Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Thursday morning

The 20 corps members abducted on their way to the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States have regained their freedom. The victims, who were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, were attacked near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State on October 1.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has visited the site of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash at Igbokoda, directing a sustained search for the remains of the victims and the wreckage of the aircraft. Aiyedatiwa, who gave the directive at the scene of the incident on Wednesday, described the accident as a national tragedy.

The Federal Government is set to make a formal reconciliation declaration over the 1967 Asaba Massacre, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori revealed on Wednesday. The governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Kingsley Emu, disclosed this at the anniversary memorial of the massacre in Asaba, 59 years after hundreds of people were killed during the Nigerian Civil War.

A senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Dr Matthew Uwuigbe, has died after reportedly collapsing in a hotel room following a sexual encounter with a 21-year-old commercial sex worker identified as Angela Defa Jacob. The incident occurred on Sunday at a hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State. It was gathered that Uwuigbe had checked into the hotel with the woman and reportedly collapsed moments after the sexual encounter.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has said the Bola Tinubu administration has demonstrated greater commitment to the development of the South-East than previous governments. Umahi said this at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, where he highlighted the Federal Government’s ongoing infrastructure interventions across the country.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has predicted that the President will secure a wider victory margin over his opponents in the 2027 presidential election. Bwala expressed confidence that Tinubu would perform better in 2027 than he did in the 2023 presidential election. He made the prediction while speaking in an interview reported by Channels Television on Wednesday.

Members of the Action Democratic Congress Legacy Group in Kebbi State, including the party’s House of Representatives candidate and two State House of Assembly candidates, have defected to the All Progressives Congress. The defectors were formally received into the APC on Wednesday by the Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), FCT Council, has directed workers across the public and private sectors in the Federal Capital Territory to commence an indefinite strike over the promotion policy for FCT teachers. The directive, which took effect on Wednesday, followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration on September 8 and what the labour council described as an inadequate response to its demands.

Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas on Wednesday declared the state “100 per cent” for the All Progressives Congress, APC, saying residents would vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Kefas said support for the President had been strengthened by Federal Government interventions in security, education, healthcare and infrastructure, which he said were already being felt by residents of the state.

Dangote Refinery has reduced its diesel (AGO) gantry price to N1,700 per litre, making it between N75 and N85 per litre cheaper than imported AGO. The refinery disclosed this in a new price template made available to its customers, noting that, from Wednesday, its diesel would be sold at N1,700 per litre, down from N1,780. This means that the refinery cut its gantry diesel price by N80 per litre.