NEWS

*President Buhari Returns To Abuja After U.S. Trip*

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to the country, following his official visit to the United States. The President arrived in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday, days after he left the country to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. Earlier, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, had announced on Twitter that President Buhari would be back in the country later in the day.

The President’s arrival was, however, delayed due to “a technical stopover” he had in London on his way back to Nigeria. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, had told Channels Television that the President travelled in a smaller aircraft.

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*Falana Condemns 'Unacceptable And Degrading’ Treatment Of Melaye*

The arraignment of Senator Dino Melaye in a stretcher on Wednesday and in Lokoja on Thursday is unacceptable in a civilized society, human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has said. Melaye was arraigned at an Abuja court on Wednesday, where he was re-arrested for re-arraignment on Thursday at a Kogi court on allegations bordering on gunrunning. He eventually lost his appeal for bail and will therefore spend up to five weeks in Police custody.

All this happened despite Melaye arriving court in a stretcher, following injuries he sustained while jumping out of a moving vehicle when the Police initially arrested him in April — a situation Falana is unhappy with. “It is particularly degrading and humiliating as it violates the fundamental right to the dignity of his person guaranteed by Section 34 of the Constitution and Section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015,” the lawyer said.

“Even though the senator has my sympathy it is indistinguishable that he has only been given a little dose of the humiliating treatment that is daily meted out to the flotsam and jetsam of our unjust society by the Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria. Therefore, the senator's case should not be treated in isolation by the Senate and the bourgeois media. While the solidarity of the federal legislators with Senator Melaye is understandable the tragic turn of events calls for sober reflection," he said.

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*EU decries low participation of Nigerian youths in politics*

European Union on Thursday decried the shortage of Nigerian youths participating in partisan politics. Mr. Ketil Karlsen, Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said this during the Independent National Electoral Commission Continuous Voter Campus Outreach at the University of Abuja. According to Karlsen, for democracy to be representative, it must represent all the demographic population of a country, and the youths are an important case in point.

“There is a shortage of youth’s participation in politics in many countries including Nigeria. And I wonder why is it because of disempowerment? Is it because of alienation? Is it because of fear of participation? Or because there is a perception that participating will not matter or because they feel they are unworthy, that I am not so sure of," he said.

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*Nigeria companies raided over cough syrup addiction*

Four pharmaceutical companies have been raided in Nigeria after a BBC investigation into the role of cough syrup containing codeine in an addiction epidemic. The firms are in Lagos, Ilorin and Kano, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said. Nigeria this week announced a ban on the production and import of the syrup.

The BBC investigation showed the syrup being sold on the black market for young Nigerians to get high. The probe recorded a number of pharmaceutical employees selling the drug illegally. Prices of the syrup on the black market have shot up since the ban.

Officials estimate that about three million bottles of codeine syrup are being drunk a day in just two states, Kano and Jigawa. Excessive consumption of codeine can cause organ failure and schizophrenia.

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