The Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, has said global food prices rose in October to their highest level in 18 months.

The organisation said there was a sharp increase in the cost of vegetable oil.

The FAO Food Price Index tracks monthly changes in international prices.

It said the prices of food commodities reached 127.4 points last month, a two-percent increase from September.

This was sald to be the highest since April 2023 but still 20.5 per cent lower than the peak reached in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of agricultural powerhouse, Ukraine.

Vegetable oil prices increased by 7.3 per cent in October, reaching a two-year high due to lower production.

Sugar prices rose 2.6 per cent, dairy was up 2.5 per cent and cereals gained 0.8 per cent.

Meat was the only commodity to fall, down 0.3 percent from the previous month.

The Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, has disclosed why President Bola Tinubu ordered the release of the 32 minors arraigned.

Fagbemi said Tinubu ordered that the charges against the minors be dropped because he has children and grand children.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the AGF said there were suggestions that the minors be tried in a family court.

He maintained that no Nigerian law prevents the trial of minors.

Recall that the Nigerian government had arraigned 72 protesters for engaging in the nationwide EndBadGovernance protest.

Out of the 72 protesters, 32 were minors and they were arraigned before an Abuja Federal High Court on charges of treason.

But the Nigerian government had withdrawn the charges against the minors following an outcry by Nigerians.

Fagbemi said: “No law in this country says a minor cannot be tried, and I have also heard suggestions that they should go to a family court.

“But the President said, despite all this, ‘I have children, grandchildren,’ and that motivated his passion to release them.”

The current Director General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has signified interest to run for a second term.

To this end, Okonjo-Iweala emerged as the sole candidate of the WTO DG.

The organisation formally began the process of appointing its next DG on October 8.

WTO allowed members until November 8 to submit nominations.

This was disclosed in a message to members, by the Chairman of WTO General Council, Petter Olberg.

Olberg said no additional nominations were received by the November 8 deadline.

The statement reads: “Under the procedures for the appointment of Directors-General (WT/L/509), I am required to communicate to members a consolidated list of candidatures received for the post of Director-General immediately after the close of the nomination period, in this case, 8 November 2024.

“I would like to advise members that at the end of the nomination period the only candidacy received for this post is from Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the incumbent director-general.

“The notification received from Dr Okonjo-Iweala pursuant to paragraph 12 of the Procedures in WT/L/509, was circulated to all members together with my communication in document JOB/GC/406, dated 16 September 2024.”