1. Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, has blamed internal saboteurs for Thursday’s abduction of students of Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara. The governor said preliminary investigation revealed that all the CCTV cameras installed in the school were switched off during the attack.

2. A medium range aircraft, Embraer 145, belonging to a premium services provider, Xejet Airlines, skidded off the runway and plunged into the grass areas of Runway 18Left of Lagos Airport on Saturday. The aircraft with 52 passengers and the crew members on board departed Abuja Airport before the incident at the runway of Lagos Airport.

3. Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, stormed Rivers State yesterday with a warning to his political opponents that their illegal acts stand no chance of success in the ongoing crisis in the state. Wike, the immediate past governor of the state, is currently in a stand-off with his successor and estranged godson, Siminalayi Fubara.

4. The federal government has said that the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, buses under the Presidential CNG Initiative, PCNGI, will lead to a substantial reduction in transportation costs, ultimately helping to curb inflation. Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Olawale Edun, expressed this view in Lagos on Saturday.

5. Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar has written all the foreign missions in the country to comply with the directive of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to charge payment for visa and consular services in naira instead of dollar. Tuggar has already met with a few envoys who sought more clarifications on the EFCC’s advisory.

6. Authorities of the Nigerian Army have launched a probe into how some soldiers kept in guard rooms (detention) for various offences broke the facility located at the 8 Division Garrison, Sokoto. It also said it would go ahead to implement the directive of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to look into the state of all Nigerian Army detention facilities.

7. President Bola Tinubu has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria to suspend the implementation of the controversial cybersecurity levy policy and ordered a review. This followed the decision of the House of Representatives, which, last Thursday, asked the CBN to withdraw its circular directing all banks to commence charging a 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy on all electronic transactions in the country.

8. Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of being the mastermind of the current charged political atmosphere in Rivers State. He alleged that Wike had instructed his aides and political associates to continuously malign and sabotage the peace, progress, and prosperity of Rivers State.

9. The Federal Government is poised to receive fresh loan funding from the World Bank, with approval expected for loans totalling $2.25bn on June 13, 2024. The funding will be received via two major development projects. The first project is the Nigeria Reforms for Economic Stabilization to Enable Transformation Development Policy Financing, which is set to receive $1.5bn.

10. No fewer than 17 persons were on Saturday injured in multiple road crashes on Ota-Idiroko Road. It was learnt that 15, out of the 32 persons involved in the accident which occurred at 8:55 am around Iju Bridge, managed to escape unhurt.

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state has placed a N10 million bounty on the killers of two policemen in the state.

On May 7, the Enugu state police command said two policemen and three members of the neighbourhood watch were killed during a crisis that erupted in Iggah community, Uzo-Uwani LGA of the state.

While briefing journalists after a security council meeting at the government house on Saturday, Mbah said the state would go after the culprits with every resource at its disposal.

On the possible culprits, Mbah said available information pointed to men of the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

He called on members of the public to be on the lookout for the criminals and the exhibits, and report same to security agencies.

“We just rounded off our security council meeting where we discussed, among other things, about the gruesome killing of our policemen – men of the Enugu state police command — by criminals suspected to be members of the ESN,” Mbah said.

“Let me say this. This bestial and cold-blooded action cannot be condoned in Enugu state. I have given my directives to the security agencies that there must be no hiding place for these criminals in Enugu state. We must use everything necessary to hunt down, arrest, and bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime.

“We have also placed a bounty of N10 million as a reward to anyone, who would have any useful information that will lead to the arrest of these criminals. So, I enjoin members of the public to, please, come forward, or call the police and other security agencies with any useful information that could lead to the arrest of these criminals.

“We do not have room to accommodate these people, these vagabonds, and these miscreants in our state.

“We are going to do everything necessary to ensure that the ultimate sacrifice made by our valiant policemen does not go in vain.”

Mbah said the government would provide the necessary support to the bereaved families.

“Let me just also add that those who murder our policemen or indeed any member of our security agencies may assume that they have triumphed in their evil acts. Let me inform them that we are going to come after them with everything we have,” the governor said.

“We are going to deploy all the necessary technology, all the necessary forces within our powers to track them, capture them and defeat them. Enugu State and indeed with the support of the security agencies, we are going to make life uncomfortable for those who do not want to live in a decent society.”

The Police Command in Rivers has explained why it deployed about 30 armed policemen and Armoured Personnel Carriers to the residential quarters of members of the state House of Assembly in Port Harcourt.

The deployment has heightened political tension in the state amidst face-off between some lawmakers and the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The factional Speaker of the Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, has alleged that the governor was plotting to demolish the houses, a claim dismissed by Fubara.

The governor had visited the residential quarters on Wednesday, during which he told journalists that he was there for an on-the-spot assessment of the condition of the houses for possible rehabilitation.

The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the state All Progressive Congress, Tony Okocha, recently urged the lawmakers to initiate impeachment proceedings against the governor.

The Police Command, however, said that the deployment of personnel to the assembly quarters was for the purpose of upholding peace, not partisan interest.

SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the command spokesperson, in a statement in Port Harcourt on Saturday, said that the recent political developments prompted the deployment.

“Our deployment in the area is solely aimed at ensuring peace and preventing any possible breakdown of order.

“We assure the public that there is no cause for alarm and all individuals are encouraged to carry on with their lawful activities without fear.

“Cooperation from the public is greatly appreciated as the police command strives to maintain a safe and secure environment for all,” she stated.