Residents in Jangebe in Talata-Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Northern Nigeria, on Friday, stormed the streets to protest the abduction of students of Government Girls Science Secondary School in the area.

This is as the Commissioner of Police in Zamfara, Abutu Yaro, confirmed 317 female students were abducted from the school by bandits from their hostels on Friday.

Yaro, who spoke with journalists, expressed dismay with members of the affected community, who resorted to taking the law into their hands by attacking vehicles, including those on a rescue mission.

“People must understand that the government and security agents are on their side and against the bandits that is why it is very important for them to see the need to allow security agents do their work effectively and rescue the victims.

“We are doing our best along with all sister security agencies, members of the vigilantè group and the state government to get to the bottom of this matter.

“l can assure you that we will rescue all the students unhurt,” he said.

Some residents who spoke with journalists said that the bandits came in their hundreds riding on motorcycles and shooting in the air before entering the school around 2 a.m on Friday.

A staff of the school said that 60 of the girls were safe as some of them hid from the attackers during the invasion.

The protesting villagers took to the streets, destroying vehicles that were coming to the village.

The residents, women and children, used sticks and stones to attack vehicles, including two vehicles conveying journalists from various media houses, injuring a cameraman.

The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) from the Malindi Space Centre in collaboration with the University of Rome is set to launch two mini-rockets in August this year.

This was revealed on Wednesday at a well-attended space sector technical workshop themed ‘The Space Sector We Want In Kenya’. In attendance were Defence Cabinet Secretary Monicah Juma, KSA chairman Major-General (Rtd) James Arwasa, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority Director-General Gilbert Kibe, and other stakeholders. 

An improvement on the huge rockets launched in the 1980s and 1990s, the mini-rockets will be launched using high altitude balloons.

James Arwasa noted that, “satellites and rockets have become smaller because of advances in technology.

“We’ve students who are already working on building and launching the two at the Malindi Space Centre. We’re working with the University of Rome.”

The launch was extended to August after seven professors involved in the project from Rome tested positive for Covid-19.

“We were expecting nine professors from the University of Rome to join us to witness these students’ launching the mini-rockets, but unfortunately seven tested positive for Covid-19,” Mr Arwasa said.

Having satellites in space makes quality data for use in making efficient decisions in the fight against climate change readily available. It helps in the promotion of national security, enhancement of agriculture, scholarship, identification of locations with minerals through earth observation and a lot more.

Arwasa promised to ensure centralisation and ease of accessibility to all to avoid duplication.  

A High Court in Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city, has sentenced Madiba Dumisani Mkhwanazi, the killer of University of Johannesburg (UJ) student Palesa Madiba to 31 years behind bars.

Mkhwanazi was, on Friday, found guilty of killing Madiba by Judge Prince Manyathi of the South Gauteng High Court.

Madiba went missing in 2013 after visiting her friend, Matshidiso – who is Mkhwanazi’s niece. Her body was found two years later in a shallow grave at a property where Mkhwanazi lived in Phiri.

Matshidiso had left Madiba behind as she left for work. Madiba was to leave later, to attend classes at UJ’s Kingsway Campus. However, she never made it to class nor left the Mkhwanazi residence.

Read also: https://newscentral.africa/south-africa-face-national-crisis-over-gender-based-violence/

Mkhwanazi was found guilty of her murder last year, seven years after Madiba was last seen at her friend’s home in Phiri, Soweto.

He has been sentenced to 20 years for Madiba’s murder. He has also been handed 3 years for theft, 8 years for defeating the ends of justice, 10 years for possession of unlicensed firearm and 2 years for possession of ammunition. He will serve an effective 31 years in prison.

His family had earlier obtained a protection order against Madiba’s family to stop them from searching the premises of their home in an attempt to locate her body.