Author: Amina Ibrahim

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Friday has appointed Malam Isa Abdulmumin as the Acting Director of Corporate Communications Department of the apex bank. Abdulmumin’s appointment followed the retirement of Mr Osita Nwanisobi as the spokesman. News Point Nigeria reports that Abdulmumin, a Deputy Director, who has been in the service of the bank for several years, is reputed to be a hard working and efficient professional and a media personality. Nwanisobi had taken over in October 2020 when his predecessor, Isaac Okorafor, retired from service. He had served as a special assistant to the Financial System Stability (FSS)…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has intercepted N32.4 million new notes suspected to be used for vote buying in Lagos. In a post on its Twitter handle on Friday, the anti-graft agency said officials also arrested a suspect who has been taken into custody for questioning. “The massive operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to deter vote trading and other financial malfeasance ahead of tomorrow’s presidential and national assembly elections may have begun paying dividends with the interception in Lagos of the sum of N32,400,000 allegedly suspected to be used for vote buying in Lagos,”…

THE Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba on Friday said 425,106 security operatives will be deployed for the presidential and National Assembly election slated for Saturday, February 25, 2023. Speaking during a media briefing organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the National Collation Centre in Abuja, the IGP said the figure excludes members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. He explained that the personnel are drawn from the Nigerian Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigerian Correctional Service, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted that Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election will hold as planned on February 25. INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu made this known at a media briefing on Friday in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. His assurances come a few hours before the presidential poll slated for Saturday, February 25, 2023. “Generally speaking, the situation is calm in the country as far as our preparation is concerned,” Yakubu said. According to him, there has been no incident of insecurity involving the personnel and materials deployed by the commission. “Voter enthusiasm is high and so too is…

TWO policemen have been shot and several other civilians injured after suspected members of the Zamfara State Anti-thuggery Operatives attacked the convoy of the wife of Zamfara PDP Governorship candidate, Hajiya Hurriyah Lawal. The incident happened in the early hours of Friday, within the Gusau metropolis, when Mrs Lawal was returning to Gusau, the Zamfara State capital. Media aide to Mr Dauda Lawal, Imran Ahnad told News Point Nigeria that two of her security personnel and other civilians were injured and are currently receiving treatment at a health facility in the state capital. “The convoy of the wife of the…

FORMER Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, has said that hacking the database of the electoral commission is possible. He stated this while speaking to Trust TV on issues surrounding the preparedness of INEC ahead of the Saturday polls and issues regarding elections in the country. For the 2023 general elections, INEC has introduced a novel tool, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). BVAS is an electronic device designed to read Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and authenticate voters – using the voters’ fingerprints – in order to prove that they are eligible to vote at a particular polling…

THE Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, said this while expressing concern about vote buying at the maiden briefing on Thursday. He, however, said he is hopeful that the vices will be dealt with. Noting that all materials have been distributed to states, he said the sensitive materials are currently being delivered to local government areas. He said that nonsensitive materials were deployed two months ago. The INEC Chairman reiterated that 240 polling units do not have voters, and also said that staff to be deployed for the elections have been trained. Also at the briefing, Yakubu disclosed that 87 million…

LESS than three days to the general elections, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says intelligence at its disposal has shown some politicians are planning to buy votes in kind rather than with cash. EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The 2023 Verdict, amid the scarcity of the new naira notes experienced by Nigerians nationwide. “We have intel that a lot of people have bought some items that they want [to use] to buy votes in kind not in cash. Some of these things are out there,” he stated. “Politicians are…

US President Joe Biden has called for peaceful and credible 2023 general elections in Nigeria, saying the citizens deserve a chance to do so. Biden made the call on his official handle Thursday, calling on all candidates to respect the election results and back a peaceful transition. US President Joe Biden has called for peaceful and credible 2023 general elections in Nigeria, saying the citizens deserve a chance to do so. “All Nigerians deserve a chance to choose their new leader through a free, fair, transparent, and peaceful process,” he tweeted. “As election day nears, I urge the political parties…

THE Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali has ordered the restriction of vehicular movements across Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general elections.  “Consequent to the first part of the 2023 General Elections – the Presidential and National Assembly Elections – scheduled to hold on Saturday 25th February 2023 across all States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc(+), NPM, NEAPS, FDC, CFR, has ordered a restriction of all forms of vehicular movement on roads, waterways, and other forms of transportation, from 12 am to 6 pm on election…

