NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS: 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS FRIDAY

Hello and good morning! Here is today's Nigerian newspaper summary:

1. Over 1,262 Nigerian students have petitioned the Federal Government to evacuate them from the Republic of Sudan, where a deadly military clash between Sudanese army forces and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Force has killed 330 deaths and injured 3,200.

2. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, denied meeting with Adamawa government officials on Thursday to rig the state's supplemental governorship election. The denial followed a claim that INEC officials assigned to oversee the election paid a nighttime visit to the state Government House, presumably to rig the election in favor of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.

3. The Enugu State Police Command has detained 26 people suspected of being involved in cult confrontations across the state. The confrontations, which are supposed to involve Supreme Vikings and Black Axe Confraternities members, have reportedly claimed 30 lives in the last two weeks.

4. The Federal Capital Territory High Court has set May 12 as the date for deciding whether or not to lift the suspension order imposed on the Labour Party national chairman, Julius Abure, and other party executives. After hearing arguments and objections from several counsels on the case, Justice Hamza Muazu set the date.

5. Following the sighting of Shawwal, 1444 AH in numerous parts of the country, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, has declared Friday as Eid-el-Fitr. The national moon seeing committee received and validated reports on the new moon, according to the monarch.

6. President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into the security operatives engaged in the illegal declaration of Senator Aisha Dahiru, commonly known as Binani, as Adamawa State's governor-elect. The president approved the suspension of Hudu Yunusa Ari, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, who fraudulently declared Binani the winner of the election while collation was still ongoing, in a circular sent on Thursday.

7. On Thursday, the Military High Command downplayed the governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai's, warning. El-Rufai, who urged the military to increase its operations, warned that bandits could use the transition phase to conduct murderous attacks across the country.

8. Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has reacted angrily to the recent statement released by Presidential Spokesman Garba Shehu. Shehu accused Ortom of allowing the crisis in Benue to worsen in a statement made Wednesday night. However, Ortom, speaking through his spokesman Nathaniel Ikyur, said the attempt to pervert the Benue killings was tragic and repulsive.

9. President Muhammadu Buhari praised his administration's performance in the country's recent elections, claiming that the voting process was so clear that several members of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, were defeated and unseated. This was indicated in his Sallah message, which was given by Mallam Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.

10. Bola Tinubu, the President-elect, has announced the formation of a 13-member presidential inauguration committee to arrange his inauguration on May 29, 2023. Tinubu announced this in a letter to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.