Morning recap: Casualty fears, tough terrain stall Oyo, Borno rescue mission, INEC voids primaries after May 30, other top stories

Kidnapping and rescue operations dominated this morning’s major headlines, with reports that tough terrain and fears of casualties are slowing efforts to free abducted victims in Oyo and Borno states, while gunmen killed a vigilante and abducted four residents in Abuja. In politics, the Independent National Electoral Commission has voided primaries conducted after May 30, a decision that could affect preparations for the 2027 general election. The Nigeria Democratic Congress, meanwhile, defended its party primaries and denied allegations that it imposed candidates. Below are the top stories for Friday morning, June 5. Oyo, Borno abductions: Tough terrain, casualty fears stall rescue mission Difficult terrain, fears over the safety of dozens of kidnapped pupils and teachers, and demands by the abductors for the release of detained terrorist commanders have emerged as major obstacles to ongoing efforts to rescue victims of the recent school attacks in Oyo and Borno states, The PUNCH has learnt. File photo: Terrorists Multiple Presidency and security sources familiar with the situation told our correspondent that the abductors are demanding the release of high-profile terrorist leaders in exchange for the captives, a condition the Federal Government is unwilling to accept despite mounting public pressure for the victims’ freedom. Read the full stories below: https://punchng.com/oyo-borno-abductions-tough-terrain-casualty-fears-stall-rescue-mission/ 2027: INEC voids primaries held after May 30 The Independent National Electoral Commission has warned political parties that any primary election conducted outside the commission’s May 30 deadline remains invalid, unless a higher court overturns an earlier Federal High Court judgment on the matter. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN). Photo: INEC Read the full story here: https://punchng.com/2027-inec-voids-primaries-held-after-may-30/# FG debt repayments exceed budget allocation by nearly N2tn Federal Government debt repayments exceeded the 2025 amended budget allocation by N1.90tn in the first nine months of the year, fresh data from the Budget Office of the Federation showed. The 2025 third quarter Budget Implementation Report showed that total debt-related payments, including domestic debts, foreign debts and sinking fund, rose to N12.63tn between January and September, compared with the prorated budget provision of N10.74tn. This represents an overrun of N1.90tn or 17.65 per cent. Read the full story here: https://punchng.com/fg-debt-repayments-exceed-budg