African press review 5 June 2017

Unravelling the scandal of fake drugs smuggled into Africa, a UN study says the illegal trade comes at a cost of 52 billion euros and 100,000 lives lost. Nigeria issues a red alert for fake news as bogus videos of deadly bombings in Abuja and Lagos flood the internet.

We begin with a front-page splash in Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper, a new disturbing UN study revealing the gigantic scale of the trafficking of fake pharmaceutical and veterinary drugs to Africa.

The publication reports that the World Customs Organization together with other strategic agencies found that some 113 million illicit and potentially dangerous medicines, allegedly from India and China.

The fake drugs reportedly smuggled into the African market every year include antimalarial drugs, anti-cancer pills and antibiotics, the biggest interceptions reportedly made in Nigeria, Benin, Kenya and Togo.

According to Daily Nation counterfeit drugs are valued at 52 million euros. The publication also underlines findings by the World Health Organization that they contribute to the death of 100,000 Africans annually.

In Nigeria, ThisDay relays a red alert for fake news issued by the Federal government after social media outlets published gory videos of deadly bomb blasts in the capital Abuja and the Lagos at the weekend.

According to the newspaper, the country's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed was forced to put out a statement warning citizens to ignore fake news.

He warned that it was being peddled by unscrupulous persons, who are bent on destabilizing the polity and causing disunity between the country’s various ethnic and religious groups.

Mohammed reportedly described the fake news phenomenon as ‘the scourge of our times’ which could get worse in the months ahead.

The Sun says websites of many reputable media organizations were being imitated and used to spread false information.

And South Africa's BusinessDay says the President Jacob Zuma has denied owning a "palace" in the United Arab Emirates.

The denial allegedly followed a report published by Sunday Times that the luxury home was bought for him by the Gupta family. The wealthy Gupta brothers are at the center of an influence-peddling scandal dogging Zuma's rule.

The paper says revelations about the retirement home acquired for 22.7 million euros in an upmarket suburb of Dubai are among more than 100,000 documents and e-mails leaked last week.

According to BusinessDay the claims have heaped more pressure on the scandal-plagued Zuma only days after he survived a no-confidence vote by the ANC national executive committee.

Sunday Times did not name the sources, but said they included businessmen, senior officials in the ANC and people close to the Zuma family.