1. The deployment of forest guards has gathered momentum, with Kebbi, Gombe, Kwara, Kaduna, Edo, Imo, Bayelsa, Anambra and several other states scaling up operations under the Federal Government-backed initiative, although implementation remains uneven nationwide.
The renewed focus on forest security follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards after recent attacks and abductions linked to suspected bandits in Oyo and Kwara States.
2. Two suspected kidnappers were killed and four others arrested during a coordinated police operation that led to the rescue of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her two sons, the police said yesterday. Mrs John-Paul is the younger sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu. The victims were rescued unhurt after spending several days in captivity following their abduction on June 3.
3. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Nigerians that his administration will not surrender to terrorists, bandits or any form of criminal intimidation, while pledging to intensify efforts to ease the economic hardship confronting citizens across the country. The assurance was conveyed on Sunday by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, during the National Inter-Denominational Church Service at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, as part of activities marking the 2026 Democracy Day celebrations.
4. The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has, in a landmark judgment, declared unlawful the National Assembly’s controversial N110 billion vehicle and allowance schemes, ruling that the spending of N40 billion on 465 vehicles for lawmakers and N70 billion in support allowances for newly elected members breached procurement laws, constitutional obligations and the public trust.
5. President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Sunday, urged Nigerians not to give up hope, saying he was compelled to introduce monthly prayer sessions to tackle abduction, killings and militancy when he served as the governor of Akwa Ibom State. He said Nigerians must continue to pray so that terrorism sponsors will be exposed.
6. former Ogun Central senator and daughter of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress, alleging persistent disrespect, rejection and unfair treatment by the party’s leadership in Ogun State. Obasanjo, who recently contested for the APC governorship ticket in Ogun State, announced her resignation in a letter dated May 31 and addressed to the state APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent on Monday
7. Boko Haram insurgents are still holding onto some teenage boys and girls in their enclave, even as 360 elderly men, women, and young children abducted from Ngoshe in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, regained freedom yesterday. Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) said the victims were rescued from the Mandara Mountains, where Boko Haram fighters had been keeping hundreds of captives.
8. A United Kingdom court has remanded a 32-year-old man, Maxwell Oguanaya, in custody over the alleged murder of a 41-year-old Nigerian, Taiwo Ekerin, following an assault in Lewisham, London. The Metropolitan Police disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. The police noted that Oguanaya was charged with murder after Ekerin died from injuries sustained during an altercation.
9. Troops of Operation Enduring Peace in Plateau State have thwarted multiple kidnap attempts, including the abduction of a pastor and his wife, and rescued 10 victims in separate operations across Plateau and Kaduna states. Spokesperson for the Joint Military Task Force, Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, who disclosed this in a statement released in Jos on Sunday, said the operations that led to the rescue of the victims were carried out within the last 48 hours.
10. The Indigenous People of Biafra has claimed that the Federal Government’s cross-appeal in the case involving its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has weakened the legal basis of his conviction and raised fundamental questions about the jurisdiction of the trial court. In a statement released on Sunday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the separatist group argued that issues raised in the appeal process could have far-reaching implications not only for Kanu’s case but also for the credibility of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
