Zambia sets date for presidential by-election

Lusaka - Zambia's interim leader announced a presidential by-election on 20 January and called for calm and tolerance amid concerns about a tense contest to succeed President Michael Sata, who died in office last month.

Interim president Guy Scott, who became the continent's first white leader since the 1994 end of apartheid in South Africa, said he hoped all contestants, both from the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) and opposition parties, would desist from violence.

Mob sets suspected bomber on fire

Abuja - A suspected would-be suicide bomber was on Tuesday set on fire by an irate mob at a bus station in north-eastern Nigeria, where a bomb blast killed at least 30 people nearly three weeks ago, the newspaper Daily Trust reported.

The alleged bomber arrived at the bus station in Gombe carrying a sack which he did not allow security officials to screen.

Tambuwal dumps presidential aspiration, settles for Sokoto governorship

Speaker of the House of Reps, Aminu Tambuwal has released a statement explaining why he's stepping down from the 2015 presidential race and instead going for the governorship race of Sokoto state. His statement below...

1. A few days ago, precisely on Friday the 14th of November,2014 a group of friends, associates, colleagues and admirers cutting across all ages, ethnic, social, religious, political and geographical divides presented to me the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for me to participate in the presidential primaries of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the 2015 Presidential Election.

Zim's VP linked to Mugabe assassination plot

Johannesburg - Zimbabwe's vice president, once seen as a possible successor to President Robert Mugabe, has been linked to an alleged plot to assassinate the 90-year-old leader, a state-run newspaper reported on Sunday.

An ally of Vice President Joice Mujuru who was recently ousted from his post as ruling party spokesperson, said the allegations that he conspired against Mugabe are false. Rugare Gumbo, the ousted spokesperson, was identified in The Sunday Mail as a plotter against Mugabe, who has been in power since independence in 1980.

Nigerian army recaptures Chibok, abducted girls' hometown

Abuja - The Nigerian army said on Sunday it had recaptured and "secured" the northeastern town of Chibok, where Islamic militants abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in April.

The army recaptured the town on Saturday evening from Boko Haram militants, spokesperson General Olajide Olaleye told AFP in a text message. "Mopping up ops ongoing. [The] town is now secured," he said.

Leading elder Pogu Bitrus told AFP the town was re-taken in a joint operation with local vigilantes known as the Civilian Joint Task Force, who back up the military in several parts of the northeast where Boko Haram is active.