KADUNA, Kogi, and Zamfara states have filed contempt proceedings against the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, over their alleged failure to comply with the Supreme Court order on old naira notes. In the fresh documents filed before the court, the three states warned the AGF and the CBN Governor of the consequences of their continued failure to comply with the apex court’s order made on February 3. The two sets of Form 48, filed by the lawyers for the three states, form part of the applications for consideration by the Supreme…

JUSTICE John Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking the removal of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, as the Inspector General of Police IGP. The suit was instituted against President Muhammadu Buhari and four others by an Abuja activist, Micheal Idoko. In his judgment, Justice Omotoso invoked section 7 (6) of the Police Act 2020 which put the tenure of office of any Inspector General of Police at four years. The Judge held that the retirement of the IGP from the Nigeria Police Force has nothing to do with his appointment on…

THE Canadian government has warned its citizens to avoid gatherings in Abuja, Lagos and other major cities in Nigeria, due to worsening security challenges in the country as elections approach. Canada gave the caution in signed statement by its Global Affairs Director, titled “Nigeria’s National Elections / Élections nationales au Nigeria CRM:0475001”, made available to News Point Nigeria over the weekend. The statement reads in full: Dear Canadians, You are receiving this email because you are registered with the Government of Canada’s Registration of Canadians Abroad service. The national elections in Nigeria are scheduled to take place on February 25,…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it has put in place a “robust” plan for the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, from mid-February to March. The company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Garba Deen Muhammad, in a statement on Monday, noted that the plan is part of its concerted efforts to sustain the supply of petroleum products nationwide. “Latest updates released on Monday show that NNPC Limited has a total of 1.805 billion litres of PMS stock, representing 805.35 million litres in all the land depots nationwide and 1,000.20 million litres on marine vessels,…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday released a summary polling unit and collation centre agents submitted by political parties for the general election 2023. News Point Nigeria reports that, a total of 1,574,301 party polling units agents and 68,057 collation agents were submitted to INEC by political parties across the country. In summary, the ruling All Progressives Congress deployed 176,223 polling units agents nationwide; the Peoples Democratic Party has 176,558 nationwide; and the New Nigeria Peoples Party has 176,200 nationwide. Kano State had the highest number of 145,393 party polling unit agents from the three political parties of APC,…

THE Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the appointment of Naja’atu Muhammad as the North-West coordinator of the Police Service Commission (PSC). News Point Nigeria reported that, the PSC had appointed Muhammad, a former Director of the Civil Society Directorate of the APC PCC as one of the coordinators to supervise the conduct of police officers during the February 25 and March 11 general elections. Muhammad had openly criticised the APC flag bearer, Bola Tinubu after she joined the camp of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. The APC PCC, in a…

WITH the general elections barely a few days away, the Nigeria Police Force has trained officials and other stakeholders on curbing electoral violence in the country. The one-day seminar for strategic police heads, military departments, other security agencies and stakeholders involved in election security management was on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba. Baba said the Force would work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure preparedness to deliver on its mandate of providing full security coverage before, during, and after the 2023 general election. “As part of the plans to ensure that officers of the NPF…

JUSTICE Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, granted Ali Bello and three others bail in an alleged N3 billion fraud suit filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). News Point Nigeria reports that the, ruling against a counter-affidavit by the EFCC counsel opposing the bail request, the judge held that the charges against the defendants were bailable and that it was to enable the defendants charged with an offence to prepare adequately for their trial. Bello was on February 8, 2023, arraigned alongside Abba Adauda, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege and Iyadai Sadat, on…

THE United States Embassy in Nigeria has alerted its citizens in Nigeria on possible protests and restricted movements on February 25 and March 11. In a notice on its website, the Embassy advised its nationals to avoid rallies as “they can turn violent with little or no notice”. The Embassy also advised American citizens in Nigeria to have three days of food and water at home in case movement restrictions are extended beyond election days. The notice was titled, ‘Security Alert – Possible Protests Leading to Elections and Restricted Movements on Election Days’. “The Government of Nigeria will restrict the…

THE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu and the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) on Sunday called for compliance by the Federal Government to the Supreme Court order on the naira swap policy. News Point Nigeria reports that, the call comes on the heels of a meeting between Adamu and the APC governors in Abuja over a policy that seemingly deepens the rift between the Presidency and governors under the party. The Supreme Court granted an interim injunction suspending the Central Bank of Nigeria’s February 10 ultimatum for the old N200, N500, and N1,000 as legal tender,…