• Buhari to receive award on peace and security
• Obi disappointed over scanty participants at Kogi rally
• Nigeria, India to share intelligence on drug trafficking syndicates
• Judge orders release and payment of N50 million to supporter of Nnamdi Kanu
• 105 stranded Nigerians return from Chad

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss:

Buhari to receive award on peace and security 

In a speech on Tuesday in Washington, President Muhammadu Buhari said that the youth of the nation are its hope for a better future and that the government’s top focus should be to address their issues.

President Buhari said the work of the foundation to promote interfaith dialogue was as essential to the world as it was to Nigeria while extending a warm welcome to the Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Forum, Sheikh Al-Mahfoudh Bin Bayyah, and his deputy, Pastor Bob Roberts of the US.

He urged the organization to keep focusing on the young people who hold the promise of the future in order to continue raising generations of kids free from religious fanaticism and discrimination.

The President in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu was quoted as saying, “Your work is very important in helping, especially the youth, to understand one another and at the same time, to be proud of their heritage. This great initiative by you will help future generations to plan well and live together in peace. On our part, we will continue to solve our problems, especially as they relate to the youth.

“We are big in size and population, facing many challenges, but in many areas, we are trying. In seven-and-a-half years, I have done my best.”

The President was invited to attend the presentation of the Abu Dhabi Foundation’s award to him in appreciation of his excellent contributions to promoting peace and security, according to the foundation’s secretary general.

They said that the award was consistent with the Foundation’s efforts to combat religious extremism and advance interfaith harmony and communication.

Obi disappointed over scanty participants at Kogi rally

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, and Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, his running mate, were upset on Tuesday by the low turnout at his rally in Kogi.

The Lokoja Confluence Stadium served as the venue for the rally. When the LP presidential candidate came to the event, there wasn’t much of a turnout.

The Labour Party had accused Governor Yahaya Bello of denying them access to the stadium on Monday.

It was later released to them.

In his speech, Obi expressed confidence that a functioning steel project will create jobs for millions of young people who are unemployed, reduce crime, and boost the economy.

So, as a means of generating employment, he pledged to revive the doomed Ajaokuta Steel project.

Obi vowed that his government would protect the nation from criminals and bring its people together in an effort to convert it back into the one family it once was.

Obi asserts that a Labour Party administration will make sure that the rule of law and human rights are deeply ingrained, resulting in a situation in which no one will be persecuted.

Nigeria, India to share intelligence on drug trafficking syndicates

Nigeria and India have agreed to share crucial information regarding the actions of drug trafficking organizations using dangerous drug routes between the two nations.

India has additionally promised to provide training opportunities to help Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency officials improve their capabilities.

These were among the agreements and recommendations made following a two-day bilateral meeting between a delegation from the NDLEA, led by Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) CON, OFR, its Chairman/Chief Executive, and a delegation from the Narcotics Control Bureau, NCB, led by Mr. Satya Narayan Pradhan, the organization’s Director General, in New Delhi, India.

The participants agreed to arrange a follow-up bilateral meeting in Nigeria in 2023 and also exchange best practices for reducing drug demand, real-time information on both nations’ citizens’ involvement in drug trafficking, and plans for cooperative operations.

Collaboration between NDLEA and NCB on ways to regulate the importation of tramadol beyond 100 mg as well as specific categories of precursors into Nigeria was another important goal of the India conference.

Marwa emphasized the significance of the conference for the worldwide effort against drug trafficking in his presentation at the discussions given the historical backgrounds of both nations, the similarity of their languages, legal systems, and populations, as well as their already strong economic links.

He emphasized the necessity for increased cooperation between the two organizations in the battle against the manufacturing, trafficking, and cultivation of illegal drugs.

He emphasized Nigeria’s problems with drug usage and trafficking while also pointing out the country’s enhanced attempts to implement a balanced strategy for reducing drug supply and demand.

He also emphasized the value of international cooperation and stakeholder participation, noting that Nigeria has a National Drug Control Master Plan that serves as a practical tool for drug enforcement and control. This plan has facilitated efficient coordination at the federal, state, and local government levels and is being promoted at the level of local government.

He expressed the expectation that a Memorandum of Understanding, or MoU, that would outline the relationship between the two agencies with regard to intelligence sharing, asset tracing, and forfeiture of assets determined to be connected to, or the revenues of, drug trafficking would soon be finalized.

The chairman of the Indian delegation, Mr. Satya Narayan Pradhan of NCB, welcomed the representatives of the two nations to the meeting and addressed a number of topics, including the heroin and amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) trade that occurs in India.

He claimed that both countries face difficulties with drug trafficking via air and ocean routes.

He focused on patterns demonstrating the rise of illegal drug trafficking via couriers, dark-net markets, and social media platforms and made a commitment to disseminate information on the most recent tools and technology for countering new dangers.

Mrs. Eucharia Ngozi Eze, Minister-Counsellor, Nigerian High Commission, New Delhi; Mr. Joseph Nbona Sunday, Director of Prosecution and Legal Services of the Agency; Mr. Ahmad Tijani and Mr. Hamza Umar, Commandant, NDLEA Academy; and others make up the NDLEA delegation.

Nine other bureau officers attended the meeting with the NCB team under the direction of its DG.

Judge orders release and payment of N50 million to supporter of Nnamdi Kanu

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to release Mazi Solomon Onyegbule, a supporter of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

Justice Z.B. Abubakar, who gave the order on Tuesday, also awarded N50 million as “compensatory and exemplary damages” on Kanu’s supporter.

According to a statement by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, a lawyer to Kanu and IPOB, the court also ordered the police to tender an apology to Solomon Onyegbule on national newspapers.

He said, “While delivering judgment in suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/137/2022, we had filed on behalf of Solomon Onyegbule, the court directed the Inspector-General of Police, IGP to unconditionally release Mazi Onyegbule from their custody forthwith.

“The court further awarded the sum of N50 million only in favour of Solomon Onyegbule as compensatory and exemplary damages.

“The court also ordered the Inspector General of Police tenders a public apology to Mazi Solomon in one national newspaper”.

Ejiofor vowed that his team would continue to ensure that all Igbos who were
unlawfully detained in various facilities of the security agencies in different parts of the country are freed and compensated.

105 stranded Nigerians return from Chad

At the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano on Tuesday, the National Emergency Management Agency took in 105 stranded Nigerians from Chad.

On behalf of the organization, Dr. Nuradeen Abdullahi, NEMA Coordinator, Kano Territorial Office, welcomed them.

According to Abdullahi, the stranded Nigerians were transported to the airport by Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing 737-7k9 ASKY Airlines at around 10 p.m.

“The returnees were brought back to Kano under the care of the International Organisation for Migration from N’djamena through a voluntary repatriation programme.

“The programme is meant for distressed Nigerians who left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries but can’t afford to return when their journey became frustrated,” he said.

Abdullahi disclosed that the returnees were made up of 24 male adults, 23 female adults and 58 children.

“The returnees are from Katsina, Kano, Adamawa, Maiduguri, Yobe and Taraba States among others.

“They will be undergoing a four-day vocational skills training and will be provided with capital to enable them to set up their businesses and become self-reliant,” he added.

But he gave the returnees advice to support the fight against unauthorized immigration.

No country is better than Nigeria, he said, urging Nigerians not to risk their lives by leaving the country in search of safer havens abroad.

He mentioned that between May and October 2022, the agency took in 560 Nigerians who had become trapped in Agades, the Niger Republic, and Khartoum, Sudan, and trained them in a variety of skill-acquisition techniques.

Some of the returning citizens who spoke with media at the airport claimed they left the nation in search of better opportunities.