Morning Recap: Planned police deployment for Osun poll, PFIPC scandal, Basketball age controversy, other top stories
August 8, 2026 8:09 am
Police Officer. Credit: Stock photo
Politics, sports and entertainment stories make up the major stories in Saturday’s morning recap.
As the Osun State governorship election slated for August 15 approaches, the Nigeria Police Force has intensified efforts to ensure a peaceful voting process at all polling units across the state.
According to the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, a minimum of four police officers will be deployed to each polling unit. The security setup is expected to be strategic, as personnel from other security agencies will also support the police at the same locations.
In a related story, opposition parties and some Nigerians have shown their displeasure over the recent freezing of the Osun State Government’s account.
This has resulted in calls for the removal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede.
Furthermore, the participation of the Nigerian contingent at the FIBA U-18 AfroBasket Championship in Abidjan, Ivory Coast has come under scrutiny as there have been reports of age falsification of five of the 12 players.
The recap in full:
1. Osun poll: Police plan four officers per polling unit
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has said the police will deploy a minimum of four officers to each polling unit for the forthcoming Osun State governorship election.
Disu said the deployment would be one of the largest security operations the state had witnessed, noting that Osun had 30 local governments, 332 wards and 3,673 polling units.
Speaking at a meeting with civil society organisations in Abuja on Friday, the IG said the scale of the operation was larger than the deployment for the last election held in Anambra State, which he described as peaceful and largely free of complaints.
Read the full story here: [https://punchng.com/osun-poll-police-plan-four-officers-per-polling-unit/]
2. EFCC boss in sack storm over Osun
Calls for the removal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, intensified on Friday as opposition parties and some Nigerians responded to the freezing of the Osun State Government’s account.
They described the action of the anti-graft agency as politically motivated, alleging that the commission had demonstrated partisanship ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The Accord Party, New Nigeria People’s Party and many netizens asked President Bola Tinubu to sack Olukoyede if he did not resign.
Some groups, however, asked the EFCC boss to leave honourably after the President disowned his action.
The EFCC had on Wednesday ordered a Post No Bill on the Osun State Government account domiciled with First Bank on the grounds of suspicious transactions.
Read the full story here: [https://punchng.com/efcc-boss-in-sack-storm-over-osun/]
3. Age controversy rocks Junior D’Tigers amid losses
Nigeria’s campaign at the FIBA U-18 AfroBasket Championship in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, has been plunged into chaos after five of the twelve players originally registered for the Junior D’Tigers were ruled ineligible following FIBA’s mandatory medical age-verification screening.
The disqualifications left the team severely depleted and have reignited concerns over age eligibility in Nigerian basketball, with some of the excluded players understood to have featured for Plateau Peaks of Jos in the Nigeria Basketball Premier League for the past two seasons.
One of the most prominent cases involves Thomas Agbo, who featured in the 2026 Basketball Africa League and whose inclusion in an Under-18 squad had already drawn scrutiny before FIBA’s medical team reportedly declared him overage.
Read the full story here: [https://punchng.com/age-controversy-rocks-junior-dtigers-amid-losses/]
4. Family questioned my son’s paternity, maltreated my wife — Artiste, Mr P
Former P-Square singer, Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, has taken his ongoing tell-all series to a more personal level, making emotional claims about how his wife, Lola Omotayo-Okoye, was allegedly treated by members of his family during and after her first pregnancy.
In the eighth episode of his series released on Thursday, the singer shifted focus from previous allegations involving finances and business dealings with his brothers, Jude and Paul, to claims surrounding his family’s relationship with Lola.
Read the full story here: [https://punchng.com/family-questioned-my-sons-paternity-maltreated-my-wife-artiste-mr-p/]
Meanwhile, in a new development, the eldest brother of the defunct music duo, Henry, has expressed doubts about the possibility of his younger brothers, Peter and Paul Okoye, reconciling, saying the prolonged dispute between the twins may have caused irreparable damage to their relationship.
Read the full story here: [https://punchng.com/why-peter-paul-may-never-reconcile-henry-p-squares-eldest-brother/?utm_source=rss.punchng.com&utm_medium=web]
5. Atiku to Tinubu: Identify officials behind PFIPC scandal
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to identify government officials involved in the circumstances surrounding the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
Atiku stated that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission’s interim report did not amount to an exoneration of the presidency.
Read the full story here: [https://punchng.com/atiku-to-tinubu-identify-officials-behind-pfipc-scandal/]
6. Why FCT is excluded from state police – Senate
The Senate has explained that the Federal Capital Territory was excluded from the proposed state police arrangement because it does not have a governor or a State House of Assembly.
According to the Senate, the FCT remains directly under the administration of the Federal Government.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, gave the explanation on Friday while speaking with Saturday PUNCH amid questions over why the FCT was not included in the constitutional framework for the establishment of state police.
Read the full story here: [https://punchng.com/why-fct-is-excluded-from-state-police-senate/]
Ajisafe is a multimedia journalist and digital copy editor with over four years experience
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