African press review 20 January 2012

Police corruption in Nigeria, Gambia's President Jammeh's re-election promises, the arrest of Uganda's opposition leader Kizza Besigye and protests against women wearing trousers in Malawi grab the headlines in the African media.

Nigerian papers lead with the story of spectacular escape of Boko Haram’s Christmas day bombing suspect from police custody.

The Guardian tells readers about the government’s outrage at senior police officials suspected of helping the alleged Christmas Day bombing's mastermind to escape from custody.

The government promised a 241,000 euros reward to anyone who could provide information about the fugitive’s whereabouts. Police commissioner Zakari Biu, who was investigating Kabiru Sokoto, was arrested by government officials.

Nigeria’s BusinessDay tells that Hafiz Ringin, the inspector general of the police, as well as other senior police officials, face sacking over the suspect’s escape.

The Guardian’s editorial reveals that President Goodluck Jonathan believes that Boko Haram sect members have infiltrated all branches of the executive, including the government and the police force.

“There’s little doubt,” says the paper, “that this religious group represents the clear and present danger to our country”.

To Gambia now, where the country’s online Freedom newspaper features Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh, sworn in for a fourth term.

In his inauguration speech, he promised to clamp down on lazy workers, eradicate corruption and turn his tiny country into an economic superpower.

Jammeh has ruled Gambia with an iron fist since seizing power in 1994, aged-29. In his address to the nation he said that he had been "too lenient" in the past.

"I will be more dangerous in the next five years than I was, even in uniform, because people have to change their attitude to work," the paper quotes him as saying, promising that people would see "a different Yahya Jammeh."

Uganda’s Daily Monitor’s dedicates its front page to the arrest of the opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye.

The leader of the Forum for Democratic Change was arrested ahead of a rally, part of the opposition campaign against the rising cost of living, corruption and bad governance.

The paper features a photo of Besigye smiling from behind bars at the Kiira Road police station. Dr Besigye and other fellow activists are already facing treason charges for their involvement in last year's opposition "walk-to-work" campaign over the high cost of living.

The most fascinating story is in today’s Zimbabwean. Its author, Joy Morrison, draws a parallel between Tunisia on the eve of the revolution and Zimbabwe today.

He notes that the Tunisian revolution was sparked by a street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi.

The article claims more people in Zimbabwe work in the informal sector than are formally employed.

According to the article, Zimbabwean men and women are facing daily police intimidation and a lack of capital and property rights are fertile ground for a Zimbabwean revolution. President Mugabe should beware.

Malawi’s Maravi post leads with the story of protests planned in the capital this Friday.

The demonstration is to protest against attacks on women wearing trousers. The paper’s headline quotes Malawi president Moutarika telling the country’s women “to be free to wear what you want”.

Female rights lawyer, Seodi White, who called on women to take to the streets, told the paper the mobilization was "in solidarity with the victims and to express our indignation at such barbaric treatment of mothers, wives and daughters of our country."

The country’s Minister of Gender, Reene Kachere, also vowed to fight for the right of women to wear what they want; The paper quotes the minister’s question: “Why are they not attacking fellow men in dreadlocks? “

And finally focus.rw, Rwandan newspaper, says that the government has launched an ambitious two year plan to reduce the HIV transmission rate by 50 per cent.

The decision follows successful trial of a non-surgical method of male circumcision called PrePex which experts say is easy to use and appropriate for the rural settings.

Male circumcision has traditionally been performed surgically. The new device, PrePex, has an elastic mechanism that fits closely around an inner ring, trapping the foreskin, which dries up and is removed a week after the placement.

The paper says that the government hopes to circumcise two million men with this unorthodox device.