Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Saturday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:

1. The verbal war between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar rose to a higher gear on Friday, with Atiku dismissing Obasanjo’s allegation that he bribed the Ghali Umar Na’Abba-led House of Representatives to get him impeached as President before the 2003 elections. The allegation was contained in Obasanjo’s July 23 letter responding to former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba’s reflections on the 2003 elections.

2. In a bid to forestall political violence ahead of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, the state’s police command has declared Dauda Olamilekan, popularly known as Emir, wanted alongside four others. The command, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi on Friday, said those declared wanted are individuals who were responsible for killing, maiming and assaulting residents of the state.

3. In the buildup to the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has registered a total of 6,885,330 new prospective voters    across the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR exercise, which ends on Sunday, July 26, 2026. This is after the exercise was extended by two weeks from the initial closing day of July 10.

4. The national leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, on Friday, set up and inaugurated a seven-man committee to manage the affairs of parks and garages in Osun State. The committee, which will be led by Mr Kazeem Oyewale popularly known as Asiri Eniba, was inaugurated at the headquarters union located in Garki Area, Abuja.

5. The Budget Office of the Federation, BOF on Friday explained that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, which the presidency declared as fake and is currently being investigated by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, had its origin in the last administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari.

6. The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has directed police officers across the country to shoot on sight anyone found carrying illegal firearms, as part of intensified efforts to curb insecurity. Disu issued the directive on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, saying the move followed President Bola Tinubu’s instruction that the lingering security crisis in the state must be brought to an end.

7. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC has reported an increase in confirmed Lassa fever cases in epidemiological week 28 after a decline in week 27. This is with cumulative confirmed infections rising to 963 and deaths reaching 229 in 2026. According to the NCDC, Lassa Fever situation report released in a statement on Friday, new confirmed cases dropped from 31 in week 26 to 14 in week 27 before increasing to 25 in Week 28.

8. The Ondo State Police Command has arrested four of its officers captured in a viral video allegedly demanding money from a motorist along the Ijebu-Ode–Ore–Benin Expressway. According to a statement on Friday, the arrested officers are: “AP/No. 207454, ASP Elomore Sodayo; AP/No. 332012, Inspector Adefila Adewale; AP/No. 332449, Inspector Olorunfemi Opeyemi; and AP/No. 332369, Inspector Odusola Peter.”

9. At least 1,429 Nigerians were repatriated from Niger Republic in May 2026, the latest data from the Mixed Migration Centre show. This is as the West African country continues to serve as a major transit corridor for citizens attempting the dangerous journey to Europe through Libya and Algeria.

10. Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has condemned the alleged sabotage of a section of the newly commissioned Lameco Bridge in Osogbo, accusing unnamed politicians of sponsoring the vandalisation of public infrastructure for political gain. The governor made the allegation on Friday after inspecting the affected section of the bridge, where he also directed immediate security surveillance of major public infrastructure across the state.