In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the M23 rebel group has recaptured the town of Shoa in North Kivu province, just a day after it briefly fell under control of the Congolese army and pro-government Wazalendo militia, according to reports.

Residents stated that the rebels launched a surprise offensive early Sunday, forcing the Wazalendo to retreat from the gold, cobalt, and tantalum-rich region.

Meanwhile, the Congolese government, the United Nations, and Western nations have accused Rwanda of backing Mtwenty-three, a claim Kigali strongly denies. However, Congolese army officials have slammed the rebel attacks as a blatant violation of both the Washington and Doha peace agreements, underscoring the fragile state of security in the region.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has denied a report that it could shut its petrol unit for two to three months, according to the spokesman of the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, who described the report as fake.

It had been earlier reported that the petrol unit at the six hundred and fifty thousand barrel-per-day Dangote refinery may be shut for two to three months for repairs, quoting industry monitor reports. However, Chiejina debunked the claims, describing them as fake news. In another development, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas  Workers’ President, Williams Akporeha,  declared that it would still embark on strike despite the intervention of the Federal Government to address the grievances of the union, a development that could lead to fuel scarcity.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, in response to the tragic attack by Boko Haram insurgents in the Darajamal community, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State, has offered deep condolences to the bereaved families, assuring them that the Federal Government is committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Shettima expressed confidence in the armed forces’ capacity to overcome the security challenges facing the state, citing President Tinubu’s approval for the acquisition of additional drones and his directive for all security agencies to intensify and review their operational strategies.

The Vice President highlighted the federal government’s consideration of establishing state police and emphasised Tinubu’s position that security challenges in some Nigerian states require specialised units that understand local terrain, culture, and can effectively network at the grassroots level.

The Oyo State Government has summoned one hundred and six property owners affected by the first segment of the Ibadan Circular Road project to appear for compensation verification.

The announcement came during the fourth compensation disbursement at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Akin-Funmilayo Williams, said that out of two hundred and ninety-eight households enumerated, one hundred and ninety-two have completed verification, while one hundred and six are yet to comply, assuring that the government remains committed to transparency and accountability in the process.

So far, the state has paid over seven hundred million naira in compensation to affected property owners across four phases of the project.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has partnered with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to harmonise identity and voter registration processes across Nigeria.

This was disclosed in a statement on the NIMC X handle.

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who spoke when the NIMC Director-General, Abisola Kukar, and her delegation visited the INEC headquarters in Abuja, hailed the ongoing cooperation between the two federal agencies.

Yakubu stated that the collaboration would transform the country’s electoral system, as both agencies collectively hold the largest biometric databases in Nigeria: INEC for electoral purposes and NIMC for general citizenship identification.