🎬 Ready, Launch, Go.

Good morning. While you were sleeping, Quincy Wilson, the youngest olympian to win a gold medal at this year’s Olympic games reminded us how weird he feels having to return to school after starring in the bright lights of Paris. For context, he’s 16 years of age. Here’s a snapshot of what we had achieved by 16.

• Edna: Had her first experience chewing without braces

• Bassey: Spent 4 months out of school while rehabilitating an ankle fracture

• Tayo: Was appointed deputy choirmaster at his local church

• Chibuike: Had just failed JAMB exams for the 3rd year in a row.

— Chibuike Uzor, Edna Akanni

SECURITY

NIGERIA’S FESTERING SECURITY WOES

Over the weekend, Nigeria recorded its latest abduction incident. Twenty medical students on their way to the city of Enugu, in the Eastern part of the country, were kidnapped.

The victims have been in detention for close to 4 days with the only cue to their current location being an X post made by one of the victims shortly after the incident confirming the abduction.

Location. Location. Location. The location of the abduction is very revealing as to the current security situation of the country: Historically, most abductions have been recorded to happen in the Northern part of the country, largely due to the presence of terrorist militants turned kidnappers over the years. The last recorded location of the students was in Benue State, a more centrally located region previously touted to be safer.

How secure is Africa’s Giant?

Short of major episodes of political instability, the country has had its fair share of security challenges over the past two decades. Worthy of note is the first of what would be many terrorist attacks by the now-ailing terrorist group, Boko Haram in 2009. Repeated attacks over time have manifested in various forms, ranging from communal clashes to kidnappings, both organized and sporadic.

Nigeria currently ranks 144th out of 163 countries on the World Population Review’s Global Peace Index scale for 2023, one rank below its 143rd place in 2022.

Hot-seated government. A similar abduction case has been gathering momentum with multiple calls for the rescue of an abducted doctor, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola who has been in detention for seven months. The Nigerian Medical Association has threatened to call a strike action pending the rescue of the missing doctor.

Circling back. Multiple calls to the Nigerian government have equally been made for the rescue of the medical students with the abductors reportedly requesting a ransom amount of up to $32,000. CU.

AFRICA

Headline Quickie

• Senegal joins the satellite crew. Senegal becomes only the 12th African country to launch its own surveillance and telecommunications satellite in space. Launched from California on Friday evening, GAINDESAT-1 was propelled into orbit on Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket and will be used to collect data for various state agencies.

• Heads of Southern African States gather in Harare. 16 Presidents and heads of government from the Southern African Development Community gathered in the Zimbabwean capital to address the region’s multiple challenges including an ongoing drought, protracted fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the emergence of the mpox virus.

• Jumia raises $99 million. Jumia has closed the sale of 20 million ordinary shares raising $99 million in the process. The amount would help to stabilize Jumia’s financial position as analysts estimate that the French giant will lose $65 million for the full year 2024. The e-commerce giant will use the funding to finance customer acquisition and expand its logistics network.