• FG responds as gunmen abduct dozens of train passengers
• Buhari, security chiefs nominated for global peace prize
• Atiku not sick but invited to London by British government – PDP Campaign
• Tinubu tells Nigerians he’ll fulfill campaign promises
• Peter Obi’s endorsement inconsequential – Kwankwaso

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

FG responds as gunmen abduct dozens of train passengers

On Saturday, authorities in Edo acknowledged an attack on a train station in the state.

The kidnapping allegedly occurred on Saturday night as passengers waited to board a train from the Igueben station to Warri in Delta state.

The Federal Government of Nigeria on Sunday described the kidnapping of train passengers at Tom Ikimi Train Station, Igueben, Edo, as despicable and utterly barbaric.

Mr. Henshaw Ogubike, the Director of Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Transportation, said this in a statement in Abuja.

The statement read in part, “The Public is hereby reassured that the security agencies are making efforts to rescue the kidnapped train passengers.

“The Nigeria Police is on the trail of the criminals and have mobilised with a view to protecting the lives and property of the remaining passengers.

“Further details will be communicated later.”

The government, however, assured of its prompt response to the ugly situation.

Buhari, security chiefs nominated for global peace prize

The president of Nigeria and the country’s top security officials have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the Centre for Social Justice, Equity, and Transparency (CESJET).

CESJET has stated that the nomination is in accordance with global best practices and was made in conjunction with her international partners in order to encourage the President, the Armed Forces, and the police to step up their efforts in 2023.

Security officials include Air Marshal Ishiaka Oladayo Amao, Chief of Defence Staff General Leo Irabor, Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, and Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba.

On Thursday, the Centre issued a statement written by Comrade Isaac Ikpa saying that they were nominated because of their work to promote peace, security, and human rights.

He also said that because of Nigeria’s strategic importance in Africa, they avoided a crisis on the continent by restoring calm across the country.

According to CESJET, the President’s heroic efforts to bring an end to the reign of terror were important in leading the country to triumph.

According to the Centre, foreign organizations have taken notice of the country’s progress in human rights.

Ikpa elaborated by saying that the military in particular has done its job ethically, legally, and in accordance with international standards.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria’s armed forces, he said, have not only dealt with the threat of Boko Haram and banditry very decisively, but they have also helped to ensure stability on the continent by preventing ethnic agitators and separatists from turning the country into a civil war and destabilizing the continent, which would have resulted in greater suffering for women and children.

Atiku not sick but invited to London by British government – PDP Campaign

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is said to be in good health by the PDP’s campaign committee.

The PDP presidential campaign council’s spokesman, Dino Melaye, said that the former vice-president was invited to the UK by the British government.

There have been rumors that the PDP presidential candidate is ill and has been sent to the UK for medical care.

Melaye called the news stories “lies of unrepentant liars” in a Sunday social media post.

“Disregard the lies of unrepentant liars. Atiku is 100% fit and in super form health-wise,” he wrote.

“The British government invited the leading presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, just like they had invited Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi earlier.

“Nigerians should henceforth disregard drug-induced statements propelled by some online medium.”

In a separate post on Twitter, Paul Ibe, Atiku’s media adviser, said the meeting is expected to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“For the avoidance of doubt H.E Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the PDP and former VP of Nigeria, 1999-2007, will be arriving in London on Monday, January 9, for meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday on the invitation of the British Government,” the tweet reads.

Tinubu tells Nigerians he’ll fulfill campaign promises

Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress’s presidential nominee, has promised Nigerians that he will keep his campaign pledges if he is elected president in the upcoming elections on February 25.

On Sunday, during an endorsement event hosted by the Arewa Community in Lagos, the APC candidate made this announcement.

Nigerians of Northern descent showed up to the gathering at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Onikan to show their support for the ex-governor of Lagos State.

“My respect for this country will continue to increase, and I will honour all my pledges that we all will live in harmony. We belong in each other’s hearts,” Tinubu said.

He also assured that his government would be for all Nigerians, regardless of their tribes and faith.

“From the moment I enlisted in politics, I have always been nationalistic and detribalized in my approach. I do not operate based on ethnicity, region, or religion. I have friends and associates in all corners of this country.

“As governor of Lagos State, I constituted a cabinet, comprising competent people from all parts of Nigeria. We had the Yoruba, as we had the Igbo and Arewa. What was important to me was not your ethnicity or creed, it was your competence and the value you would bring to governance and people. To replicate this feat for the country is why I have offered myself for the presidency,” he said.

Peter Obi’s endorsement inconsequential – Kwankwaso

Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Edwin Clark’s endorsement of his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, as inconsequential.

Those who support Obi, according to Kwankwaso, would be taken aback by the results of the presidential election.

He spoke to the media following his campaign event in Asaba, Delta State.

Nigerians, according to Kwankwaso, are searching for trustworthy leaders who would fix their problems, so anybody promoting Obi has lost touch with reality.

Kwankwaso said that the endorsement was “null and void” because the people of Nigeria are already familiar with the candidates.

According to Kwankwaso: “The endorsement is inconsequential, it means absolutely nothing. You see people who are really out of touch with the reality on the ground, the young men and women of today are looking for a way out, and they have more facts than anybody who is endorsing.

“I am happy to say that I am being endorsed by the masses of this country, and these are the people who are at the grassroots level.

“Many people, including the endorsers, are out for shock in the 2023 election, many people will be surprised.”

YNaija