Premier League champions Arsenal have completed the signing of England defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa for a reported £51 million ($69 million), strengthening their defence ahead of the new season.   The 28-year-old has signed a long-term contract with Arsenal and is expected to play a key role in manager Mikel Arteta’s plans as the Gunners begin their title defence. Konsa is set to partner Gabriel Magalhaes in central defence following William Saliba’s lengthy absence with a back injury. Jurrien Timber’s fitness is also a concern after his long-term groin problem. The England international could make his Arsenal debut against his former club when the Gunners travel to Aston Villa on August 31. “It’s a privilege to be here and I can’t wait to get started,” Konsa said. “I want to keep winning, I’m hungry to win and that’s what I’m here for.” Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta praised Konsa’s quality, athleticism and tactical intelligence, while highlighting his ability to operate both at centre-back and right-back. The defender completed his medical at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground on Thursday before finalising the move. Konsa said conversations with Arsenal’s England players, including Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, helped convince him to join the Premier League champions. The defender joined Villa from Brentford in 2019 and made nearly 300 appearances for the club. He helped Villa win the Europa League last season and finish in the Premier League’s top four twice in the last three seasons. His departure comes during a significant period of change at Villa, with Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne also leaving the club during the close season. The signing is Arsenal’s latest major addition after the club won their first English league title in 22 years. The Gunners have also recruited Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, while Piero Hincapie’s loan move from Bayer Leverkusen was made permanent.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 as part of preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 General Election.   INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Friday when he received a delegation from the Canadian High Commission led by Canada’s Chargé d’Affaires to Nigeria, David Sproule, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. The exercise will test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other electoral equipment while allowing the commission to identify and resolve potential operational challenges ahead of the elections. Amupitan said the mock accreditation is one of five strategic priorities adopted by INEC for the 2027 polls. The others are consolidating technological gains, deepening electoral inclusion, strengthening institutional capacity and technical support, and countering misinformation while protecting electoral integrity. He described the August 15 Osun State governorship election as an important benchmark for the commission’s preparations, noting that 3,556 of the state’s 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m. According to the INEC chairman, the Osun election also recorded strong BVAS performance, smooth result uploads to the IReV portal and proactive crisis management. INEC will require approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel to conduct the 2027 elections across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide. The commission has also established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) unit to explore responsible applications of AI in areas including data management, voter registration and results transmission. The unit will also work on safeguards against the misuse of AI. Amupitan said INEC would participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections in Ottawa, Canada, from September 9 to 11, 2026. The conference will examine responsible AI applications in elections and emerging threats such as deepfakes and disinformation. He also reaffirmed INEC’s independence and neutrality, saying the commission remained committed to democratic integrity. The Canadian delegation reaffirmed Canada’s support for Nigeria’s democratic and electoral processes, particularly voter participation, women’s inclusion, public awareness, technical assistance and election observation. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.

Thirteen passengers abducted along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State have been rescued after spending eight days in captivity.   The victims were among passengers travelling in an 18-seater commercial bus from Enugu State to Abuja when the vehicle was attacked on the night of August 13, 2026. According to Punch, five passengers were initially rescued, while security operatives continued searching for the remaining 13. The Benue State Police Command spokesperson, Peter Aondongu, confirmed on Friday that the 13 remaining victims were rescued during a night operation at Amla-Cho Forest in Otukpo Local Government Area. Aondongu said the operation, conducted around 2am on August 20, followed several days of search and rescue efforts involving police operatives and local security personnel. He said security operatives encountered the kidnappers during the operation, leading to a gun battle. One suspected kidnapper was reportedly neutralised, while an AK-47 rifle and five rounds of live ammunition were recovered. The suspects reportedly fled under cover of darkness. The rescued passengers were said to be unharmed. Police took them to a medical facility for attention before arranging transportation to their respective destinations. The command said efforts were ongoing to track and arrest the fleeing suspects through intelligence-led operations. The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Cletus Nwadiogbu, commended the personnel involved in the rescue and assured residents that security agencies would continue operations against criminal elements. Police also urged transport operators to maintain accurate passenger manifests for every journey, saying proper documentation could help security agencies identify and rescue victims more quickly during emergencies.