Police Recruitment Watch: DIG Isyaku Mohammed told stakeholders in Ilorin that “repented criminals” and other criminal elements will not be allowed to join the Nigeria Police, urging community and religious leaders not to endorse such people. Rights & Accountability: Nigeria’s DSS ordered the release of Kaduna farmer Nura Idris after a review found no Boko Haram links, paying him N3m and promising further support to restart his farming/livestock business. Power Disruption: TCN announced planned grid maintenance on Sunday affecting Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi, Yobe and Gazaoua (Niger), with customers facing temporary outages as upgrades at the Kumbotso 330kV substation continue. Sahel Diplomacy: Burkina Faso severed diplomatic ties with France, accusing Paris of neo-colonial interference and backing “subversive networks and terrorists,” while France said it is preparing reciprocal responses. Clean Cooking Crisis: A new IEA report warns nearly 1 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa may still lack clean cooking access by 2027, as population growth outpaces progress. Niger & ICC: Niger’s formal ICC exit request is reigniting debate over sovereignty and what happens to victims when cases move away from international courts. Education Update: NECO released 2026 BECE results for 186,291 candidates and set July 22–23 for Maths and English resits.