Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested Nigerian musician Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.

The singer’s counsel and human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, confirmed the arrest in a post on his official X page on Wednesday.

Adeyanju revealed that his client was detained while performing at a show in Owerri, just days after returning to Nigeria earlier in the week.

He wrote, “Our client, Speed Darlington, a.k.a AKPI, has been arrested by the Nigeria Police in Owerri at his show upon return to Nigeria.”

However, the exact reason for the singer’s arrest remains unclear at the time of filing this report.

It is worth noting that the Nigeria Police had previously arrested Darlington over allegations of cyberstalking fellow musician Damini Ogulu, better known as Burna Boy.

Darlington was initially arrested in Lagos, then transferred to Abuja, where he was detained by the IGP’s Intelligence Response Team in the Guzape area of the city.

The musician, who faced accusations of cyberstalking Burna Boy, was later released on bail days after his arrest.

President Bola Tinubu has praised the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited for the revitalization of the Port Harcourt refinery.

On Tuesday, NNPCL announced the official commencement of crude oil processing at the refinery—a milestone achieved after three years of rehabilitation work.

In a statement on Tuesday from Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, Tinubu urged the NNPC to expedite the reactivation of the Warri and Kaduna refineries.

Tinubu, while acknowledging the efforts of former President Muhammadu Buhari in making this achievement possible, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to advancing energy sufficiency in Nigeria.

“The President acknowledges the pivotal role of former President Muhammadu Buhari in initiating the comprehensive rehabilitation of all our refineries and expresses gratitude to the African Export-Import Bank for its confidence in financing this critical project,” the statement reads.

“Furthermore, President Tinubu commends the leadership of NNPC Limited’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mele Kyari, whose unwavering dedication and commitment were instrumental in overcoming challenges to achieve this milestone.

“With the successful revival of the Port Harcourt refinery, President Tinubu urges NNPC Limited to expedite the scheduled reactivation of both the second Port Harcourt refinery and the Warri and Kaduna refineries.”

Tinubu emphasized that the commencement of petrol production at the refinery would bolster the country’s domestic production and position Nigeria as a major energy hub.

He called on individuals, institutions, and citizens entrusted with public infrastructure to uphold trust in their service to the nation.

“These efforts will significantly enhance domestic production capacity alongside the contributions of privately-owned refineries and make our country a major energy hub, with the gas sector also enjoying unprecedented attention by the administration,” Onanuga said.

“In alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda focused on shared economic prosperity for all, the President reaffirms his administration’s commitment to achieving energy sufficiency, enhancing energy security, and boosting export capacity for Nigeria.”

Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), announced that the country’s foreign reserves increased to $40.88 billion as of November 21.

Cardoso made the statement on Tuesday during a press conference following the monetary policy committee’s 298th meeting in Abuja.

He reported that the external reserves grew from $40.06 billion at the end of October to $40.88 billion in November.

This marks an increase of $82 million, or 2.05 percent, in just 21 days.

“The external reserves rose marginally to 40.88 billion as of 21 November 2024, from 40.06 billion at the end of October 2024, available to finance 17 months of imports,” he explained.

However, a check on the apex bank’s website revealed that Nigeria’s foreign reserves were listed at $40.27 billion on November 22, which is lower than the figure presented by Cardoso.

Further commenting on the matter, Cardoso stated, “the process of getting us where we are in terms of reserves has been a long one.”

“It is a clear indication that the policies we have put in place are certainly yielding fruits,” he added.

He emphasized that “reserves are there for a multiplicity of different purposes, not least of which is to create buffers in the event of unanticipated shocks.”

“They are not there to simply whittle away. They are there to be used to more or less defend yourself where that becomes necessary,” he clarified.

“And when we talk about shocks that are not anticipated, I think we can see how the global economies are,” Cardoso continued.

The governor also affirmed that the bank will persist in efforts to stabilize the currency and prices.

“The currency has been stable compared to what it was in June,” he noted.

However, he pointed out that for the country’s currency to maintain stability, there must be increased exports and greater diversification of the economy.

Cardoso also highlighted that diaspora remittances have risen due to policies that have been implemented.

He commended Nigerians in the diaspora for helping the country achieve over $600 million in remittances.