Author: Hamza Rufai

A UNITED States–based humanitarian organisation, Equipping The Persecuted, has raised alarm over an alleged plan by armed groups to carry out coordinated attacks on several northern Nigerian communities on Christmas Day, sparking heightened security concerns and a swift pushback from the Presidency. News Point Nigeria reports that the organisation’s founder, Judd Saul, made the claims during a roundtable meeting convened by the International Committee on Nigeria in collaboration with the African Jewish Alliance. The meeting, held on Wednesday in Washington DC, was chaired by former United States Congressman Frank Wolf. Also in attendance were serving US lawmakers, including Congressmen Riley…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) has released three men who were wrongfully arrested and detained for alleged involvement in kidnapping and banditry, following an internal review that cleared them of any wrongdoing. News Point Nigeria reports that the detainees; Umar Ibrahim, Alhaji Bello Rabiu, and Jaja Sarki Bamo — had been in DSS custody since June 2025 after operatives intercepted them at the Tunde Idiagbon International Airport, Ilorin, shortly after their return from the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage. They were accused of having links to kidnapping and banditry, allegations that have now been found to be erroneous. A senior DSS…

THE Birnin-Kudu Old Boys Association (BIKOBA), the umbrella body of former students of the prestigious Government Unity College, Birnin-Kudu formerly Government College, Birnin-Kudu in Jigawa State, has concluded all arrangements for its 41st Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for Saturday (tomorrow), December 13, 2025. According to a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the National Publicity Secretary of the association, Mahmud Ibrahim Kwari, the annual gathering will take place at the College Assembly Hall beginning at 9:00am and is expected to attract dignitaries, education stakeholders, community leaders, and accomplished alumni from across the country. A key highlight of the…

SEVERAL ambassadorial nominees, including Reno Omokri, Senator Grace Bent, and former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode, on Thursday, arrived at the National Assembly for their screening by the Senate. News Point Nigeria reports that also seen at the complex were former Interior Minister Abdulrahman Dambazau, immediate past INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu and former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Among those present were two former ministers, a former Chief of Army Staff, two serving ambassadors and several lawmakers. Those sighted include Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, Senator Ita Enang, and Senator Nora Daduut, among others. After brief introductions, former ministers, ambassadors and lawmakers…

THE Federal Government on Wednesday arraigned former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah, over an alleged N5bn fraud allegedly committed in 2014. News Point Nigeria reports that Oduah, who was aviation minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan between 2011 and 2014 appeared before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama on five counts, including conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences. She was arraigned by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation. In one of the counts, Oduah was accused of fraudulently obtaining N2.4bn through Broad Waters Resources from the Federal Ministry of Aviation, falsely…

THE Senate has directed its Committee on Police Affairs to investigate the alleged selective implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s order withdrawing police escorts from VIPs. News Point Nigeria reports that the move followed complaints that lawmakers were being singled out while other influential individuals continued to enjoy full security cover. The resolution was reached after Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) raised a point of order under Order 9 during plenary, expressing outrage that his only police orderly had been withdrawn despite the continued protection of ministers, business executives, political families, and celebrities. Ningi warned that the uneven enforcement of the…

THE Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), under the leadership of its Chairman and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, has approved the appointment of Mr. Ezekiel Gomos, OFR, as Director-General of the Forum’s Secretariat. News Point Nigeria reports that the appointment is in line with the Forum’s renewed commitment to strengthening its institutional capacity and improving coordination among the 19 northern states in addressing the region’s pressing challenges. According to the Forum, creating the office of Director-General is a strategic step towards repositioning the Secretariat as a more effective hub for policy coordination, collective action and long-term development…

JULIUS Bokoru, Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Minister of Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has condemned the sealing of his principal’s Maitama residence in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Bokoru expressed his displeasure in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Monday, titled “A grave breach of decency: EFCC’s attempted raid and defacement of Sylva’s family home.” In November, the EFCC declared Sylva wanted over an alleged $14.8m fraud. Earlier, agents of the military intelligence raided his Abuja home, arresting his brother and driver over his alleged link to an alleged failed coup…

JUSTICE James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja, has rejected an application filed by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, seeking his transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Centre, to a custodial facility within the Federal Capital Territory or neighbouring Nasarawa State. News Point Nigeria reports that Kanu, through the Legal Aid Council, had approached the court with an ex-parte application requesting an order directing the Federal Government or the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to immediately move him from Sokoto to either Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja or Keffi Custodial Centre in Nasarawa. In the…

VICE President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, for the inauguration of Cote d’Ivore President, Alassane Ouattara. News Point Nigeria reports that 83-year-old incumbent was declared winner of the presidential election on October 2. He won a fourth term with 89.77 percent of the ballots cast. His swearing in ceremony would hold at Presidential Palace in Abidjan on December 8, and Shettima is representing President Bola Tinubu. “He was received on arrival at the airport by Côte d’Ivoire’s Prime Minister, Mr. Robert Mambe; the Chargé d’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire, Mrs. Item Akpama; and other…

