🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
IPCR Director-General urges urgent adoption of Nigeria's National Peace Policy
via Punch Nigeria4 min read
Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution IPCR, has called for the immediate adoption and implementation of Nigeria's National Peace Policy. Speaking at the Second High-Level Expert Dialogue on the draft policy in Abuja, Dr. Ochogwu emphasized that peace in Nigeria is a "foundational imperative" and that the country's escalating security challenges, including insurgency, farmer-herder clashes, separatist tensions, banditry, and kidnapping, demand a coordinated and institutionalized response. He stated that the proposed policy aims to address gaps in current peacebuilding efforts by providing a unified framework to harmonize interventions from government agencies, civil society organizations, and development partners, thereby moving beyond fragmented and ad hoc approaches. Dr. Ochogwu highlighted that the policy would enable evidence-based decision-making, shift the focus from reactive crisis management to preventive and strategic peacebuilding, and ensure peacebuilding is mainstreamed across key sectors like security, justice, education, and economic planning. He also noted that the policy aligns with global and regional peace frameworks from the United Nations, African Union, and ECOWAS. The Director-General urged stakeholders to generate the political will and inter-institutional consensus necessary for implementation, warning against bureaucratic delays and institutional rivalry. He added that the administration of President Bo
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
Must ReadTroops from Operation ENDURING PEACE intercepted a significant cache of ammunition and suspected improvised explosive device IED components on the Kaduna-Jos road, leading to the arrest of seven suspects. The interception occurred on Thursday near Boys Science Secondary School on the Manchok-Jos road in Kaduna State. The military stated that the vigilant troops, reinforced by a Special Forces Tactical Team, conducted a precision stop-and-search operation. Items recovered from a commercial vehicle included 569 rounds of 12.7mm anti-aircraft ammunition, several warheads, 189 empty shells of 7.62mm ammunition, and mobile phones suspected to be IED components. The driver, Khalifa Bawa, denied ownership of the items, claiming they were handed to him for delivery by an anonymous source, with no contact information for either the sender or the intended recipient. All seven occupants of the vehicle are currently in custody. This operation is part of intensified efforts by security agencies to disrupt the movement of arms and explosives in the North-Central region.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the abduction of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME candidates in Benue State, calling it a reflection of deepening insecurity and a serious indictment of leadership failure. In a post on his verified X handle, Obi described the incident as heartbreaking and lamented that young Nigerians seeking education are increasingly exposed to violence, which he warned poses a grave threat to the country's future. He stated that Nigeria cannot afford to lose more students to violence, emphasizing that a nation abandoning its youth abandons its future. Obi also highlighted Nigeria's low rate of tertiary education attainment, noting it is far below comparable countries like Indonesia and South Africa, making such incidents unacceptable. He criticized authorities for prioritizing political interests over citizen safety, accusing them of being preoccupied with elections and projecting power to rig them rather than securing roads and rescuing abducted children. Obi described the abduction as part of a troubling pattern and a national crisis, calling for urgent, decisive action to address insecurity nationwide.
The Nigeria Police Force has refuted claims that the extradition of Matthew Chukwuemeka Adebiyi, a suspect in murder and drug trafficking, to the United Kingdom was tribally motivated. Aliyu Giwa, the Force’s New Media Officer, clarified on X that Adebiyi's official records show he has mixed heritage, with an Igbo mother and a Yoruba father, emphasizing that "crime has no tribe, justice has no ethnicity." Giwa stated that neither the victim's death nor the extradition process had any ethnic dimension, and that Adebiyi's flight from the UK and Joshua Boadu's murder were not ethnically motivated. Adebiyi was extradited on April 14, 2026, after nearly eight years as a fugitive in Nigeria following Boadu's murder in June 2018 and facing charges of supplying crack cocaine. UK authorities submitted an extradition request in September 2024, leading to Adebiyi's arrest on January 23, 2025. Justice A. O. Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos approved the extradition on February 16, 2026. Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, reiterated the Force's commitment to international law enforcement cooperation, stating that Nigeria is not a refuge for fugitives.
Must ReadThe Central Bank of Nigeria CBN has launched the Nigerian Overnight Financing Rate NOFR, a new benchmark for the country's money market. This initiative, developed in collaboration with the Financial Markets Dealers Association, aims to improve transparency, strengthen monetary policy transmission, and deepen Nigeria's financial system. The CBN's Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, stated that NOFR aligns Nigeria with global standards for short-term interest rate benchmarks, similar to SOFR in the United States and SONIA in the United Kingdom. The rate is expected to enhance price discovery, promote consistent pricing of money market instruments, and support financial innovation. NOFR is a risk-free benchmark reflecting the cost of overnight secured funding in the interbank market, based on actual transactions. It is not a monetary policy tool but serves as a reference for pricing financial instruments. The benchmark is published daily and its methodology will be reviewed annually by the CBN. While it will play a key role for investors in pricing and risk management of naira-denominated financial instruments, retail customers will not see direct changes to savings or loan rates.