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Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday, 17th October, 2026.
1. Security Operatives Arrest Five Suspected Abductors Of 20 NYSC Members
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and police have apprehended five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly responsible for the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State on Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day.
Naija News recalls that 20 NYSC members were abducted by armed men along Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on October 1, 2026, as they travelled to their assigned orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The victims were subsequently rescued on October 7, 2026, during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi Village.
During the operation, five other suspected members of the gang, however, escaped with gunshot injuries prompting a massive manhunt for them.
The suspects were arrested during a series of intelligence-led operations conducted at different locations in Rivers and Abia States.
According to security expert, Zagazola Makama, the operations were carried out between October 10 and 14 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Aba South LGA. Abia State
He described the development as a major relief, noting that security agencies had sustained a wide-ranging manhunt for the abductors.
2. After Five Years On The Run, DSS Arrests Maina’s Fugitive Son
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, the son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, who has been on the run since 2020.
Naija News reports that Faisal has been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following his arrest in Abuja.
According to Zagazola Makama, the DSS operatives tracked him to the Karsana area of the Federal Capital Territory, where he was apprehended after intelligence reports indicated that he had secretly returned to Nigeria.
Faisal had been declared wanted after allegedly fleeing the country while facing trial over financial crimes.
His case was handled by the EFCC, which charged him with three counts bordering on money laundering and conspiracy.
During the trial, Faisal reportedly breached his bail conditions and left the country, forcing the court proceedings to continue in his absence.
In 2021, Justice Okon Abang convicted him and sentenced him to 14 years in prison over the charges.
Following the judgment, the court ordered that Faisal be arrested anywhere he was found within Nigeria and taken to a correctional centre to serve his sentence.
The court also directed the Federal Government to take the necessary legal steps to secure his extradition if he was found outside the country.
3. President Tinubu Nominates Four New INEC National Commissioners, Two RECs
President Bola Tinubu has nominated four individuals for appointment as National Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Naija News reports that the President also nominated two persons as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
According to a statement on Friday by presidential media aide, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu nominated four new national commissioners and two new resident electoral commissioners to fill vacancies at the Independent National Electoral Commission created by expiring tenures.
He added that the Senate will scrutinise all the nominees.
The President reappointed Dr Bala Bila as the National Commissioner representing the North East.
President Tinubu urged the Senate to expedite the nominees’ confirmation in view of the forthcoming general elections next January.
Those nominated as National Commissioners are:
1. Professor Mustapha Aliu (North-West; replaces Professor Abdullahi Zuru)
2. Bashir Muhammed Umar (North-Central; replaces Professor Muhammad Adamu)
3. Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola (South-West; currently REC in Osun; replaces Professor Cornelius Ajayi)
4. Dr. Bala Bila (North-East; reappointed).
Those nominated by the President as Resident Electoral Commissioners are
1. Dr. Samuel Akinjide Akinleye (Ekiti State)
2. Zahradden Basiru Sanusi (Jigawa; replaces Professor Saidu Ahmed Babura)
4. We Are Not Surprised – Hakeem Baba-Ahmed Reacts To Tinubu’s Plan To Skip Campaign
The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said Nigerians are not surprised by President Bola Tinubu’s remark about skipping some campaign rallies.
Naija News recalls that Tinubu, during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in Abuja, said Nigerians should not expect him to travel to every state to campaign.
Tinubu said he would focus on governance because there were bills to pay.
Reacting in a post via his 𝕏 handle, Baba-Ahmed said Nigerians were not expecting to see Tinubu campaign.
He also accused Tinubu of running Nigeria aground.
5. Oyebanji Sworn In For Second Term As Governor Of Ekiti State
Governor Biodun Oyebanji has been sworn in for a second term in office as the Governor of Ekiti State.
Naija News reports that Oyebanji was sworn in on Friday alongside his deputy, Chief Monisade Afuye, at the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The swearing-in ceremony was performed by the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye.
Oyebanji took the oaths of office and allegiance at about 1:40 pm before a large crowd of political supporters and dignitaries, who thronged the venue to witness the historic occasion.
He subsequently signed the necessary documents formalising his inauguration as governor for another four-year term.
His deputy, Afuye, had earlier taken the oaths of office and allegiance at 1:28 pm before signing the relevant documents.
Oyebanji’s re-election and inauguration marked a historic milestone in Ekiti’s political history, as he broke the state’s succession jinx and became the first governor in the history of the state to secure a consecutive term.
6. ‘Nigerian Girls Becoming Nuisance Abroad’ – Atiku’s Wife
The wife of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Titi Atiku Abubakar, has said the growing number of Nigerian girls moving abroad has become a concern for foreign countries, prompting international partners to support efforts to tackle human trafficking in Nigeria.
She said the partners wanted more Nigerian girls to remain in their home country rather than move abroad and become a burden on their host nations.
Naija News reports that Titi, who chairs the Board of Trustees of the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), made the statement on Thursday in Abuja during the presentation of the organisation’s review of the 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report released by the United States Department of State.
Explaining why international partners were supporting Nigeria’s anti-trafficking efforts, she said their goal was to help Nigerian girls remain in the country and build their lives at home.