NATIONAL Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu hosted a delegation from the United States Congress in Abuja on Sunday, continuing security discussions between Nigeria and the US. Ribadu, sharing the update on X, noted that the visit follows prior meetings in Washington, D.C., which focused on areas of mutual security interest and cooperation. “This morning, I received a US Congressional delegation on a fact-finding mission to Nigeria, following our earlier engagements in Washington, DC, on shared security priorities,” he said. “The delegation included Rep. @MarioDB Mario Díaz-Balart, Rep. @NormaJTorres Norma Torres, Rep. @RepFranklin Scott Franklin, Rep. @RepCiscomani Juan Ciscomani, and Rep. @RepRileyMoore…

SENATE President Godswill Akpabio says he has filed no fresh charges against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. News Point Nigeria reports that Akpabio, in a statement by his Special Assistant On Media, Jackson Udom, described as misleading and incorrect, that the Senate President had “just filed” a N200bn suit against her. “Her claim that the matter was “just filed” is therefore false, misleading, and intended to distort public understanding of the case,” Udom said in a statement on Saturday. The statement read in part that,” The suit was filed over three months ago. Its progress was temporarily delayed by routine administrative processes…

NIGERIA Will Win because President Bola Tinubu introduced fertility drugs into the Nigerian economy. Governor Hope Uzodimma, Imo Governor and National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors disclosed in Lagos. News Point Nigeria reports that according to him the economic reforms introduced by President Tinubu have begun to yield results. “ Nigeria was like a  barren woman looking for a child before President Bola Tinubu came. He introduced the fertility drugs needed. Yes they came with pains, but we are seeing results. We are not after excuses. We are interested in results”. He spoke at the South West Zone APC…

THE Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the defection of 17 Rivers State lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress, describing their action as reckless and an act of betrayal carried out at a critical moment for the state’s democracy. News Point Nigeria reports that PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said the lawmakers had portrayed themselves as “enemies of democracy by abandoning the platform through which they were elected.” He accused them of undermining the mandate of Rivers people and destabilising the legislature for partisan gain. Seventeen members of the Rivers State House of Assembly,…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested a medical doctor accused of treating wounded kidnappers and supplying medical drugs to armed gangs operating inside forests in parts of Kwara State. News Point Nigeria reports that the doctor, whose identity was still being withheld by security agencies as of press time, was intercepted in the Jebba axis following weeks of intelligence tracking. According to security sources, the arrest followed credible reports indicating that couriers had been moving medical supplies from Sokoto to Kwara, where bandits recovering from gunshot injuries were being treated in remote forest hideouts. Sources familiar with the…

THE Senate on Thursday raised a national alarm over what it called a “widespread and scientifically verified lead-poisoning disaster” devastating Ogijo, a densely populated community straddling the Ikorodu area of Lagos and the Ogun East Senatorial District. News Point Nigeria reports that the Lawmakers said the tragedy, caused by emissions from multiple used lead-acid battery recycling factories operating in the area, has matured into what one senator described as “a full-scale public health emergency that is silently destroying an entire generation.” Tokunbo Abiru, who sponsored the motion alongside Senator Gbenga Daniel, warned that the scale of contamination in Ogijo was…

THE Senate has demanded full disclosure from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the alleged non-remittance of ₦1.44 trillion operating surplus, even as the apex bank declared that the Nigerian economy is now enjoying its most stable period in more than a decade. News Point Nigeria reports that the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, chaired by Senator Tokunbo Abiru, issued the directive on Wednesday during its statutory briefing with the CBN leadership. Abiru said the Auditor-General’s query on the unremitted funds must be addressed with clarity, documentation, and transparency, insisting that institutional credibility depended on…

THE Senate has completed the screening of the three ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the upper chamber by President Bola Tinubu for confirmation. They are Kayode Are (Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo State). The nominees, who appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs chaired by Senator Sani Bello (APC, Niger North), were screened by the panel. The committee’s report is expected to be presented at plenary for consideration and possible confirmation in due course. Speaking during the session, Senator Bello disclosed that Ayodele Oke had addressed and cleared all allegations previously raised against him. President…

THE Senate has summoned key members of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to explain the alleged collapse and mismanagement of the Safe School Initiative, a multi-million-dollar programme created to secure schools from attacks across Nigeria. News Point Nigeria reports that the summons was issued on Wednesday during the inaugural sitting of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee probing the failure of the scheme. The committee, chaired by former Abia State governor and Senator for Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, is expected to receive the ministers next Tuesday. Others to appear…

THE Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday began the screening of three ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the upper chamber by President Bola Tinubu. News Point Nigeria reports that the nominees, Kayode Are (Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo State), were earlier transmitted to the Senate in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary last week. This newspaper reports that the three-man list was released ahead of 32 additional names from the President. Their appearance before the committee, chaired by former Niger State Governor, Senator Sani Bello, marked the beginning of their legislative…