The Latest on the situation in Sudan (all times local): 10 p.m. Sudan’s defense minister says on TV he’s stepping down as transitional leader a day after ousting the country’s embattled autocratic president. Gen. Awad Ibn Ouf also announced his successor, army Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, general inspector of the armed forces, as head of the transitional council. Ibn Ouf said: “I, the head of the military council, announce I am giving up the post,” he said, adding he took the decision to preserve unity of the armed forces. Tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters have been rallying in front of…

House of Representatives on Thursday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to appear before it and address Nigerians on the spate of insecurity across the country. The lower chamber of National Assembly said failure by the President to explain the issues raised by the legislative house would confirm the opinion of Nigerians that the administration had failed in its responsibility to protect lives and property. This is part of the resolutions passed at plenary when lawmakers unanimously adopted a motion moved by lawmaker representing Gwer-East/Gwer-West Federal Constituency in Benue State, Mr Mark Gbillah. The motion was entitled, ‘Resurgence of the incessant and…

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said he had directed heads of security agencies in the country to clear bandits killing innocent citizens in Zamfara and neighbouring states immediately. He also ordered that kidnappers operating in all parts of the country should be given a similar treatment. The President had met with service chiefs and heads of other security agencies behind closed doors specifically to address the Zamfara nightmare and the rising kidnapping incidents in the country. Thursday’s directives came five days after Operation Puff Adder, a security joint operation targeted at tackling banditry in Zamfara and kidnappings along the Abuja-Kaduna…

Zamfara Council of Chiefs on Thursday said many innocent villagers had been killed in misdirected air strikes by the military in the ongoing fight against bandits in the state. Emir of Bungudu, Mr Hassan Attahiru made the disclosure at the end of an emergency meeting of the council on Thursday in Gusau, the state capital. He said, “The council noted that airstrikes undertaken by the military did not hit the main camps of the bandits. “Reports from Mutu in Gusau and Tsafe Local Government Area, Tangaram in Anka LGA and Dumburum in Zurmi LGA, among others, indicated that the areas…