The number of stranded Nigerians that are voluntarily returning from Libya has reached 401 following the arrival of 257 persons.

The latest batch of 144 Nigerians arrived the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos at about 1:30 am on Wednesday.

The first set of returnees, who arrived at the cargo area of the airport aboard a Boeing 737 aircraft on Tuesday night, consists of 39 female, 97 male, two children and six infants.

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru, Tuesday, cut short his trip to London, as concerns increased over the sudden fuel queues nationwide

Dr. Baru, who was billed to receive the Forbes Oil & Gas Man of the Year Award 2017 in the British Capital on Tuesday, flew back home to attend to what he described as a “matter of urgent national importance.”

Speaking on the development shortly before his departure back to the country, Baru called on Nigerians to stop panic buying as the corporation was doing everything within its reach to address the situation.

The Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) has sacked eight junior officers for various acts of indiscipline including smuggling of prohibited items into prison yards for inmates.

Spokesman of the NPS, Mr Francis Enobore, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Enobore said the smuggled items included cell phones, marijuana and other intoxicating substances.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Jigawa has approved the re-deployment of 52 nursing and pregnant corps members to states of their choice.

Speaking on Tuesday in Dutse, the state NYSC coordinator, Mr Michael Amolo said that the NYSC authority had also approved the re-deployment of 10 other corps members with health challenges.

“As for now, this is the number of corps members seeking re-deployment; we will listen to those with genuine cases but will not entertain those with flimsy reasons.

The Ebonyi Government has released the sum of N1.5 billion to settle arrears of pension and gratuities owed state and local government retirees from 2006 to 2017, a top government official has said.

Mr Samuel Okoronkwo, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abakaliki.

Okoronkwo said that government accorded the welfare of retired workers of the state top priority and as such, would ensure that retirees’ benefits were paid regularly as a way of enhancing their living standard.

The Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, has been named “Outstanding Citizen of the World Year 2017” by Enugu City Centre Rotary District 9142.

According the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the District’s President, Mr Okezie Nwanjoku, who made this known in Enugu on Tuesday, said the award would be conferred on Ekweremadu on December 2.

Nwanjoku said that deputy senate president was adopted after a vigorous screening of 150 people shortlisted from across the world.

According to him, the award is given by a credible committee and not influenced by wealth or other primordial consideration.

“If one of the members of the committee vetoed the choice, then there will be no award. The committee was unanimous in its decision,” Nwanjoku said.

He pointed out that Chief Arthur Eze won the award in 2015 while the candidates nominated for 2016 were vetoed by members of the committee.

The district president also said that the club would also unveil its over N50 million service projects for 2017/2018.

Nwanjoku said that the service projects would tackle its aims and objectives of economic and social empowerment of the people.

“Our empowerment is not to give people fish, but to teach them on how to catch fishes,” Nwanjoku, a legal practitioner, said.