A Tragic Femicide Case in Northeastern Nigeria Smells Like Honour Killing
This week, we start in Egypt, where a new asylum law shifting refugee control from the UN is raising concerns. Next, we head to Uganda, where an online platform is offering mental support to victims of sexual violence. Finally, we stop in India, where a trans activist made history by getting a passport for her child without naming a father.
But first, in Nigeria, the Yellow House Library in Bayelsa gives children missing out on school the opportunity to read and learn, allowing them to dream beyond the fishing trade. for children missing out on school, providing them with books and education to inspire dreams beyond the fishing trade. This week, Minority Africa spoke with Babawale Babafemi, who started the library in 2021 to provide a safe space for out-of-school children.
Read an excerpt here👇🏽:
A library becomes a lifeline for out-of-school children in a Nigerian fishing community
The children at the heart of  Yenagoa’s Kpansia Market, in Bayelsa State, are hard to miss. From cockcrow to cock roost, they walk and play around the market, often barefoot, rolling discarded tyres when they are not in a canoe paddling in the hunt for fish to help their parents.
“I was in Primary 6 when I stopped going to school. Though I wasn’t happy about it, it was due to my parents’ financial struggles,” says 12-year-old Marvelous Akumogbia. Akumogbia’s parents are fishermen and couldn’t afford his school fees, so they asked him to drop out and join them in fishing, despite his desire to continue his education.
It’s also hard to miss the Yellow House Library in Yenagoa. Its tall wooden frame, covered in bright yellow tarpaulin, stands out. Inside, eager children browse the bookshelves, settle onto plastic chairs or wooden benches, and immerse themselves in stories.  Founded in 2021 by Babawale Babafemi, the library began as a reading club to boost literacy among out-of-school children. Babafemi also wanted a safe home for the collection of children’s and adult books he inherited from his father.
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Faith*, a salesperson living in Kampala was introduced to Eddie by a friend to make stickers for his business. After staying in touch for over a year, Eddie called her with a business proposal.
“He called me saying he had a friend with a big salon in Zana who would buy my products at wholesale price,” Faith explains. “But I told him we weren’t ready for that because we didn’t have the capacity to produce in large quantities. So, I decided to put him on hold.”
Eventually, in July 2023, Faith informed Eddie that she was ready to sell the products and the duo agreed to meet. The meeting point was decided to be his house. While there, Eddie then asked Faith for sex, offering her any amount of money if she complied.
“I denied his requests. He got angry and told me I would have sex with him whether I wanted to or not. When I stood up to leave, I noticed he had locked the door,” she says.
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He had to prepare for two things. In addition to what he and the other students learned during the practical, he had to repeatedly practise how he would speak and not stammer when it was his turn to present.
“I was struggling to speak. I understood what I wanted to say but couldn’t get it out. Sincerely, I felt pain, discouraged, disappointed, and embarrassed,” he says, recounting how his presentation went.
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A Tragic Femicide Case in Northeastern Nigeria Smells Like Honour Killing
Yakaka Alhaji Aisami did not know it when she woke up that morning in April this year, but two things were going to happen to alter the trajectory of her life. She would receive a delicious bowl of pap from her doting niece, setting off an unexpected chain of events that would culminate three days later in the cold-blooded murder of her 17-year-old firstborn child.
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