Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun believes the country is not “mature” for state policing despite the myriad of security challenges facing it. He spoke on Monday during a national dialogue on state police held in Abuja with the theme ‘Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria’. “On the issue of state police, it is the submission of the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) that Nigeria is not yet mature and ready for the establishment of state-controlled police,” the IGP, represented by AIG Ben Okolo, said at the event organised by the Speaker of the House…

VICE President Kashim Shettima; former President Goodluck Jonathan and elder statesman Abdulsalami Abubakar are among dignitaries attending a dialogue on state police. The event holding in Abuja is organised by the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives with the theme Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria. While speaking at the event, the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun said the country is not ripe for state police. The police chief represented by AIG Ben Okolo cited abuse by those who want to score political points. He argued that some governors may likely use state police against…

YOUTHS of Ebiraland under the aegis of Ebiraland Youths Coalition have called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure that nothing happens to the immediate past governor of Kogi state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. The Youth, in a Press statement signed by its Coordinator, Mr Fache Onimisi Moses, said that  some people in high places, conniving with other ethnic bigots from Kogi State, were working tirelessly, not only to put the former governor’s life in the harm’s way, but also to ridicule the entire people of Ebiraland. They said the simultaneous actions of the DSS and Police to withdraw the…

Describe Issue Of Evading Arrest As Deliberate Misinformation HUNDREDS of human rights activists, on Saturday, hit the streets of Lagos to condemn what they described as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s antidemocratic approaches to issues of law enforcement as well as unjust application of state power by the Federal Government. The Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organisations, numbering over 120, along with a huge crowd of members and supporters, stressed that the actions of the Federal Government in the ongoing face-off between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, which took an ugly dimension…

THE Federal High Court in Kano has intervened in the purported suspension of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, by his ward. The court order came on Wednesday following an ex parte motion filed by Ganduje, seeking to enforce his fundamental right to a fair hearing. The respondents in the application include the Police, Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and nine other individuals. Ganduje’s purported suspension stemmed from actions taken by APC executives in Dawakin ward, Tofa LGA of Kano, on April 16, over alleged corruption. However,…

TROOPS of the Nigerian Army deployed in the North-East have announced the rescue of Lydia Simon, a Chibok girl who had been held captive by Boko Haram terrorists for several years. A statement from the Department of Army Public Relations said Lydia, who was on serial number 68 among the abducted missing Chibok Secondary School girls, was rescued along with her three children by troops conducting Operation Desert Sanity III, around Ngoshe in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State. Lydia is five months pregnant at the time of her rescue and claimed to be from Pemi Town in…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been asked to call the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to order as the anti-graft agency exhibits another flagrant disregard for rule of law in an attempt to arrest former Kogi  state governor, Yahaya Bello. Despite a subsisting Order of injunction granted on 9th February 2024 by the High Court of Justice, Lokoja Division in Suit No. HCL/68M/2024 between Alhaji Yahaya Bello v. Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, restraining the Commission either by itself or its agents from harassing, arresting, detaining or prosecuting Alhaji Yahaya Bello, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive…

THE embattled Chairman of the Kano State Anti-Corruption and Public Complaints Commission, Muhuyi Magaji, says he is being instigated by some persons to investigate the current governor of the state, Abba Kabir. Magaji, who stated this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme monitored by News Point Nigeria on Tuesday said he started probing the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, when he was governor of the state. Magaji said though he was appointed by Ganduje to head the agency, he won’t hesitate to prosecute alleged corruption by the immediate-past administration in the state. He said, “Incidentally,…

THE Federal Government has warned that 148 Local Government Areas in 31 states of the federation, fall within the high flood-risk areas. This was disclosed in Abuja by Minister of Water Resources, Prof Joseph Utsev while presenting the general highlights of the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook prepared by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency on Tuesday. Utsev listed the high flood-risk areas as, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe. The floods are expected between…

THE Federal Government paid about N205bn as electricity subsidy in the third quarter of last year, according to data obtained from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) latest report. The Commission’s third quarterly market report revealed the government incurred a subsidy obligation of about ₦205bn in 2023/Q3 (average of ₦68bn per month), which is an increase of ₦69bn compared to the ₦135bn (average of ₦45bn per month) incurred in 2023/Q2. This increase in subsidy payment, according to the report, was largely attributable to the government’s policy to harmonise exchange change rates due to the absence of cost-reflective tariffs across all…

