Good morning, Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Sunday, 26th July, 2026.
1. Alleged Coup: Document Reveals People Assigned To Attack Aso Rock, Service Chiefs’ Residences, Airports
Fresh details have emerged on how officers and civilians accused of involvement in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration were assigned specific roles targeting strategic locations across Abuja and other parts of the country.
According to Premium Times, investigative documents reportedly showed that participants were given responsibilities ranging from securing the Presidential Villa and Radio House to taking control of military facilities, airports and the residences of senior military officers.
The prosecution has also presented additional details of the alleged plan before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where some of the accused persons are standing trial.
According to the documents, one of the suspects, Mr Usman, was allegedly assigned to lead the operation at the Presidential Villa after conducting reconnaissance of the complex with the assistance of insiders, including a police officer identified as Ahmed Ibrahim.
During proceedings in May, the prosecution played a video exhibit in which one of the defendants, Zekeri Umoru, reportedly told investigators that the alleged planners considered cutting electricity supply to the Presidential Villa at the point of execution.
Umoru, an employee of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc attached to the Maintenance Department at the Villa, however, said he warned that an abrupt power outage would immediately attract scrutiny and could lead to workers on duty being detained and questioned.
He also claimed that the alleged planners intended to recruit between 18 and 19 persons from among soldiers, State Security Service operatives and Julius Berger employees working within the Villa.
According to his account, after he raised concerns about the proposed blackout, the alleged leader of the plot considered using force to enter the Villa if insiders failed to cooperate.
Umoru and other defendants have challenged the admissibility of the video exhibits and their extra-judicial statements, citing the circumstances in which they were obtained.
The documents also outlined assignments allegedly given to other participants.
2. ICPC Probes Permanent Secretary Who Blocked Money Released By Tinubu
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has begun an investigation into allegations that the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Binyerem Ukaire, withheld payment files meant for agencies under the ministry.
The development came barely two days after Premium Times reported that funds approved by President Bola Tinubu for the operations of several federal agencies had not been processed.
The affected agencies include the Nigerian Television Authority, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Voice of Nigeria, News Agency of Nigeria, National Orientation Agency and the National Broadcasting Commission.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the funds had received presidential approval, but their release was allegedly delayed at the ministry.
Sources said Ukaire allegedly declined to process the payment files after heads of the affected agencies failed to comply with a request to make detailed presentations on their ongoing projects and how their funds were being utilised.
However, some agency officials and industry stakeholders reportedly questioned the demand, arguing that it was inconsistent with established civil service procedures governing the relationship between supervising ministries and their parastatals.
They cited a circular from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation which, according to them, restricts supervising ministries from interfering directly in the finances of agencies that are accountable to their governing boards and supervising ministers.
The disagreement subsequently generated concerns over the prolonged delay in releasing the approved funds.
Following the controversy, the ICPC reportedly invited Ukaire and heads of the affected agencies for questioning as part of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the delayed payments.
Sources said investigators sought explanations on why the files were not processed despite the reported presidential approval.
Neither Ukaire nor the agency heads were detained after the interrogation, according to those familiar with the development.
3. 2027: Kwankwaso Backs Peter Obi’s One-Term Pledge
The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has expressed confidence that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will keep his promise to spend only one term in office if elected President in 2027.
Kwankwaso spoke during an interview on News Central’s 60 Minutes with Mr Kay, where he was asked about Obi’s commitment to a single four-year tenure and the political arrangement within the NDC coalition.
The former Kano State governor said he had no reason to doubt Obi, noting that the former Anambra State governor had made the commitment publicly.
Kwankwaso explained that the coalition’s power-sharing understanding was founded on mutual trust among its members and an agreement on how political power should be rotated.
He argued that the arrangement would allow the southern part of the country to complete what the coalition considers an eight-year presidential cycle before power shifts.
4. ‘Ignore His Lies’ – Al-Mustapha Dismisses Ex-DSS Officer’s Account Of Abacha’s Death
Former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), has dismissed claims by former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, on the circumstances surrounding the late military ruler’s death.
Al-Mustapha spoke on Saturday while addressing journalists on the sidelines of the 3rd General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference held at Arewa House in Kaduna.
He was reacting to renewed public attention on Amachree’s memoir, The Shadow Warrior, in which the retired DSS officer gave his account of the events leading to Abacha’s death on June 8, 1998.
Naija News recalls that Amachree had claimed that a woman described as Abacha’s girlfriend arrived at the Aso Rock Guest House in Abuja in the early hours of the day he died.
He said she was accompanied by her younger sister, a pharmacist who was in Abuja for a professional conference.
Amachree said the younger woman was later left alone with Abacha after her sister returned to the hotel.
He claimed that at about 4.05 am, the woman noticed that the former Head of State had become unresponsive and could no longer detect a pulse.
The retired DSS official said the woman panicked, left the guest house and told the soldier on duty that Abacha had requested a vehicle to return her to the hotel.
Rejecting the account, Al-Mustapha described it as false, alleging that the memoir was written based on the instructions of some unnamed persons.
Al-Mustapha claimed to possess evidence that contradicted Amachree’s account but did not disclose further details or indicate whether he would make the evidence public.
He urged Nigerians to disregard the claims, saying it was wrong to make allegations against someone who was no longer alive to defend himself.
5. Pantami Appointment Exposed Flaws In Security Vetting — Ex-DSS Director
A retired Assistant Director of the Department of State Services, Dennis Amachree, has said the appointment of Isa Pantami as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy under former President Muhammadu Buhari raised serious questions about Nigeria’s security vetting system.
Naija News reports that Amachree made the assertion in his memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, in which he reflected on his four decades of service in Nigeria’s intelligence community.
