1. Suspected terrorists who abducted schoolchildren and teachers from three schools in Esinele, Yamota and Alawusa towns in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have opened communication channels with the state government, Saturday PUNCH can report.
Two highly credible sources told our correspondents that the hoodlums refused to speak directly with the families of the victims
2. The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday ruled that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has exclusive ownership of the eNaira digital currency platform. In a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining eNaira Payment Solutions Limited from presenting itself as the registered owner of the “eNaira” trademark.
3. The decision by some former ministers of President Bola Tinubu to resign from the Federal Executive Council in pursuit of elective offices ahead of the 2027 general elections appears to be yielding mixed fortunes, with only two securing party tickets so far. Five former cabinet members stepped down from their positions after the Presidency directed political appointees seeking elective offices to resign before participating in party primaries
4. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has accused Dangote Petroleum Refinery of attempting to monopolise Nigeria’s fuel market through a lawsuit challenging import licences granted to rival marketers. In court documents, the state oil company argued that granting Dangote’s request to void or restrict fuel import permits would undermine competition and expose Nigeria to supply disruptions, price instability and threats to national energy security
5. The Nigeria Democratic Congress has constituted a 20-member National Selection Committee to oversee the screening and selection of aspirants seeking the party’s governorship and National Assembly tickets ahead of the 2026 elections. The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by the party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu.
6. The Naira on Friday appreciated to N1,376 per dollar in the parallel market, the same threshold as the official market rate, from N1,387 per dollar on Thursday. But the naira depreciated to N1,375 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NFEM.
7. The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Friday accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, of blocking access to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai after senior leaders of the party were denied access to him at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. The opposition party said the restrictions surrounding El-Rufai’s detention were raising fresh concerns about political persecution.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, in
8. Lagos State has declared Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election, following his victory in the party’s primary held on Thursday. According to the electoral officer, Hamzat secured 657,917 votes out of the 657,974 accredited votes cast, while his challenger, Lanre Jim-Kamal, polled one vote.
9. United States President Donald Trump has directed that Nigerians and other nationals applying for green cards must return to their home countries to apply for the process except in extraordinary circumstances. The new immigration development was disclosed on Friday. According to a press statement issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency said the policy was aimed at restoring what it described as the “original intent” of US immigration law.
10. A major crisis erupted within the African Democratic Congress in Benue State on Friday following violent scenes, protests and growing allegations surrounding the party’s primary election process. The protesters, who carried placards and chanted solidarity songs, warned against any move capable of sidelining the Idoma nation in the party’s governorship arrangement, insisting that Benue South deserves a fair opportunity to produce the party’s candidate.