FOLLOWING the emergency security meeting convened by Governor Abdullahi Sule, the government of Nasarawa has proscribed all ethnic vigilante groups operating across the 13 local government areas of the state. Similarly, the state government has equally given two-week ultimatum to all ethnic vigilante groups affected by the order to hand over their uniforms and weapons to the state Commissioner of Police, Shehu Nadada. The governor cited the powers vested on him via Section 97A of the Penal Code as well as other relevant laws. Through an Executive Order No. 1 of 2024, signed by the Governor and issued on Tuesday,…

MINISTER of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, on Monday challenged all the appointees from the North in the current administration to come out openly and defend President Bola Tinubu. Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, specifically called on Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Special Adviser to the President on political matters in the office of the Vice President, and other leaders to take a position in support of the government. He said this following what he perceived as comments against the federal government by Baba-Ahmed the former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF). In a Facebook post in Hausa, on Sunday,…

NIGERIA has become the first country in the world to roll out a new meningitis vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in a historic move. According to WHO, this is especially important for countries like Nigeria where multiple serogroups are prevalent. The new vaccine uses the same technology as the meningitis A conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVac®), which wiped out meningococcal A epidemics in Nigeria. The vaccine and emergency vaccination activities are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global meningitis vaccine stockpile and supports lower-income countries with routine vaccination against meningitis. WHO stated that the…

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has remanded Binance Holdings Limited’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan, in Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, pending the determination of his bail application. Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order after Gambaryan pleaded not guilty to the money laundering charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday. EFCC arraigned Gambaryan on an alleged money laundering charge following the dismissal of his objection by the court. Gambaryan was arraigned by the EFCC on a five-count charge before Justice Nwite. He was arraigned alongside the company (Binance) and Nadeem Anjarwalla who is now…

THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has slapped Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) with a hefty fine of Two Hundred Million Naira (NGN200,000,000) for failing to adhere to its tariff guidelines, creating a stir among consumers and industry stakeholders alike. The fine comes in the wake of the Supplementary Order to the Multi-Year Tariff Order for 2024, issued on April 3, 2024, which AEDC has been found in violation of. In a detailed correspondence released by NERC and seen by this publication, it was revealed that AEDC improperly applied an approved tariff increase across all customer bands, contrary to the…

FOLLOWING the Wednesday deadline for the sales of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms, the ruling All Progressives Congress has raised N720m from 16 governorship aspirants jostling for the party ticket in Ondo State ahead of the April 20 primary election. The sales, which started on March 27, ended on Wednesday. The ruling party has pegged the Expression of Interest form at N10m, while the Nomination Form went for N40m. However, female aspirants and persons with disabilities were given concession to only procure the Expression of Interest form while the Nomination form was free for them. But at the close…

OUT of the 650,000 barrels per day, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has pegged a minimum of one million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) diesel for each marketer as it commenced sale of the product on Tuesday. Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) National president, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, disclosed this to newsmen He said: “The least volume a marketer can buy is one million litres. Even now as I dropped the call someone was telling me they wanted to start selling.” He noted that there were strong indications that the refinery would commence the sale of the product on Tuesday.…

THIRTY children abducted by bandits at Kasai village in the Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State have been freed. The Police Public Relations Officer of the Katsina State Police Command, ASP Abubakar Sadiq, confirmed this to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday. He noted that their release followed a concerted effort by the command, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, which he believed yielded a positive result. Bandits had on Monday abducted the children, mostly girls, while fetching firewood in the bush. “Upon receipt of the report, the Command swung into action and launched an investigation to rescue the kidnapped victims…

THE Peoples Democratic Party has appointed executives whose tenure has expired as caretaker committees for their respective states, local governments, and wards. Recall that National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, during a meeting of the National Working Committee with state chairmen on Tuesday hinted that party leadership will review the tenure of 26 state chairmen, whose tenures had expired. He stated, “We are here to review the tenure of about 26 state chairmen, in terms of ward, local government and state. If you recall most of the current executives in the states were elected four years ago, where congresses were conducted…

THE Federal Government will on April 4 arraign Binance Holdings Limited and its two top officials: Tigran Gambaryan and fleeing Nadeem Anjarwalla, on allegations bordering on tax evasion.  Binance, Gambaryan, and Anjarwalla, listed as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively, are expected to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja on a four-count charge. Anjarwalla, who had been in detention alongside Gambaryan, was said to have escaped from lawful custody. He escaped on Friday from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were detained. Though the Federal High Court Easter vacation began on…