#FreeEse trending in Nigeria

Nigerians have been using the #FreeEse hashtag on Twitter to campaign for the release of a young girl who was allegedly abducted and forced to convert to Islam.

Ese Oruru, 13, was taken by a man, named only as Yinusa, in August  from her family home in southern Bayelsa state to the northern city of Kano where he married her, the girl's family says.  

The family adds that they have made several efforts to bring her back but were told she was no longer their daughter.

 Yinusa has denied abducting her or forcibly converting her. 

There have been reports that the marriage took place at the palace of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, an influential Muslim leader in Nigeria. He has vehemently denied this. 

Mr Sanusi said the girl was brought to his palace after her alleged conversion to Islam but he told the person to return her to her family because she was too young.

"We asked that if he really wants her he should wait for her until she turns 18 and then if she still wants him they can get married. No-one will stand in the way," Mr Sanusi said in a statement. 

Here are some of the tweets about the story: 

#Blessed2BlessU

meetthedynamo

The #FreeEse campaign has begun n all Nigeria-loving humans shud lend their voice to d cry! We won't stop until our voices are heard!

 4:00 p.m. - 29 February 2016

Ema

EMABOUNTY

Relevant Bodies, Lawyers and NGO must as a matter of fact, take this case seriously.. Families must demand damages. #FreeEse

 4:07 p.m. - 29 February 2016

Augustine Makanjuola

AMakanjuola

I say NO to Child abduction and abuse. It must not be tolerated. #FreeEse

 4:21 p.m. - 29 February 2016

Infantino elected Fifa president

Gianni Infantino was elected president of FIFA on Friday, receiving 115 of 207 votes in the second round of voting, enough for the required simple majority. He defeated Sheikh Salman, who received 88 votes in the second round of voting in Zurich.
None of the four remaining candidates received the required two-thirds of the ballots on the first vote. Infantino received the most votes in the first round with 88, followed by Sheikh Salman with 85. Prince Ali received 27 and Jerome Champagne garnered seven. In the second round, Prince Ali’s votes dropped to just four, meaning most of his second-round ballots went to Infantino.  Here are the full results from the second round

• Gianni Infantino - 115 votes
• Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa - 88 votes
• Prince Ali bin al-Hussein - 4 votes
• Jerome Champagne - 0 votes

Super Eagles Coach, Sunday Oliseh, resigns

Nigeria's national football team coach Sunday Oliseh has resigned from his post less than eight months in the job. 
The former Super Eagles captain accused the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) of failing to pay his wages. 
There was no immediate reaction from the NFF, whose leaders are in Zurich for Friday's world football governing body, Fifa, annual congress. 
Mr Oliseh announced his resignation on Twitter:
I feel fortunate, blessed and eternally grateful for having had the honour to Play,Captain & Coach this great Nation of ours,Nigeria.
Due to Contract violations ,lack of Support,Unpaid wages,Benefits to my players,Asst.Coaches & myself, I resign as Super Eagles Chief Coach. The NFF is yet to respond to his resignation.

Nigeria MPs 'won't pass' social media bill

Nigeria's Senate president says a controversial social media bill being considered by MPs will not be passed.
Human rights group and activists have described the bill, which aims to punish anyone who "propagates false information" on electronic media, as an attempt to muzzle free speech.
Bukola Saraki told a social media conference in Lagos that parliament recognises the role of social media in Nigeria's development.
The proposed bill, presented to the senate last December, was "dead on arrival," Mr Saraki added.
It proposes up to seven years in jail or a $25,000 fine for anyone found to be sending "abusive messages".
At the time, the hashtag #NoToSocialMediaBill was used to campaign against the proposal.
Nigeria has a vibrant civil society, with many activists who use social media for their campaigns. It has the largest number of mobile phone users in Africa.

Nigeria's 1985 Golden Eaglets rewarded after 30-year wait

The Nigeria squad that won the first Fifa Under-16 World championship have been rewarded after a 30-year wait.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has made good on a promise to reward the players after the 1985 tournament, when he was the military head of state.

Following Mr Buhari's return to power, this time via the ballot box, he announced a 2m naira ($10,000) reward for each of the players and $7,500 for the officials.

Nduka Ugbade, captain of the team who beat West Germany 2-0 in the final in Beijing, told BBC Sport: "I have finally received my money.

"I am extremely delighted that our president has fulfilled his promise." 

Zambia's biggest ever drugs haul

Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has confiscated 24kg of cocaine - its highest ever seizure.

DEC public relations officer Theresa Katongo told journalists that it came after the arrest of two Zambians and a Tanzanian for drug trafficking.

The three suspects were arrested in different locations with the help of the Zambia Police Service. 

Other items confiscated seized include a pistol with 15 rounds ammunition and mobile phones. The suspects will appear in court soon. 

Cambridge students vote to return looted Nigerian statue

Students say a Nigerian statue of a bronze cockerel, which is now displayed at a Cambridge University college, should be returned, according to a report by the Guardian newspaper. 
The statue was looted in the 19th Century and is part of the Benin bronzes taken at that time. Jesus College student Ore Ogunbiyi led the campaign. 
She says that the statue should be repatriated to "weed out the colonial legacies", the Guardian reports. But it is not clear if the college will be sending the cockerel back.

Eviction order for Calais migrants

Hundreds of migrants living in part of a camp in the French port of Calais known as the Jungle have been ordered to leave or face eviction.
They have until 8pm local time on Tuesday to leave the southern part of the sprawling camp.Anyone remaining will be forcibly removed to allow for the makeshift structures there to be razed.
The area has become a cultural hub for many of the migrants. It has shops, a school and religious structures. Up to 1,000 people could be affected but volunteers on the ground estimated that at least twice that number lived in the area.
Thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa have congregated around Calais in the hope of crossing to the UK.