Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, has declared Friday as a public holiday ahead of the local government election in the state.

The election is slated for Saturday, October 5, across the 23 LGAs of the state.

In a statement, Tersoo Kula, the governor’s chief press secretary, said the holiday will allow the electorate make trips to their respective LGAs to exercise their franchise.

The governor encouraged all eligible voters in Benue to participate in the election.

He also urged all public and private sector organisations to support the initiative by allowing employees to partake in the vote.

Alia asked citizens to prioritise peace and collaboration during the elections, reinforcing the need for unity and cooperation among all political parties involved.

State governments have been conducting LG elections following a supreme court judgment on financial autonomy for local councils.

Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, also declared Thursday and Friday as public holidays for the LG polls in his state.

Fubara said there will be strict restrictions on vehicular movement from midnight of Friday to 5pm on election day.

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Maitama has granted a N150 million bail to Darius Ishaku, former governor of Taraba state.

Ishaku was arraigned on Monday alongside Bello Yero, former permanent secretary, bureau for local government and chieftaincy affairs.

Both men are being prosecuted on a 15-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds.

The defendants pleaded “not guilty” when all the charges were read to them.

At the court session on Thursday, the defendants’ respective counsels moved their bail applications.

Rotimi Jacobs, prosecution counsel, said he would not object since the defendants have been granted administrative bail.

Sylvanus Oriji, presiding judge, granted the bail application.

He held that the defendants must produce two sureties each in like sum. The two sureties must be responsible citizens of Nigeria and must be residents within the FCT, with verifiable office and residential addresses.

One of the sureties produced by each defendant must be a director in the civil service.

The defendants must not travel outside the country without the court’s permission and must deposit their travel documents to the court.

Ishaku, 70, was governor of Taraba from 2015 to 2023.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has advised citizens in Lebanon to leave the country while commercial flights are still in operation.

NIDCOM’s advice comes as Israel said it had begun an invasion of southern Lebanon after two weeks of attacks.

Lebanese authorities say the attacks have caused the death of more than 1,000 people and forced up to a million to flee their homes.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the operation was “limited, localised, and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group.

The announcement of the ground operation against Hezbollah came four days after an air strike that killed Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s leader.

Israel has a decades-long history of conflict with Hezbollah but the war in Gaza against Hamas, an ally group, has sparked almost a year of deadly cross-border fighting between them.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, NIDCOM said the attacks were worrying.

The agency said information received from the Nigerian community in Lebanon indicated that most citizens have relocated from the southern area and are now relatively safe.

“We hereby advise them to keep safe until the ceasefire is in place,” the statement added.

NIDCOM also noted that no accident or injury to citizens in the Middle Eastern country have been recorded.

“Nigerians are equally advised to liase with our Embassy in Lebanon for necessary guidance regarding their safety,” the agency said, adding that President Bola Tinubu is concerned about their welfare.