Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Monday morning

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

1. A joint security team in Enugu State has intensified the trail of armed men alleged to have abducted three persons in a church at Inoyi, Affa Community in Udi Local Government Area on Sunday. The joint security team comprised police operatives, Forest Guards, and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group.

2. Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the Presidency’s attack on the Catholic Church and John Cardinal Onaiyekan, accusing the President Bola Tinubu administration of growing intolerant of dissent and uncomfortable truths. Atiku said the Presidency chose intimidation and political attacks instead of reflecting on the substance of the cleric’s message.

3. The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the publication of its presidential candidate by the Independent National Electoral Commission has ended months of speculation over the party’s participation in the 2027 presidential election. The party said those who predicted it would fail to produce a candidate had been proven wrong.

4. A female motorist has died in a lone road crash at Mongoro, inward Ile-Zik, after reportedly losing control of her vehicle and crashing into a roadside building, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has said. The LASTMA spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, disclosed the information in a statement on Sunday, noting that preliminary investigations had shown the deceased was driving a Toyota Sienna with registration number LND 162 HB at the time of the accident.

5. Anambra State security outfit, Agunechemba Security Squad, says it has dismantled suspected gunmen’s camps in Orumba North and Orumba South Local Government Areas, recovering a cache of arms, including two General Purpose Machine Guns and locally made rocket launchers. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Publicity Secretary of Agunechemba, Mr Nweke Nweke, said the locally made rocket launchers had been handed over to the Nigerian Army.

6. Several residents have been reportedly kidnapped, while an army officer and a policeman were confirmed killed in the Kasuwar Daji village of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area in Zamfara State. It was learnt that the incident occurred on Sunday at about 1:40am. An eyewitness, Musa Garba, said that more than 70 people were abducted.

7. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says its operatives intercepted consignments of cocaine concealed in a local mortar and the false bottom of a backpack meant for shipment to China and Italy through a Lagos logistics company. This is just as the agency said it arrested four suspects in multiple operations across the country.

8. The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Sunday, welcomed a group of defectors from the All Progressives Congress in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State into NDC. In a statement shared on his official X account, the former Kano State governor expressed delight over the development.

9. Team Nigeria wrapped up its campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with an impressive seventh-place finish on the final medals table, collecting 24 medals across athletics, weightlifting, para-sports and judo. The Nigerian contingent secured 10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals, making it the highest-ranked African nation at the Games ahead of South Africa and Kenya.

10. Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa has revealed that his mother sold akamu and akara to support the family, saying he is proud of her hard work and urging Nigerians not to look down on petty traders. Musa made the remarks at a one-day training and financial empowerment workshop for widows and wives of service personnel at Lungi Barracks in Abuja.