• Lagos spends ₦23bn to upgrade education infrastructure
• Police dismiss reports of Boko Haram attack in Ogun
• FG reverses self-imposed two-year ban on basketball
• Buhari rules out bail option for Nnamdi Kanu
• Relatives of abducted train passengers say they’re considering suicide

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss:

Lagos spends ₦23bn to upgrade education infrastructure

Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo said that Lagos has spent over N₦23.6 billion on the construction and upgrade of critical infrastructure in the education sector in the last three years.

She said: “In the last three years, we have spent ₦23.6 billion on our upgraded infrastructure in the education sector. The projects covered about 1,036 schools in the state.”

The commissioner explained that 1,449 unique projects, representing 51 per cent, were carried out, including 96,334 dual unit furniture.

The commissioner also said that ₦1.1 billion was paid for West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) students in 2021, and same will be paid this year.

Police dismisses reports of Boko Haram attack in Ogun

Three communities – Oba Oko, Oke-Ata and Rounda-Soyoye – in Ogun panicked yesterday over a report that Boko Haram insurgents had invaded them.

Spokesman Police, Abimbola Oyeyemi said, “The alarmist went further to ask schools in those areas to close and send their pupils to their homes for safety. Having heard the false alarm, the commissioner of police, CP Lanre Bankole, quickly deployed some officers and men of the command to the area only to find out that nothing of such is happening anywhere around the mentioned places.

“The command is therefore appealing to members of the public to discountenance the false information as nothing of such is happening anywhere in Ogun, and our people should therefore go about their lawful businesses without the fear of any form of harassment or intimidation.”

FG reverses self-imposed two-year ban on basketball

The Federal Government has reversed its earlier decision barring the country’s basketball teams from participation in international competitions for two years – barely six weeks after the ban.

Addressing journalists in Abuja Thursday, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Ismaila Abubakar, said intervention by concerned people within and outside the country, former Nigerian international basketball players and well-meaning individuals to seek solutions to the issues led to the decision to rescind the earlier placed ban.

On May 12, 2022, the Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that President Muhammadu Buhari approved a two-year ban from international basketball activities following the unending crisis plaguing the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).

The decision led to the removal of the Nigeria women’s basketball team, D’Tigress from the roster of teams for the World Cup and was replaced by Mali.

Buhari rules out bail option for Nnamdi Kanu

At a bilateral meeting with the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on the margins of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday, ruled out bail for the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

He said Kanu, who is currently on trial, was being given every opportunity under the law “to justify all the uncomplimentary things said against Nigeria while he was in Britain.”

“He felt very safe in Britain and said awful things against Nigeria. We eventually got him when he stepped out of the United Kingdom, and we sent him to court. Let him defend all that he said there.”

Buhari said, “His (Kanu’s) lawyers have access to him. Remember he jumped bail before, how are we sure he won’t do it again if he’s admitted to bail?”

Some relatives of abducted train passengers say they’re considering suicide

Relatives and friends of abducted passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna AK-9 train Thursday begged the Federal Government to speed up the process of the release of the remaining 50 hostages who had so far spent 87 days with terrorists.

Addressing journalists in Kaduna on Thursday, Dr Abdulfatai Jimoh, who spoke on behalf of other families said, “Since this dark day of March 28, 2022, only 11 people out of the abducted citizens have been reunited with their families, leaving behind 50 innocent Nigerians in the hands of their abductors under horrible conditions of living.

“Family members of these hostages are not left out in this harrowing experience with some already in depression with suicidal thoughts. We cannot wait to see the end of this nightmare.

“While we had expected all the women and children (22 people in total) held hostage to have been released in the first phase of the negotiation with the abductors, we are glad to receive the 11 persons now rescued, but our joy will only be complete when all abductees regain their freedom.”