1. The Federal High Court, Abuja on Thursday affirmed David Mark’s leadership of the opposition African Democratic Congress, a ruling the party welcomed even as former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar said he would continue his pursuit of the 2027 presidency.
Atiku described the judgment, which dismissed a suit filed by a member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, as victory for constitutional democracy and a rejection of attempts to use the judiciary for political ends.
2. The Federal Government has announced that another 271 Nigerians affected by the recent xenophobic protests in South Africa will arrive in Lagos today (Friday) as the ongoing evacuation exercise continues. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the latest batch would bring the government closer to completing the evacuation of Nigerians who voluntarily registered to return home
3. Security operatives have killed one suspected attacker after gunmen attempted to invade the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, Plateau State, on Wednesday night. It was gathered that the other assailants fled into a nearby bush after troops engaged them in a gun battle. Security operatives also recovered an AK-47 rifle and ammunition from the attackers.
4. The United States of America says it has withdrawn most of its forces deployed for a joint counterterrorism operation in Nigeria’s Lake Chad Basin. The Commander of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, disclosed this during a press briefing on the outcome of the African Chiefs of Defence Conference 2026..
5. A Kaduna State High Court has dismissed a fresh bail application filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, after the National Hospital, Abuja, disowned a medical report tendered in support of the request. Justice Darius Khobo rejected the application, which was based on claims that El-Rufai was suffering from advanced metastatic prostate cancer requiring specialised treatment allegedly unavailable in Nigeria.
6. Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of forging government appointment letters and parading himself as Director-General of a controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC and Presidential Economic Advisory Council, PEAC, said his life was under threat. The president’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, had on June 11, announced that the council did not exist under the Tinubu administration.
7. Federal Capital Territory minister, Nyesom Wike-backed Peoples Democratic Party and the Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led faction engaged in a war of words over the emergence of rival Independent National Electoral Commission nomination forms, conflicting candidates’ lists and other issues arising from the party’s primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
8. Security agencies have invited six individuals and three companies recently designated by the Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NSC) for alleged terrorism financing, as investigations into their suspected links to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and affiliated terrorist networks intensify.
Also, the Federal Government has so far secured 1,721 terrorism-related convictions through mass trials of terrorists since the programme began in 2017.
9. Nigeria must accelerate job creation and economic transformation as nearly 60 million young people are expected to enter the labour force over the next decade, according to a new World Bank diagnostic that identifies employment generation as the country’s most urgent development priority. The World Bank, in its Nigeria Streamlined Country Diagnostic, said unlocking economic opportunities to create more and better jobs is critical to reducing poverty and ensuring inclusive growth in Africa’s most populous nation
10. The Federal High Court, Abuja, has awarded N200 million against the Nigeria Police Force over the unlawful killing of Mallam Kabiru Babai. The suit was filed by Mr Okpi Adaafu on behalf of the Muslim Community of Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja. Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu held that the applicant proved her case on the preponderance of affidavit evidence.
