Author: Amina Ibrahim

THE Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami and other government officials failed to appear before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Wednesday over the alleged loss of 2.4 billion dollars from the illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude. News Point Nigeria reports that, the ad-hoc committee said it is giving one last opportunity to Malami; the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed; and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele to appear before the committee and speak on inflows from recoveries from whistleblowers. The Committee Chairman, Mark Gbillah stated this on Wednesday…

THE Governing Board of the Nigeria Immigration Service, on Wednesday, served a retirement notice to the acting Comptroller-General of the Service, Isah Idris, effective on or before April 24, 2023. In a secret memo obtained by News Point Nigeria, the board cited the expiration of the one-year extension of service granted by the President Muhammadu Buhari, directing the CGI to hand over to the most senior Deputy Comptroller General. The memo, dated April 17, 2023 with code number CDCFIB/APPT.CG&DCG/61/VOL.IV/74, was signed by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board Secretary, Obasi Edmond, on the orders of the Board…

A STOWAWAY believed to be a Nigerian was on Monday found dead in the wheel well of a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777 plane. The dutch aircraft, registered PH-BQM, flew from Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, according to Belgium’s Aviation24 Confirming the incident, the Royal Dutch Marechaussee noted that stowaways survive sometimes but do not in most cases. The Royal Marechaussee is the national force of the Netherlands, performing military and civilian police duties. “This morning a deceased stowaway was discovered in the wheel well of a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777 (registered PH-BQM). “The aircraft originated from Lagos,…

THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba has ordered that the Commissioner of Police on election duty in Adamawa State, Mohammed Barde withdraw from the state with immediate effect. News Point Nigeria reports that, the IGP also ordered that the Commissioner of Police in charge of Gombe State, CP Etim Equa immediately proceed to Adamawa State for election security of the yet-to-be concluded supplementary governorship poll. Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, while addressing pressmen on Tuesday in Abuja, said the IGP is committed to a free and fair process. He said, “The IGP has given directive that the…

JUSTICE Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja has temporarily declined to hear an application by Senator Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, seeking an order of court restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from invalidating her declaration as winner of the governorship election in Adamawa State, News Point Nigeria gathered. Binani had on Monday approached the court for leave to file an application for judicial review of the administrative decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made on April 16th in respect of her declaration as winner of the governorship elections of Adamawa State held on March 18…

THE Chinese Government has denied funding militants to access Nigerian mining sites, noting strongly that it will never be involved in any form of terrorism financing. In a statement on Monday, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria described a report by The Times of the United Kingdom insinuating terrorism financing in Nigeria by the Chinese Government as totally irresponsible. The report dated April 15, 2023 and titled, ‘Chinese ‘bribed Nigerian militants for access to vast mineral reserves’ claimed that “Beijing could be indirectly funding terror” in Nigeria. However, the Chinese Embassy said the report is “based on unverified, unclear and unproven information,…

THE candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the Adamawa governorship election Senator Aisha Binani Dahiru has filed a motion exparte before the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking a judicial review of the administrative decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on April 16th in respect of her declaration as the winner of the governorship elections held on March 18 and the supplementary poll of April 15. Senator Binani is also seeking an order of prohibition and certiorari preventing INEC and its agents from taking any further steps towards the declaration of the winner of the elections…

THE Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) has tasked security agencies to arrest and prosecute those who brutalised one of its national commissioners deployed to Adamawa State for Saturday’s supplementary governorship poll. INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, disclosed this to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday. He said, “If you see what is trending, two national commissioners were deployed to Adamawa State. One of them was brutalised, one of them was stripped naked. That will not be allowed to stand. “The security agencies must unmask those who engaged in that particular act. They must be arrested, they must be investigated and…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on the fifth day of the official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, shared a warm moment with some of the country’s Governors and other officials, where he was updated on ongoing situations including the conclusion of outstanding elections back in the country. At the Makkah Guest Palace where he is accommodated by the government of the host country, President Buhari received Governors Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Professor Babagana Zulum of Borno and the incoming Governor of Katsina State, Dr Dikko Umar Radda. The others were the Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman…

Drama ensued as the Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the victory of Adamawa state All Progressives Congress candidate earlier declared by the state REC as null and void. In a statement signed by the National Commissioner, Information & Voter Education, Barr. Festus Okoye on the Commission’s official Twitter handle, INEC said, ‘The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a purported declaration of winner in the Adamawa Governorship election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) even when the process has clearly not been concluded.” The Statement reads in full: The attention of the Commission has been drawn…

