Nigerian Officers to Face Military Court Over Alleged Coup Plot
A group of Nigerian military officers are set to face a military court after being accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government last year. Sixteen officers were arrested last October after what were described as “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations”. Authorities later confirmed that some would be tried following an investigation, despite earlier denials of a coup attempt. Fourteen of the 16 officers are from the Nigerian Army. The remaining two are from the Navy and the Air Force. The Defence Headquarters also clarified that the actions being taken were “purely disciplinary” and part of internal mechanisms designed “to preserve order, discipline and operational effectiveness within the ranks.” The case emerged amid heightened regional sensitivity to coups in West Africa and ongoing security pressures facing Nigeria’s armed forces, which have repeatedly reaffirmed their loyalty to civilian rule since the country returned to democracy in 1999.
UN Condemns South Sudan General’s Call to ‘Spare No-One’
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The United Nations said it is gravely concerned after a senior military leader in South Sudan, Gen Johnson Oluny, urged his troops to “spare no-one” including “children, the elderly, and civilians” when they are deployed to opposition-held areas of the country. The UN condemned the rhetoric as abhorrent and warned it risked inciting serious crimes, as fighting escalated between government forces and troops aligned to suspended Vice-President Riek Machar. Authorities ordered civilians, UN personnel and aid workers to evacuate three counties, while the UN said more than 180,000 people had already been displaced by the violence. The developments came amid renewed instability in the country, where a fragile peace deal has largely collapsed and tensions between President Salva Kiir and Machar have continued to fuel conflict.
Uganda Politician Besigye’s Wife Accuses Prison of Denying Medical Care
Winnie Byanyima raised concerns about the health of her husband, opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye, alleging that prison authorities were deliberately denying him adequate medical care while he remained detained at Luzira Maximum Security Prison. She said Besigye was extremely weak and struggling to walk, despite showing slow improvement under treatment from his personal doctor, whom she credited for repeatedly visiting him in prison after officials allegedly refused to transfer him to a private clinic. Byanyima described his detention conditions as harsh and inhumane, accused authorities of deliberately withholding proper care, and called for his immediate release on bail. The Uganda Prisons Service, however, said Besigye had been taken to hospital for a scheduled check-up, had returned to prison, and was in a stable condition, insisting he was receiving appropriate medical attention.
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Zimbabwean Prophet Walter Magaya Back in Court on Four Rape Counts
Prophetic Healing and Deliverance leader Walter Magaya appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court shortly after his arrest to face four counts of rape. The matter was remanded to February 16 for a trial set to run until February 19, 2026. The State alleged that in June 2020, Magaya offered a 24-year-old woman a voluntary position at the PHD call centre and later lured her to a church-owned hotel, where she was allegedly raped in July 2020 after being invited to what she believed was a Bible study session. The complainant reported the incident to her stepfather the following day and later approached the police after learning of similar allegations against Magaya.
Kenyan Cult Leader Mackenzie to Be Charged Over 52 More Deaths
Kenyan prosecutors said cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, linked to an infamous starvation cult that killed more than 400 people, will be charged over a further 52 deaths at another village. Self-proclaimed pastor Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after 429 bodies, including children, were dug up from mass graves in the remote Shakahola forest. Mackenzie pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of manslaughter at his trial in Mombasa and has remained in custody. Since his arrest, Mackenzie has been accused of luring the latest victims to their deaths by writing notes from his prison cell. Prosecutors said he and his co-accused would face additional charges, including murder, radicalisation, and facilitation of terrorist acts, following investigations that uncovered dozens of bodies and body parts near the coast. The case deepened scrutiny of authorities after 429 bodies were previously exhumed at Shakahola, with critics arguing the tragedy could have been prevented through stronger regulation.
