Happy morning! The summary from Nigerian Newspapers for today is as follows:
1. On Saturday, gunmen reportedly burned down a portion of the Imo State High Court building in Orlu that housed vital records. This event comes after a few days in which gunmen allegedly carried out an attack on the INEC headquarters in Owerri, which the police said was carried out by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
2. Seven Chinese expatriates who had been abducted by terrorists in Niger State have been freed by Nigerian Air Force Special Forces assigned to the 271 Detachment in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna. They were saved during a search and rescue effort by the troops, according to a statement released on Saturday by Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, Director of Public Relations and Information for the Nigerian Air Force.
3. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, was allegedly “systematically” murdered by the Federal Government. The pro-Biafran organisation said in a statement through its spokeswoman Emma Powerful that it was past time for the entire world to condemn the horror being committed against the IPOB leader in the DSS Abuja prison.
4. Suspected killer herdsmen have threatened to break into residents’ homes as retaliation in letters to some communities in Ogun State. The inhabitants of the communities of Asa, Agbon, Ibeku, and Oja-Odan in the Yewa-North Local Government Area of Ogun State were terrified by the herdsmen who were not identified in the notice of assault. According to reports, the latter was penned on Saturday.
5. A cholera epidemic in the Ekureku hamlet in the Abi Local Government Area, Cross River State, is thought to have killed around 20 people. Ekureku is an agricultural community made up of 12 villages that shares a border with various areas of Ebonyi State. Investigations showed that there have been issues with portable drinking water in the neighbourhood.
6. President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, has received all the resources it requested to hold a free, fair, and transparent poll ahead of the 2023 general elections. During an interactive session hosted by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Buhari made this comment in response to a query on INEC’s readiness to hold the elections in 2023.
7. His Lordship Callistus Onaga, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, on Saturday forbade priests from leading crusades in their parishes. At the ordination of 26 priests and the 50th anniversary celebration of the Sacred Heart Seminary, Nsude (Junior Seminary) in Enugu, Bishop Onaga announced the prohibition in his sermon.
8. The Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, assured Imo State voters yesterday that if elected president the next year, his administration will put a high priority on job creation, the devolution of authority to states, and ensuring the success of companies.
9. On Saturday night, there were sporadic shootings that were reported near Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s residence in the Isiama Afaraukwu Umuahia county of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Prince Emmanuel, Kanu’s younger brother, who initially raised the alarm, reported that a police squad assaulted the gate leading to his father’s palace and began firing.
10. The 2022 FIFA World Cup championship game between France and Argentina will be officiated by Szymon Marciniak of Poland on Sunday in Doha. Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz, two of the 41-year-aides, old’s will be working with him. The player made his FIFA World Cup debut four years ago.
