1. Forests and porous border corridors stretching across Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Ekiti states have become major infiltration routes for bandits and kidnappers entering the South-West, Saturday PUNCH findings have revealed.
Credible sources, including hunters, operatives of the Oodua Peoples Congress and local residents, disclosed that armed groups fleeing military operations in the North were exploiting weak surveillance across forest reserves and boundary communities to launch attacks, abduct residents and escape undetected
2. Aisha Yesufu, activist and ally of Peter Obi, says she ran to win the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senate race of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), but the process was “subverted”. On May 6, Yesufu declared interest in the race after joining the NDC from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
3. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has asked former President Goodluck Jonathan to publicly dissociate himself from reports linking him to the party’s presidential candidate. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, advised the former President to take this step to protect his integrity and reputation.
4. The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has directed owners of event centres and hotels in Abuja to refuse access to any political party faction not recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, warning that title documents of non-compliant properties will be revoked. The instruction effectively empowers venue owners — and by extension the FCTA — to determine which political tendencies may lawfully assemble in the nation’s capital.
5. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday defended his administration’s decision to remove fuel subsidy, declaring that the move saved Nigeria from imminent bankruptcy and set the nation on the path to economic recovery. The President spoke in Lagos while hosting governors who paid him a Sallah homage and joined him in commemorating the third anniversary of his administration.
6. A holidaymaker identified simply as Adegoke Tee was arrested on Friday after he crushed two policemen to death and fled in Osun State. It was learnt that the two policemen, Lance Corporal Oluwatobiloba Odedina and his colleague, Kehinde Adeleke, were crushed to death at Oogi community in Ayedaade local government area of Osun State while they were on their way home from an official duty.
7. Troops of Sector 2 Operation Fansan Yamma have rescued 31 kidnap victims, neutralised five terrorists, and dismantled several terrorist camps in a series of coordinated operations across Zamfara and Katsina states. In Zamfara State, troops rescued 31 kidnap victims around the Bagega–Kawaye axis in Anka LGA.
The kidnap victims were rescued from captivity following a precision air interdiction conducted by the air component of Operation Fansan Yamma and a follow-on ground operation on terrorist enclaves west of Bagega Forest
8. Katsina State Police Command has arrested six suspects in connection with a violent attack on villagers in Keku Village, Musawa Local Government Area of the state. This was contained in a statement by the Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq and made available to newsmen on Friday in Katsina.
9. The police have arraigned a 19-year-old blogger, Nwanorue John Surpruchi, at the Federal High Court, Lagos, over alleged defamation of the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu. Surpruchi was arraigned before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa on a four-count charge of alleged cyberstalking, bullying and defaming the UBA CEO
10. Anambra State Government, through the Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency, has announced permit fees for political parties and candidates seeking to deploy campaign materials and conduct outdoor campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections. Under the new guidelines, presidential candidates are expected to pay N50 million for outdoor campaign permits, while senatorial candidates will pay N20 million.
