Good morning.

Here are the top 5 stories you should be monitoring today:

In response to the alleged attack on the home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kana by members of the Nigerian Army, which has reportedly sparked tension in the Southeast region, the Army has said the military exercise ‘Operation Python Dance 2,’ is not targeted at Nnamdi Kanu.

“The exercise is not targeted at any individual or group but meant to prevent security challenges identified in the south-east and parts of Cross River,” the Army said in a statement.

Some Senators representing the Southeast have condemned the methods of the military operation, saying it has “sent a strong signal.”

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The Army also, reportedly, raided the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Abia on Tuesday. Recounting their ordeal, some journalists narrated how they were maltreated by soldiers.

According to the journalists, about 20 soldiers invaded the secretariat, manhandled two journalists and destroy their gadgets.

“While I was peeping through the window, I noticed that two trucks suddenly stopped around the tower, while no fewer than 20 armed men jumped out and headed for our office,” said  Bonny Okoro, a State correspondent with ‘The Oracle Today.’ “Before we knew what was happening, they had invaded the NUJ hall, accosted me and demanded to have my cell phone.

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With the rising tension in the east, the Police has said it will deploy 21,084 policemen and three police helicopters to Anambra for the November governorship election.

The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, said no group would be allowed to disrupt or cause violence before, during and after the election.

He added that the police headquarters will provide additional 300 vehicles to add to the Anambra command’s 80 operational vehicles.

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Meanwhile, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, while speaking at the Second National Council on Niger Delta (NCND) meeting at Akure on Tuesday, said Nigeria’s crude oil will no longer be highly useful in the future.

“Many countries are getting alternatives to oil, the development which would make the resource unprofitable in a few years,” he said.

“The future of oil is declining,” he added, “It is the duty of this council to ensure we provide the roadmap for the future that will not necessarily depend on oil.”

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In the United States of America, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have scheduled a visit to Florida on Thursday.

Trump and Melania will survey damages inflicted on the sunshine state by Hurricane Irma, which made landfall in southwest Florida on Sunday morning and left massive destruction in its wake before moving into Georgia and the predicted areas of Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi.