• ENDSARS: ECOWAS Court pronounces FG guilty over violation of rights
• NCS auctions 25,162 litres of PMS at the rate of ₦180/litre
• NLC meets Tinubu over Minimum Wage, sticks to ₦250,000 proposal
• FG promises crash in food prices by January 2025
• Establishment of a new state (Tiga State) passes first reading

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

#ENDSARS: ECOWAS Court pronounces FG guilty over violation of rights

The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, has made its final ruling, pronouncing the Nigerian federal government guilty over the violation of human rights of Obianuju Udeh and two others.

The Court ruled that the FG was in breach of Articles 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, especially the right to life, security of person, prohibition of torture, freedom of expression, assembly and association, right to effective remedy, and the duty of the state to investigate.

The plaintiffs, Obianuju Udeh, Perpetual Kamsi and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka, all alleged that these violations were carried out explicitly during the #ENDSARS protest at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20 and 21, 2020.

The presiding judge, Justice Koroma Sengu, awarded each plaintiff with ₦2 million paid to them by the Nigerian federal government as compensation for the violations suffered.

NCS auctions 25,162 litres of PMS at the rate of ₦180/litre

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) auctioned 25,162 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at the rate of ₦180/litre on July 10.

The Area Controller, Comptroller Kamal Mohammed, reinstated his goal of sustaining his resistance to smugglers of petroleum products in the Sokoto/Zamfara Area Command.

“All seized petroleum products were coordinated by the intelligence-driven tactical team code-named Operation Whirlwind, which made a seizure of 28,116 litres while the Sokoto/Zamfara Area Command patrol teams made a seizure of 23,030 litres of PMS,” he explained.

NLC meets Tinubu over Minimum Wage, sticks to ₦250,000 proposal

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is set to meet with President Bola Tinubu to discuss the matter of the decision of the Minimum Wage approval at the State House, Abuja, on Thursday,  July 11.

The NLC has promised to remain adamant on its ₦250,000 minimum wage proposal despite what the federal government and the President place on the offer table.

The last proposed minimum wage was at ₦62,000, and the NLC has refused to yield to the government’s offer, saying, “We are going to the table with our demand of ₦250,000 even as the cost of living has since moved up. We have been very reasonable and patriotic.”

FG promises a crash in food prices by January 2025

The federal government announced that given its strategic plans and executions towards cutting down the inflation on food prices, it would come into effect within the next 180 days (January 2025).

The FG claimed its measures, some of which included suspension of taxes, duties and tariffs of importation of specific food types through land and sea borders and importation of 500,000 metric tonnes of maise and wheat, would undoubtedly slash the prices of food in the country and topple down the inflation.

“Imported food commodities will be subjected to a recommended retail price. We understand concerns about the quality of these imports, especially regarding their genetic composition. The government assures that all standards will be maintained to ensure the safety and quality of food items for consumption,” the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, announced on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Establishment of a new state (Tiga State) passes first reading

The bill presented by Senator Kawu Abdurrahman, representing Kano South Senatorial District, proposing the creation of Tiga State from Kano State, has successfully passed the first reading on the floor of the Senate.

The upper legislative chamber also received a similar bill sponsored by Ned Nwoko for creating the Anioma State in the South-East to bring balance to the geo-political zones, which each have six states.

There have also been bills proposing the creation of states in Lagos State and several other states across the country.