• Federal government establishes three new polytechnics
• Father of Iniubong Umoren’s alleged killer says son has mental disorder
• 4 PDP presidential aspirants agree on consensus arrangement
• Displaced persons in Nigeria now 3.3 million
• Emenike praises God on Instagram, then says ‘my heart cannot take it anymore’

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

Federal government establishes three new polytechnics

The federal government Tuesday, announced the establishment of three new polytechnics.

The federal ministry of education, in a statement by its director of press, Ben Goong, said President Muhammadu Buhari approved the three polytechnics to be located in Kabo, Kano; Umunnoechi, Abia, and Orogun, Delta.

“This brings to thirty six (36) the number of federal polytechnics in the country. All states of the federation now have one federal polytechnic each,” the statement reads in part.

Displaced persons in Nigeria now 3.3 million, says ECOWAS

About 3.3 million Nigerians have been displaced as a result of insecurity, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said.

This is as the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Madam Finda Koroma, said the issue of displacement in the West Africa region needs to be addressed.

She said, “We also need to address the crisis of displacement. For instance, Burkina Faso has experienced an explosion in its forced displacement crisis because of militant Islamist group violence originating in Mali. Its current 1.2 million displaced population represents a nine-fold increase from 2019.

Father of Iniubong Umoren’s alleged killer says son has mental disorder

Frank Akpan told the Akwa Ibom High Court in Uyo Tuesday, that Uduak Akpan, who allegedly raped and killed Iniubong Umoren on the outskirts of Uyo in April last year, has a mental disorder.

Frank, who is also a co-defendant in the murder trial, said under cross-examination at Tuesday’s proceedings that his son is suffering from schizophrenia, a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally.

Frank Akpan and his daughter, Bassey-Awan Akpan, are both accused of being accessories after the fact of the murder of Ms Umoren.

He also denied knowledge that the police went to his compound and exhumed the corpse of the murdered job seeker. Frank said he told the SSS that he was not dealing in human parts. He said he did not know Umoren and that he was never a member of AMORC when he was interrogated by SSS.

Saraki, Tambuwal, other PDP presidential aspirants agree on consensus arrangement

At least four presidential aspirants, Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), say they will accept a consensus arrangement to position the party for victory in 2023.

Speaking on behalf of other aspirants, the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said the decision was informed by their determination to make Nigeria better.

Read also: YNaija2023: Meet the PDP candidates who have big dreams for Nigeria

He said that the lives and welfare of Nigerians were more important than the individual ambition of every aspirant.

“Nigerians are going through hardship and insecurity. These are the events that are happening in the country that make some of us see that we are doing the right thing.

“Let me reassure Nigerians that we are very determined and driven by the determination to make this country work. If this is the sacrifice that we will make to turn things around in Nigeria, we want to let Nigerians know that we are willing to make it.”

Emenike praises God on Instagram, then says ‘my heart cannot take it anymore’

Nigerian footballer, Emmanuel Emenike, who was last known to have played for Westerlo in 2019, Wednesday, posted a video of him in a hospital, with the caption: “God is good 🙏 the pain is too much for me and my heart can not carry it anymore.”

The nature of the illness is not known at press time, and the post before, five days ago, did not indicate he had fallen ill.