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At least several people have been killed, many injured, and others abducted in a fresh bandit attack on Hurya village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The incident occurred on Thursday night when the attackers stormed the village and opened fire on residents.

According to a post on Friday by security analyst, Bakatsine via X, the victims were attacked in their homes, and multiple women were taken away.

“Last night, bandits attacked Hurya village in Kankara LGA, Katsina State, shooting sporadically.

“They killed some people, injured many others, and abducted several people, including seven housewives,” the post read.

Kebbi State Police Command has arrested ten suspects allegedly involved in the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl in Tungar Giwa, Shanga Local Government Area of the state.

The incident, which occurred in February, involved multiple men said to have taken turns sexually assaulting the minor in various locations.

The arrests followed a directive issued by the state command on Wednesday, July 16, for the Divisional Police Officer in Shanga to apprehend and transfer the suspects to the State Headquarters in Birnin Kebbi for further investigation.

The case has drawn widespread condemnation from residents and rights groups, with many demanding swift prosecution of the suspects.

The Kebbi State Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence, TWG-GBV, led by the state’s First Lady, Zainab Nasare Idris, commended the police for their prompt action.

In a statement, the TWG Secretary, Nasiru Idris, urged authorities to ensure impartial prosecution and warned against interference in the matter.

The group also called on the public to report abuse cases and avoid shielding perpetrators under any guise.

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has stopped new signing Noni Madueke from joining the squad for their preseason tour of Singapore and Hong Kong.

Madueke was officially unveiled by the Gunners on Friday, after completing a £52million move from Chelsea.

The 23-year-old was eager to cut short his post-Club World Cup vacation to begin preparations for next season.

But Arteta has advised him to get some rest and be refreshed mentally.

Madueke is now expected to take a two-week holiday, during which he will have access to one of Arsenal’s strength and conditioning coaches.

The England international has signed a five-year contract and will wear the no.20 shirt at the Emirates.

The naira bounced back to appreciate against the dollar across official and parallel foreign exchange markets to end the week on a good note after days of depreciation.

This comes as Nigeria’s presidency said naira harmonisation has been achieved under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.

Central Bank of Nigeria exchange rate data showed that the naira strengthened slightly to N1,532.34 on Friday from N1,533.11 traded on Thursday.

This showed that the naira at the official market recorded a marginal gain of N0.77 to the dollar on a day-to-day basis.

Similarly, at the black market, the naira firmed up to N1,535 per dollar on Friday.

The uptrend comes after two days of consecutive depreciation of the naira at the official market, but the currency had remained stable at the parallel market.

It was reported that the gap between the official and black markets has closed at the currency market.

Reacting, a presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said the Naira harmonisation has been achieved under the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

“Harmonisation of exchange rate achieved. Renewed Hope Agenda is not just a slogan. It is real,” he wrote on X

Operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command have stopped a planned rally by supporters of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the state.

The police also warned that they would take necessary legal action against any individual or group found violating the order.

It was gathered that the rally was billed to be held in honour of Obi’s birthday celebration.

The police, while stating the reason for banning the rally, said that intelligence information at their disposal disclosed that certain criminal elements are planning to infiltrate and hijack the proposed rally, using it as a platform to cause disruption, incite violence, and disturb the prevailing public peace in the state.

The command’s spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, in a statement, said all forms of political rallies and public gatherings of a political nature in Kaduna State remain suspended across the state until the official commencement date of political activities as stipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

“While the primary elections by political parties are scheduled by INEC to hold on the same date the Obi supporters planned for their rally, the Kaduna Police Command notes that the rally will overlap and disrupt several areas designated for the conduct of other parties’ primaries, thereby posing a significant risk of tension, clashes, and breakdown of law and order in the state.

“The Kaduna State Police Command remains committed to safeguarding the lives and property of all residents and will not hesitate to take necessary legal action against any individual or group found violating this directive,” the statement said.

The Command urged organisers of the planned Peter Obi rally to suspend any gathering or procession to ensure public safety and prevent potential hijacking by miscreants.

Operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command have stopped a planned rally by supporters of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the state.

The police also warned that they would take necessary legal action against any individual or group found violating the order.

It was gathered that the rally was billed to be held in honour of Obi’s birthday celebration.

The police, while stating the reason for banning the rally, said that intelligence information at their disposal disclosed that certain criminal elements are planning to infiltrate and hijack the proposed rally, using it as a platform to cause disruption, incite violence, and disturb the prevailing public peace in the state.

The command’s spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, in a statement, said all forms of political rallies and public gatherings of a political nature in Kaduna State remain suspended across the state until the official commencement date of political activities as stipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

“While the primary elections by political parties are scheduled by INEC to hold on the same date the Obi supporters planned for their rally, the Kaduna Police Command notes that the rally will overlap and disrupt several areas designated for the conduct of other parties’ primaries, thereby posing a significant risk of tension, clashes, and breakdown of law and order in the state.

“The Kaduna State Police Command remains committed to safeguarding the lives and property of all residents and will not hesitate to take necessary legal action against any individual or group found violating this directive,” the statement said.

The Command urged organisers of the planned Peter Obi rally to suspend any gathering or procession to ensure public safety and prevent potential hijacking by miscreants.

Security forces have arrested a suspected arms trafficker, Mati Bagio, aged 34, and recovered a cache of weapons from his residence in Unguwan Galladima, Shika village, Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

According to a post on Friday by security analyst and counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama on X, the suspect was apprehended in the early hours of Thursday, following credible intelligence.

It was gathered that a team of operatives stormed the suspect’s residence at about 5:30 a.m. and arrested him without resistance.

Items recovered from the scene included: one AK-47 rifle, one fabricated AK-47 rifle, one pump-action gun, two fabricated pistols, two AK-47 magazines, two LAR rifle magazines, two fabricated AK-47 butts, four AK-47 rounds, ten pump-action cartridges, 80 pistol rounds, a machete, two torchlights, and an un-jam rod.

Security sources said the suspect is currently in custody and has begun providing useful information to investigators.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, ,The Patriots a group of eminent elder statesmen, have called for urgent electoral reforms to allow for free and fair polls.

They specifically demanded that all national elections be held on the same date.

The call was part of the resolutions reached at the just concluded National Summit on the Future of Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy, held in Abuja between 16th and 17th July, 2025.

Reports that the 2025 National Summit led by former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, was convened by The Patriots, in collaboration with the Nigerian Political Summit Group, NPSG.

A communique issued at the end of the 3-day summit, noted that free, fair and credible elections “are the real pillars of democracy”.

It, however, lamented that the current reality in the country “is a democracy that has been taken away from the control of voters, stressing that “elections are too costly and prone to fraud”.

According to the communique, “Billions of Naira are spent on recruitment of electoral officers, security agencies and logistics while the courts have become the real electors of leaders.

“Among other reforms, the Summit resolved therefore, that all elections be conducted in a single day, as this is cheaper, time saving and less prone to fraud.

“Brazil and Ghana are good examples of countries that have adopted single-day elections.”

The Summit also demanded amendment to the Electoral Act and relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and electronic transmission of results in real time “to be made mandatory”.

The Summit equally resolved that the National Assembly must as a matter of urgency, arrive at a constitutional framework that will “return Nigeria to a truly federal system of government where the federating units will enjoy their autonomy as obtained in the First Republic and other genuine democracies of the World”.

“The Summit agreed that the current presidential system of government is too expensive, prone to abuse; constitutes a hindrance to peoples welfare and a major threat to the future of democracy in Nigeria,” the communique added.