The biggest political story of Saturday is the one the public was not allowed to witness. The Nigerian military inaugurated a general court-martial on Friday to try 36 personnel accused of involvement in an alleged plot to overthrow President Tinubu — and proceeded to bar every journalist from the proceedings. Accredited defence correspondents who had received prior invitations were turned away at the Scorpion Mess in Asokoro, Abuja. Mobile phones were confiscated from security operatives. The accused were transported in an Army Headquarters Garrison bus at approximately 8:53 a.m.

The secrecy is itself the story. The development comes amid a crackdown involving both military and civilian suspects linked to the alleged coup plot. Separately, the federal government arraigned six individuals before a Federal High Court in Abuja on a 13-count charge bordering on treasonable offences. Among the six civilians arraigned is retired major general Mohammed Ibrahim Gana. If successful, the coup would have ended a 25-year stretch of democratic governance in Africa’s most populous nation.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has asked the FG to halt the court-martial, arguing the proceedings should be open. Families of the detained officers — who had previously staged protests at the National Assembly — are watching every development. The constitutional question at the heart of this: can citizens accused of treasonable offences against a democratic government be tried in a secret military proceeding?

President Tinubu swore in Dr Muttaqha Darma as the new Minister of Housing and Urban Development on Friday — completing the cabinet reshuffle that began with Wale Edun’s shock removal earlier this week. Darma, who founded the Pleasant Library and Book Club, was sworn in to replace Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and has been tasked with tackling Nigeria’s significant housing deficit. Meanwhile, new Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele — who previously served as Minister of State in the same ministry — reiterated his commitment to sustaining reform momentum, according to Nigerian Eye. The Presidency has clarified that Edun’s removal was a structural decision, not a performance verdict.

An explosive investigation by The Sun Nigeria published Friday counted the human cost of the country’s security crisis with devastating precision. Civil society data showed that at least 1,402 Nigerians had been killed nationwide between January and April 2026, while 1,800 people were abducted during the same period. This is not a distant abstraction. During the Easter week alone, the death toll was between 60 and 80, with more than 70 people abducted and thousands displaced.

The geography of the crisis is spreading south. Gunmen killed a traditional ruler, Chief Momo Awodi, his wife, and son in a fresh attack in Agatu, Benue State this week. Kwara South residents protested worsening insecurity, citing killings, kidnappings, and displacement, demanding urgent government action. The FCT Abuja itself was reportedly under a foiled attack plot in mid-April targeting the airport, military facilities, and correctional centres.

Two significant worker welfare announcements landed simultaneously on Friday. First: the Federal Government approved a sweeping increase in peculiar allowances and welfare benefits for civil servants. The Head of the Civil Service, Didi Walson-Jack, confirmed at a press briefing that the revised peculiar allowances had been structured to reflect across all grade levels, resulting in a meaningful increase in earnings for both junior and senior officers, affecting workers under both CONPSS and CONRAISS.

Second: the FG approved a ₦10 billion housing loan scheme for civil servants — a direct response to Nigeria’s worsening housing affordability crisis in major cities. The scheme is designed to enable federal workers to access mortgage financing at below-market rates. Tinubu also approved a general discount on debts owed by domestic airlines to aviation agencies — a partial resolution of the aviation fuel crisis that has been threatening carrier shutdowns for weeks.

On the diplomatic economy front, the Presidency confirmed a US Embassy MoU in Ilorin establishing the first Public-Private Partnership beyond American spaces network — a digital infrastructure initiative. Meanwhile, discussions continue on how to connect police stations to Nigeria’s national fibre network as part of a digital policing plan.

Victor Osimhen has urged his Galatasaray teammates to approach Sunday’s Intercontinental Derby against Fenerbahce with focus and determination. The Nigerian striker — who returned from his fractured arm injury this week only to see Galatasaray crash out of the Turkish Cup — is determined to make the Fenerbahce derby his proper statement comeback. Fenerbahce filed a complaint to the Turkish Football Federation over Osimhen’s hand protection gear ahead of the derby clash, in what analysts described as a desperate attempt to unsettle Galatasaray’s most dangerous weapon. The derby is one of the most watched club football matches in the world.

Real Madrid are preparing to battle Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for Osimhen’s services in the summer window, with multiple reports confirming a transfer fee above €100 million. The fact that three of Europe’s elite clubs are competing for him — simultaneously — is a measure of how far Nigeria’s most expensive footballer has come.

An Iranian gunboat fired on a container ship off the Oman coast — PM News breaking Friday evening. The incident escalates the Hormuz tension again just days after the ceasefire appeared to be holding. Oil markets will respond Monday morning. For Nigeria, which exports oil above $100/barrel but pays for Jet A1 at ₦3,300/litre, every Hormuz incident is simultaneously good news for FAAC and bad news for aviation.