institutions due to negligence or corruption".

"The settlement agreement does not absolve SAP or any implicated party from possible prosecution."

SAP is required to remit the payment to SIU within seven days.

In January, the company agreed to pay more than $220m to settle bribery charges involving government officials in several countries, including South Africa.

It allegedly paid millions in fees to consultants in South Africa, despite no work being performed, and funded trips to New York for government officials, including golf outings.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Reuters

Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council member Gen Ibrahim Jabir Ibrahim has said that the military would form “a technocratic government” to run the affairs of the country until elections are held.

While addressing military officers and other officials in the eastern city of Gedaref on Monday, Gen Ibrahim said there would be a non-political transitional period in the country, state-owned Sudan News Agency (Suna) reported.

He said the "technocratic government will manage the affairs of the Sudanese people and prepare for elections".

“The armed forces will not enter any agreement with politicians.”

Gen Ibrahim's remarks came days after another Sovereign Council member, Lt Gen Yasir al-Atta, said the army would not cede power to civilian groups until after elections are held in the country.

But Gen Atta also urged pro-army activist groups to form a government to run the country in a move that would have excluded the former civilian coalition the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), which shared power with the army before the October 2021 coup.

The army accuses FFC of backing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces but the group denies the allegation.

Image source, President Hakainde Hichilema/X

Zambia has agreed to a revised deal to restructure more than $3.5bn (£2.7bn) of its international bonds with private investors.

Under the agreement, creditors will forego $840m in claims and Zambia will continue with an ongoing $2.5bn IMF cash flow relief programme.

The deal follows months of tensions between China and other creditors over the proposed terms of the agreement.

Zambia had borrowed billions of dollars after the Covid pandemic to cushion the economy.

President Hakainde Hichilema has hailed the deal as "a historic milestone".

It's an important step in the country's effort to restructure its debt after defaulting in 2020.

Monday's development follows a series of delays that had made Zambia a symbol of the failure of a G20 initiative for faster solutions to debt crises in poorer countries.

The initiative, known as the G20 Common Framework, was launched in 2020 to provide relief to low-income countries dealing with huge debt.

The implementation of the deal would make Zambia the first country to achieve debt restructuring under the G20 framework.

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Dakar

Image source, Reuters

Senegal’s President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye has pledged to govern with humility and transparency, in his first speech after Sunday's poll.

Mr Faye's main rival from the governing coalition, Amadou Ba, has already conceded defeat, setting the stage for the 44-year-old political newcomer to become the youngest president in the country's history.

‘’By electing me, the Senegalese people have chosen to break with the past," he told journalists on Monday.

"I promise to govern with humility and transparency."

One of his main priorities as president will be "national reconciliation" following three years of unrest and a political crisis in the country, Mr Faye added.

He also vowed to "fight corruption at every level", rebuild institutions and tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

Mr Faye thanked outgoing President Macky Sall for helping to conduct a successful poll.

The Constitutional Council is yet to officially announce the final results, but there are celebrations across the country.

The provisional results put Mr Faye in a strong lead with about 53.7% and Mr Ba with 36.2%.

His victory comes less than two weeks after he was released from jail.

Read more:

• From jailed unknown to Africa's youngest president

Our African proverb of the day;

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now - we'll return with more updates on Tuesday.

In the meantime you can listen to the BBC Focus on Africa podcast here.

A reminder of our proverb of the day:

We leave you with this photo from a press conference held by the presidential candidate of Senegal's ruling coalition, Amadou Ba. His supporters were captured chanting his name as he prepared to concede victory to the opposition.

Image source, AFP

Ruling coalition candidate Amadou Ba calls Bassirou Diomaye Faye to congratulate him on his victory.

Image source, Mohamed Adan Khalif/X

A governor in Kenya's north-east region has condemned a "heinous terrorist attack" on an eatery that reportedly killed at least three people, including a police officer.

Mandera County governor Mohamed Adan Khalif posted pictures of a razed building to social media platform X, external on Monday. He said he condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack in Mandera town, which is on the border with Somalia.

The eatery was located near a police station and an officer was among those killed, local media has reported.

According to the Associated Press news agency, investigators have blamed Islamist militant group al-Shabab for the blast, which they say was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED).

The al-Qaeda affiliated group has not commented.

Incursions by al-Shabab in Kenya have spiked since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye is set to become the African continent's youngest democratically elected leader.

Yusuf Akinpelu
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, Nigerian army

Dozens of Nigerian pupils who were captured by gunmen earlier this month have made their first public appearance since being freed on Sunday.

The children were kidnapped from a school in the north-western town of Kuriga 18 days ago.

Officials have said six of the rescued hostages are still receiving treatment in hospital.

The remaining 131 gathered for a press conference at Kaduna State Government House.

Parents were not allowed to attend and have not yet been reunited with their children. They say the authorities have not informed them about what the next steps are.

Jubril Gwadabe, a community leader in Kuriga whose daughter was kidnapped, told the BBC that he was happy and nervous to see his child in a video captured after the hostages' release.

Mr Gwadabe believes the children will be hosted at a dinner by authorities on Monday night and that they probably won't see their parents until Tuesday.

The government said 137 people were rescued, while the school authorities earlier said 287 people were missing.

On Monday, officials also confirmed the death of a teacher, simply named as Abubakar, in captivity.

Richard Hamilton
BBC World Service newsroom

Image source, AFP

The governing coalition in Senegal has congratulated the opposition candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, on winning the presidential election.

Provisional results from Sunday's poll showed Mr Faye had a strong lead over former Prime Minister Amadou Ba.

Mr Faye was in prison less than two weeks ago and campaigned on a promise of radical change.

Official results are expected later this week.

The vote followed months of political turmoil in one of Africa's most stable democracies, after outgoing President Macky Sall tried to postpone the election until December.

Read more on Senegal's election:

• President Macky Sall: 'I did nothing wrong'
• Freed prisoner takes on Senegal's heir apparent

Nadeem Anjarwalla's family say he left "lawfully" but the authorities say he had a "smuggled passport".