• NNPC reduces petrol prices in Lagos and Abuja
• Nigerian asylum applications to UK double in 2024, total 22,619 since 2010
• Tinubu to meet service chiefs over surge in killings across Nigeria
• Seven dead in Ojodu-Berger building collapse as Lagos govt vows justice
• IMF urges heavily-indebted nations to consider debt restructuring

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

NNPC reduces petrol prices in Lagos and Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has lowered the pump price of petrol at its retail stations in Lagos and Abuja.

According to reports, NNPC outlets in Lagos are now selling petrol for ₦880 per litre, while the price in Abuja has dropped to ₦935 per litre. This marks a reduction of ₦45 in Lagos (from ₦925) and ₦15 in Abuja (from ₦950).

Nigerian asylum applications to UK double in 2024, total 22,619 since 2010

The United Kingdom Home Office has revealed that it received a total of 22,619 asylum applications from Nigerian nationals between 2010 and 2024.

Nigerians made up one in every 30 asylum claims during this period, ranking 11th on the UK’s year-end Asylum and Resettlement statistics.

In 2024 alone, 2,841 Nigerians applied for asylum, almost double the 1,462 applications submitted in 2023.

The UK recorded its highest number of asylum applications in 2024, with 108,138 people seeking refuge, largely from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries, a 378% increase from the 2010 figure.

Tinubu to meet service chiefs over surge in killings across Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu is expected to hold a crucial meeting with Nigeria’s service chiefs following a sharp rise in deadly attacks across Plateau, Benue, and other parts of the country.

The meeting will come shortly after his return from an 18-day working visit and retreat in Paris and London. Tinubu arrived in Abuja on Monday night, with the presidential jet touching down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Since the President’s departure on April 2, over 120 people have reportedly been killed in violent attacks. Several communities have been razed, with about 3,000 residents displaced despite ongoing security deployments.

Seven dead in Ojodu-Berger building collapse as Lagos govt vows justice

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) on Monday confirmed the recovery of two more bodies from the rubble of the collapsed three-storey building on Oremeta Street, Ojodu-Berger, bringing the death toll to seven.

In response to the tragedy, the Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, assured that the owner of the building would be held accountable.

“There is a procedure if any building collapses. The state will investigate the cause, and naturally, the law will take its course,” Omotoso stated.

IMF urges heavily-indebted nations to consider debt restructuring

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised countries struggling with high debt levels to consider restructuring as a means to regain economic stability and foster sustainable growth.

In a report titled “Toward a Better Balanced and More Resilient World Economy”, released ahead of the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington D.C., IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva emphasized the need for countries with unsustainable debt to act promptly.

She encouraged nations to pursue fiscal reforms and, where needed, take the tough step of restructuring debt. Georgieva also warned about the harmful effects of global trade tensions and rising tariffs, which she said could worsen financial conditions for many economies.