The former DSS official revisited the controversy that surrounded Pantami in 2021 after old sermons and public comments attributed to him resurfaced online.
The statements allegedly showed sympathy for extremist organisations, including al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Boko Haram, triggering widespread public debate at the time.
According to Amachree, the controversy raised concerns over how a person appointed to oversee Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital infrastructure scaled the security screening usually conducted for nominees to sensitive government positions.
Amachree explained that the DSS routinely conducts extensive background investigations on persons nominated for strategic public offices.
He said such checks could cover previous affiliations, speeches, educational history, political tendencies, personal associations and online activities before intelligence assessments are forwarded to the President and, where necessary, the National Assembly.
The retired officer, however, stressed that the DSS could only make recommendations and did not have the final authority over appointments.
6. The North Is In A Pathetic Situation, Has Lost Its Values – Says Ango Abdullahi
Elder statesman and former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has expressed concern over the erosion of values and leadership in Northern Nigeria, saying the region’s current challenges are largely the result of abandoning the principles upheld by its founding leaders.
Naija News reports that Abdullahi spoke on Saturday at the third edition of the Late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference held at Arewa House, Kaduna.
The annual memorial conference was organised to honour the legacy of the late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina and provide a platform for discussions on leadership, governance and the future of Northern Nigeria.
The conference had as its theme, “From Sacrifice to Strategy: Rekindling Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina’s Vision for a Prosperous Northern Nigeria.”
The former ABU Vice-Chancellor said the North had moved away from the values handed down by its parents and pioneer leaders, arguing that the region’s stagnation was more about moral and leadership failure than a lack of physical development.
Abdullahi said the decline in values such as discipline, honesty, sacrifice and selfless leadership had contributed significantly to the problems facing the region.
“The North has lost its values. You may not want to hear this, but that is the case today. If we have not lost the values we inherited from our parents, from our pioneer leaders, the North will not be where it is today,” he said.
He noted that although many cities in the region had witnessed physical expansion, the moral qualities that once defined the North had gradually disappeared.
7. Protest Rocks Kwara As 176 Woro Victims Spend Six Months With Terrorists
Residents of Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, mostly youths, troop out en masse to protest the continued captivity of 176 people abducted during an attack on Woro community.
The protesters, who said the victims had spent 171 days in the hands of their abductors, called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to secure their immediate release.
Naija News reports that they also demanded increased security across Kaiama and neighbouring communities, saying residents were living in fear as kidnappings and attacks continued in the area.
The demonstrators carried placards and chanted solidarity songs as they marched from the main roundabout through the Emir of Kaiama’s Palace to the Divisional Police Headquarters.
The procession later ended at the local government secretariat.
Speaking on behalf of the organisers, Abdulhameed Abubakar said the protest was organised to draw attention to the prolonged captivity of the victims and remind governments at all levels of their responsibility to protect citizens.
He said the victims had been held for too long without any breakthrough and urged the authorities to take decisive action to secure their freedom.
The protesters also called for a stronger security presence in Kaiama communities to protect lives and property.
8. ‘Actor’s Marriage Is Not My Responsibility’ – Nollywood Producer, Biodun Stephen Defends Kissing Scenes
Nollywood producer cum actress, Biodun Stephen, has responded to critics blaming movie producers for kissing scenes in Nollywood and attributing it to the crash of marriages among filmmakers.
Naija News reports that Biodun, speaking in an Instagram video, said actors and their spouses are fully aware of the demands regarding the profession and should take responsibility for managing their relationships.
The filmmaker said it is not a producer’s responsibility to protect any actor’s marriage and directors should not be blamed for challenges in actors’ marriages following the scenes.
According to Biodun Stephen, while some actors decline kissing scenes due to personal beliefs and directors work around it, others have no objections.
She added that a producer’s duty is to protect actors on set and present them respectfully on screen, not to salvage their marriages.
9. 2026 WAFCON: Ajibade, Banda, Chebbak Lead 10 Stars Set To Light Up Morocco
The spotlight will fall on Africa’s biggest names when the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) kicks off in Morocco on Sunday, July 26, with 16 nations chasing continental glory and places at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Naija News gathered that the defending champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria, who will be wearing a jersey featuring 10 stars (representing the number of WAFCON titles they have won) surrounding the Badge, are going into the tournament with several established stars.
Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade heads the list after inspiring Nigeria to a record-extending 10th WAFCON title in the previous edition. The forward was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after claiming three Woman of the Match awards and producing decisive performances throughout the campaign.
Ajibade’s leadership, pace and attacking quality will again be central to Nigeria’s hopes of retaining the trophy.
Between the posts, Chiamaka Nnadozie is another key figure for the Super Falcons. Widely regarded as one of Africa’s finest goalkeepers, the Brighton shot-stopper arrives in Morocco after winning the CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award three years in a row.
Hosts Morocco will look to captain Ghizlane Chebbak for inspiration as they seek a first WAFCON crown on home soil.
10. Lionel Messi Apologised After Reckless Tackle, Says Algeria’s Mandi
Algeria defender Aissa Mandi has revealed that Lionel Messi apologised to him after a dangerous challenge during Argentina’s 3-0 win over the North Africans at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Messi had opened the scoring in the 17th minute before escaping what could have been a red card 14 minutes later after catching Mandi on the calf with a studs-up tackle.
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak awarded only a free-kick, while VAR chose not to review the incident. The decision later prompted the Algerian Football Federation to lodge a formal complaint with FIFA.
Despite the controversy, Messi stayed on the pitch and completed a second-half hat-trick, becoming the oldest player to score three goals in a World Cup match. The treble also took him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals.
Speaking about the incident, Mandi said the Argentina captain immediately acknowledged the challenge.