THOUSANDS of voters are expected to hit the polls on Saturday as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts supplementary elections across 23 states. On the heels of the February 25 presidential/National Assembly elections, and the March 18 governorship/state assembly elections, INEC fixed Saturday, April 15 for governorship, national, and state assembly supplementary elections. In the Adamawa governorship poll, the incumbent Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 421,524, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru, scored 390,275. However, INEC state collation officer, Prof Muhammadu Mele of the University of Maiduguri, declared the election inconclusive…

THE United States has charged three Nigerians with money laundering and a fraud scheme with losses of more than $6 million. The Nigerians – 29-year-old Kosi Goodness Simon Ebo, James Junior Aliyu aged 28 and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, aged 31 – are accused of conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering related to a business email compromise (BEC) scheme with losses of more than $6 million. One of them is being extradited from Canada to the U.S. to face a federal indictment on Friday, April 14 in a U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, MD. In a statement on Thursday,…

AMNESTY International has decried what it describes as the utter failure of the Nigerian authorities to learn from the heartbreak of Chibok town in Borno State and, ultimately, to protect children. The non-governmental organisation made the assertion in a statement on Friday upon the backdrop of the ninth anniversary of Boko Haram’s abduction of 276 students from a girls’ secondary school in Chibok. At least 98 girls are reportedly still being held by Boko Haram and a slew of abductions have taken place since. Since the Chibok schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram, other schools have been targeted, with girls…

THE President-Elect, Bola Tinubu says the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has always lost his bid to lead the country since 1993. Tinubu asked Atiku not to see his loss at the last election as strange, arguing that it would have been a miracle for the PDP and its candidate to win in view of the crisis rocking the party before and during the elections. The President-Elect said these in his response to the petition filed by Atiku and the PDP before the Presidential Election Petition Court in which they are praying to be declared the…

TROOPS of Operation Forest Sanity have arrested a suspect who specializes in the supply of arms and ammunition to bandits in Kaduna State. The suspect, Aminu Abdullahi was arrested while he was conveying a large quantity of ammunition to bandits around the Polewire area in Birnin Gwari local government area of the Kaduna State. According to a statement by the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the troops followed up on credible intelligence around gunrunning activities in the area, and in the course of diligent checks, stopped a suspicious-looking vehicle within the location of interest. During…

THE Federal Executive Council has approved the provision and installation of baggage scanners at all railway stations in the country at a cost of N495 million. The Minister of State for Transportation, Ademola Adegoroye stated this at a briefing on Wednesday after the council meeting presided over by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. He stated that the devices had become imperative because of the need to advance the security of lives and property in the nation’s railway facilities and in continuation of the railway revolution in the sector. The FEC also gave approval for the maintenance of the pavement…

FOLLOWING a tip-off from human intelligence sources, troops of operation Forest Sanity under 1 Division Nigerian Army ambushed and neutralised a notorious bandit leader, Isiya Danwasa and his cohort. Intelligence gathered, revealed that the bandit leader intended to send one of his errand boys named Yunusa, to purchase some arms and ammunition in Kaduna town. Army Spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Musa Yahaya revealed in a statement on Wednesday that subsequently, the errand boy was trailed and picked up by plain cloth soldiers and later used to lure two of the bandits leaders to a selected ammunition collection point. Upon their arrival,…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar did not meet the constitutional requirements to be declared winner of the February 25 election. Urging the Presidential Election Petition Court to dismiss the petition by Atiku and his party, the commission said the PDP flag bearer failed to score, at least, one-quarter of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and as such could not have been declared the winner. As against the claim by the petitioners, INEC…

THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 152 Nigerian returnees from Libya through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. NEMA Zonal Coordinator for South-West, Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday. Farinloye said the returnees departed Libya aboard a chartered Al Buraq Air Boeing 737-800 with registration number 5A-DMG Buraq Aircraft. The victims who arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Lagos airport consist of 54 adult females, 73 adult males and children. On ground to receive them were NEMA Director General, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, alongside officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service, National Agency for the Prohibition…

THE immediate-past managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, has said that failure to extend the Intels’ service boat management contract by one year was one of the reasons why former minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi recommended her suspension and eventual removal from office. In her new book released on Tuesday, titled “Stepping On Toes: My Odyssey Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority”, Ms Usman revealed how stepping on toes to ensure due process and good governance cost her the plum NPA job. This newspaper gathered that a former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and presidential candidate…