Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Thursday morning

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

1. Today, Nigerian workers join their counterparts worldwide to mark May Day, also known as Workers’ Day. The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, however, lamented that since the current administration took office, workers have been under severe strain.
2. The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to release socialite and businesswoman Aisha Achimugu within 24 hours. In a brief ruling on Wednesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo directed all parties, particularly the EFCC, to return to court on May 2, 2025, to report compliance with the order.
3. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday said it will sue Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and other elected officials of the state, for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The party’s Acting National Chairman, Ilyas Damagum, said the intention is to retrieve their mandate from the governor and the lawmakers.
4. Residents of Maru in Zamfara State are in mourning following reports that its chief imam, Alkali Salisu Suleiman, his two sons, and a grandchild were killed while in captivity after being abducted by bandits. The revelation came from a female abductee who recently escaped and informed the community of the deaths.
5. Former Presidential aspirant and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dele Momodu, has harped on the need for the opposition to field a popular northern candidate if President Bola Tinubu must be dislodged in 2027. He disclosed this while appearing on Arise TV on Wednesday to appraise the current development in the polity.

6. Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has hinted at a possible defection ahead of the 2027 general elections, likening his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to a faulty aircraft. The governor’s remarks followed a wave of defections from the PDP, with his Delta State counterpart, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, moving to the APC along with his supporters.
7. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has dismissed the Managing Directors of its three key refineries as part of a major shake-up by the new management. Those affected include the heads of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company.
8. Borno State Police Command has urged residents of Maiduguri, the state capital, to remain calm following Wednesday night’s explosion at Giwa Barracks. It clarified that the incident was a “friendly-fire” and not the result of an enemy attack.
9. Personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder, Port Harcourt have rescued over 99 passengers onboard a local market boat from drowning following a boat mishap in Bukuma River in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State. The market boat, popularly known as ‘Blood of Jesus’, which was conveying passengers and goods worth millions of naira, set out from Port Harcourt heading to Akuku-Toru LGA of the state when it collided with a barge on the River.
10. Controversial hip-hop artiste Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, escaped a three-month jail, after paying the N30,000 fine prescribed by the court. The Chief Magistrate Babajide Ilo-led court sitting in Ifo, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, on Tuesday sentenced Portable to three months’ imprisonment for assault, with an option of a N30,000 fine.