The Chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Tony Aziegbemi, abducted on 15 March in Benin, has been freed.
The News Agency of Nigeria gathered that Mr Aziegbemi reunited with his family at 3 a.m. on Tuesday after 10 days in captivity.
Clem Aziegbemi, on behalf of the family, said the PDP leader was released unhurt.
“As a member of the Aziegbemi family, we say thank you all for your great show of love and solidarity with us all through the period of the abduction of our beloved son, brother, cousin, and leader, Dr Tony Aziegbemi.
“Thank you, all…. We are most grateful for all your valuable contributions through prayers and steadfastness. God bless,” he said.
Mr Aziegbemi was ambushed at the Bishop Edokpolor Boulevard Junction, off Country Home, GRA Benin City, while returning from the Government House, where he held a meeting with Governor Godwin Obaseki
His abduction came less than a month after his party conducted a primary election for the 21 September governorship election in the state.
When contacted, the police spokesperson in Edo, Chidi Nwabuzor, said the police would soon issue an official statement on the development.
At a warehouse in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, dozens of women patiently wait their turn to receive food handouts. Among them is 68-year-old widow Damilola Salami, who received an invitation to the facility just as she had almost run out of food.
The Lagos Food Bank is a crucial lifeline to residents like Salami, but has seen supplies from private and other donors fall as inflation soars in Africa's biggest economy.
"There is nothing for us to eat, we are hungry," said Salami as she waited for her share of food and cooking oil. "Our children are out of school because of the increase in fees. Now, the children are at home and there is no food."
Mabel Wade, an 80-year-old charcoal seller, said sustenance was scarce and she often relied on neighbours before she was told of the food bank.
"Sometimes there is no food to eat at all... Sometimes, it is biscuit and water," she said, after registering for food stamps.
Last month a stampede broke out and killed seven people at a food distribution centre in Lagos. World Bank data shows that 46% of Nigeria's population was deemed poor in 2023. Twenty million of them live in urban areas.
In the past, the imposing warehouse of Lagos Food Bank would be fully stocked with bags of Nigerian staples like rice, beans and vegetable oil. Not anymore.
Founder Michael Sunbola said the facility's major donor had cut supplies by 93%, citing the high cost of food.
The food bank has now dialled back on quantities, providing families with enough supplies for a few days at a time when once their parcels would have lasted two weeks. The facility is also having to "narrow down the number of people we want to reach out to", said Sunbola of the people invited to use the service.
"Now, we do only women from the age of 50," he told Reuters.
No Hunger Initiatives, a food bank serving mostly internally displaced people in the capital Abuja, faces similar problems.
The number of people seeking food handouts has tripled since May 2023 but the facility is unable to keep up because donors have cut back supplies by half due to rising inflation, said Kumdet Yilkon, a senior official.
More 200 pupils and staff abducted by gunmen from a school in northern Nigeria were released, just over two weeks after they were kidnapped from the town of Kuriga in Kaduna State. The Kaduna governor said the country's National Security Adviser had coordinated the release but gave no further details. Gunmen had last week demanded a ransom of 690,000 U.S. dollars for the release of the missing children and staff.
According to local officials, unknown gunmen launched an attack at a busy market in Madaka village, in the Rafi local government area, on Thursday, setting shops and vehicles on fire. Reports say several women and children were also abducted.
Nigeria’s manufacturing sector continues to report sluggish growth, as more factories either shut down or become severely distressed. Analysts say their most pressing concerns include the country's poor infrastructure and difficulties getting access to foreign exchange to buy raw materials.
