These are the stories that drove the conversation today:

An Owerri high court on Friday granted the unconditional release of 114 women alleged to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group.

The women who were remanded on the orders of a magistrate’s court in Owerri were arrested by the police and held for unlawful assembly on Friday August 17 for demanding to know the whereabouts of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue, has on Friday, raised an alarm over an alleged plot to abduct and kill him.

Ortom disclosed this during an interactive session with traditional rulers and other stakeholders on the peaceful conduct of the elections in 2019, organised by the Makurdi Catholic Diocese in the state capital.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of leaking its official correspondences to the public, describing it as totally unacceptable.

In a statement on Friday, by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, the party said that the leaks of its sensitive and confidential correspondence to INEC was becoming commonplace and demanded that the commission look into its internal handling of official correspondence and put a stop to the leaks.

The Akwa Ibom Police Command says it has killed four persons linked to Tuesday’s night alleged attack on the residence of former governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio at Ukana Ikot Ntuen in Essien Udim local government area.

Displaying the remains of the suspects on Friday, State Commissioner of Police (CP), Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi said the criminals were engaged in exchange of fire with the Police, around the banking area of Ikot Ekpene, after random shooting and stealing of shops along Aba Road.

Hundreds of youths and students in Iwo, Osun, protesting the alleged killing of a student, Tunde Nofiu, by men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) in the state, pulled down the fence at the Police Area Command office and set the offices within the premises ablaze.

The deceased was reportedly shot dead on Thursday night at Odo-Ori market in the town while boarding a bike to Ile-Ogbo.

And stories from around the world:

Scott Morrison has become Australia’s new prime minister after Malcolm Turnbull was forced out by party rivals in a bruising leadership contest. (BBC)

Zimbabwe’s top court on Friday dismissed an opposition bid to have presidential election results annulled over alleged rigging in favour of Robert Mugabe’s successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa. (AFP)

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly canceled his top diplomat’s planned trip to North Korea, publicly acknowledging for the first time that his effort to get Pyongyang to denuclearize had stalled since his summit with North Korea’s leader. (Reuters)

Egyptian authorities arrested a former diplomat and two others in Cairo in the face of planned protests in Tahrir Square calling for a referendum on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rule. (Al Jazeera)

U.S. sanctions against Russia tied to a nerve agent attack in Britain, which were announced earlier this month, will come into effect on Monday, the U.S. government said on Friday, adding to the array of economic penalties it has imposed on Moscow in recent years. (Reuters)

Read » The Late 5: Owerri court releases 114 Imo women held in detention, Gov. Ortom alleges threat to his life | More stories on YNaija