“You see, why our partners are actually helping us? Because they want our girls to stay at home. Our girls are becoming nuisance in overseas countries. So that is why these partners are helping us,” she said.
She added that the support was meant to strengthen the fight against human trafficking and help the girls pursue their ambitions in Nigeria.
The NACTAL board chair also called for greater cooperation among civil society organisations, stressing that the fight against human trafficking, child abuse and child labour required the involvement of more groups.
She said NACTAL could not win the fight alone, describing the organisations working with the network as key players in efforts to protect victims and prevent trafficking.
7. ‘How Diddy Sustained Head Injury In Prison During Fight With Jamaican Drug Lord’
American rapper Sean Diddy Combs sustained a head injury during a fight with Christopher Coke, a Jamaican drug lord also known as Dudus, at a federal prison in the United States.
Naija News reports that the incident happened at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey.
According to sources cited by TMZ, the confrontation started after Coke and other prisoners became angry with Diddy over a report by NBC News that exposed his alleged luxurious lifestyle in prison.
The report triggered a series of prison raids during which officials confiscated mobile phones from inmates, including Coke.
The searches disrupted some of the privileges inmates had allegedly enjoyed before the report emerged, leaving several prisoners unhappy with the rapper.
Sources told TMZ that Diddy and Coke eventually engaged in a physical confrontation, during which the rapper suffered a head injury.
The injury was reportedly serious enough for prison officials to arrange emergency medical treatment at an outside facility.
Diddy was subsequently taken out of the prison by ambulance for treatment.
Although Diddy is regarded as the most famous inmate at the facility, sources described Coke as an influential figure among the prison population.
Coke, who has been serving a 23-year prison sentence since 2012, was reportedly unhappy that the raids had disrupted the benefits he and other inmates allegedly enjoyed before the investigation into conditions inside the prison.
Following the confrontation, both men were reportedly placed in the Special Housing Unit, a section of the prison used for disciplinary isolation.
The two inmates were said to have received two weeks of punishment in the unit following the fight.
8. A Good Name Is Far Better Than Money – Israel DMW Reveals Presidential Candidate He’s Voting For
Israel DMW, the logistics manager of Nigerian singer Davido, has declared his intention to vote for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election.
Naija News reports that the celebrity aide made his position known in a statement on his Instagram page where he expressed his preference for a Northern Nigerian leader and questioned the alleged award of a ₦15 trillion contract to one individual.
Israel DMW also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow Nigerians to freely choose their preferred candidate in the forthcoming presidential election.
He stated that he would vote for Atiku, adding that a person’s good name was more valuable than money.
“It is always far better when a northern Nigeria rules. 15 trillion contract to one person alone? I’m voting Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. INEC should please allow Nigerians to freely choose whoever they want to govern them in January 2027. A good name is far better than money,” he said.
9. Real Madrid Demands Immediate Resignation Of LaLiga President Javier Tebas
Real Madrid have demanded the immediate resignation of LaLiga president Javier Tebas after he compared the club’s communication strategy to propaganda techniques used by Nazi Germany.
The Spanish giants issued the demand in an official statement on their 𝕏 account earlier today, October 16, describing Tebas’s remarks as “absolutely intolerable and extraordinarily serious”.
Tebas, who also serves as vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, made the comments on social media while criticising Real Madrid’s management and its television channel, Real Madrid TV.
He accused the club of coordinating its public messaging to promote its preferred narrative, repeatedly raise grievances, fuel suspicion and identify enemies.
The LaLiga president said the approach “recalls propaganda mechanisms that Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany, exploited: systematic repetition, construction of an enemy, and subordination of facts to the narrative”.
Tebas clarified that his comparison referred to communication techniques rather than Nazi ideology or Real Madrid supporters. However, the club rejected the distinction, describing his remarks as deeply offensive and inappropriate for someone holding senior positions in Spanish football.
Real Madrid also described the comments as “yet another episode in the repeated attacks by Javier Tebas against Real Madrid, its president, and its media outlets”.
The dispute has also brought renewed attention to the Negreira case, which centres on payments Barcelona made over several years to a company linked to former Spanish referees’ committee vice-president José María Enríquez Negreira.
Real Madrid said it had approached UEFA directly to seek a full investigation into the payments, arguing that the institutions in which Tebas holds senior positions had not adequately addressed the matter.
10. Arteta Provides Arsenal Injury Update On Hincapie, Zubimendi, Tzolis Ahead Of Forest Clash
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update on Piero Hincapie, Martin Zubimendi and Christos Tzolis ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners travel to the City Ground hoping to maintain their strong start to the season, although several injury concerns could affect Arteta’s selection.
Hincapie suffered an ankle injury during training following Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Leeds United last Saturday. The Ecuadorian defender was carried off the pitch by Illan Meslier and missed Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League win against Lille.
However, Arteta expects the defender to recover within a few weeks, although he is unlikely to feature against Forest.
Zubimendi also picked up an ankle injury during the same training session and missed the victory over Lille. However, the Spanish midfielder could return to action against Forest if he makes sufficient progress before Sunday’s encounter.
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