• Uzodimma reassures Tinubu of South-East support
• Kamaru Usman suffers knockout defeat against Leon Edwards
• Gunmen abduct four Catholic reverend sisters
• Police rescue 12-year-old, 10-year-old girls kidnapped in Zamfara
• Nigeria’s Anthony Joshua loses to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk again

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

Kamaru Usman suffers knockout defeat against Leon Edwards

Despite dominating a major fraction of the fight, Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman was defeated by British boxer Leon Edwards early on Sunday morning and forfeited his welterweight belt.

At UFC 278 against the dazed Usman, Edwards produced a spectacular last-second head-kick KO to win the title.

Usman, also known as the Nigerian nightmare, is regarded as the best fighter pound-for-pound. In a rematch with Edwards, he was attempting to make the sixth defense of his title, and up until the final kick that knocked him out cold, he seemed to be making progress.

Usman and Edwards had already squared off in the early parts of their UFC careers, with the Nigerian taking the victory by unanimous decision in 2015.

Usman has won 13 straight matches since defeating Edwards in 2015, while the Brit had gone unbeaten in 10 fights.

Usman talked a lot leading up to this battle, so when it started, he wasted no time in knocking Edwards down. However, the Brit turned the tables by scoring a takedown of his own and grabbing Usman’s back.

Out of nowhere, Edwards produced a perfect high kick which left Usman out cold with referee Herb Dean instantly waving off the fight almost immediately.

“You all doubted me that I couldn’t do it,” Edwards said in the cage after the fight. “Look at me now. Look at it: pound-for-pound, headshot, dead. That’s it.”

Uzodimma reassures Tinubu of South-East support

Bola Tinubu, the APC’s presidential candidate, received assurances from the governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, on Sunday that the South East will support him in the 2023 elections.

On Sunday, Uzodinma met with the former Lagos State governor’s support group, The Asiwaju Group.

Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, AbdulRasak Danjuma, Ibrahim Onimisi, and Muawiyah Muye all signed a statement revealing that the conference was convened to go through logistics and strategy for the South-East region in advance of the political campaign in September.

While describing Tinubu as a good man who deserved to be encouraged to make things happen positively for the country, Abdullahi said TAG appreciates the value he brought into Nigerian politics after his reign as governor of Lagos.

He said, “He is one man that knows how to create wealth and believes in merit. If you have the competence he is looking for, he engages you. That is the kind of man Nigeria needs now.”

“What we need in Nigeria is a good leader who is informed, and can harness and allocate the resources of the country equitably. I strongly believe that Tinubu is capable and the South East will give him maximum support.

“Tinubu is one of the most detribalised Nigerians. We cannot continue to advocate for a president that is based on ethnicity. Tinubu has used his former opportunities to better a lot of Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic background, religion, gender, or class.

“Today, whether you like it or not, the party to beat is APC. I come from the southeast. From 1999 to 2015, we were promised the second Niger Bridge, but nothing happened until 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari committed to the project.

“It would be a thing of ingratitude for anybody to come from the SouthEast region to talk about President Buhari or the APC neglecting the eastern bloc,” he said.

Gunmen abduct four Catholic reverend sisters

Gunmen abducted four reverend sisters of the Catholic Church in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria’s south-east.

The incident took place early on Sunday.

The victims of the abduction are women who belong to the Sisters of Jesus, the Saviour Generelate, a Catholic religious order in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South-South Nigeria.

Zita Ihedoro, the religious organization’s secretary general, revealed the incident in a statement on Sunday.

She gave the names of the victims as Johannes Nwodo, Christabel Echemazu, Liberata Mbamalu and Benita Agu.

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is with great pain that we bring to your notice the kidnapping of four of our sisters mentioned above,” Ms Ihedoro, also a reverend sister, said.

She said the victims were attacked and abducted while they were on the way to attend a thanksgiving service of another reverend sister in the area.

“We implore for an intense prayer for their quick and safe release,” she added.

Police rescue 12-year-old, 10-year-old girls kidnapped in Zamfara

Police in Zamfara have rescued two female kidnap victims after three weeks in captivity.

Police’s spokesman in the state, SP Muhammad Shehu, stated in Gusau on Sunday that the duo was rescued unconditionally at Nya Mango in Bungudu Local Government Area of the state.

“The victims are a 12-year-old and a 10-year-old from Gidan Liman Village in Kekun Waje district of Bungudu Local Government Area.

“They were abducted on July 15, 2022 in an attack on Gidan Liman.

“They have since been united with their families,’’ Shehu stated.

Nigeria’s Anthony Joshua loses to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk again

Hopes that Nigerian-born British boxer Anthony Joshua would reclaim his lost heavyweight boxing belts against Ukrainian fighter Oleksandr Usyk have been crushed once more.

Usyk fought Joshua twice to retain his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO world heavyweight titles late on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia.

While Uysk obviously prevailed in their first encounter, things were a little different in Saturday’s rematch as the Nigerian-born boxer put up a better fight, yet it was still not enough to give him the victory he so desperately desired.

Usyk did just enough to win and keep his perfect record in the end.

Joshua appeared far better than he did 11 months before, but Usyk showed why he is currently one of the top boxers in the world, pound for pound.

Both boxers entered the opening round cautiously, as one would have expected, but Usyk ultimately connected with Joshua’s head and the challenger connected with the body.

The taller Joshua tried to be more aggressive in the second round and let his right hand fly, but it was still difficult to find the target against the quick Usyk, who was landing his jabs very frequently.

The third round was much closer, and the Nigerian may have even won it, but he was still having trouble letting go of his hands in the face of Usyk’s continuous movement.

After a dull battle, the ninth round saw the action pick up as Joshua quickly connected with Usyk’s body and leapt into action with many effective combinations, forcing Usyk into the ropes and around the ring.

Usyk eventually won by a unanimous decision despite Joshua’s best efforts because he had a little bit more to offer.