Author: Bala Muhammad

COURTS in Kaduna State were shut on Monday as Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria began an indefinite strike to press home several demands, including the implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary. News Point Nigeria reports that the Federal and State high courts, Upper Shari’a court, Customary and Magistrates’ courts were under lock and key with banners on the gate reading: “JUSUN Kaduna state chapter embarks on strike.” At the Shari’a court Magajin Gari, the situation was not different as court rooms were also closed. However, some staff members of the court were seen outside the court premises, attending to…

THE International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) says 11 high-level members of terrorist groups have been arrested in Nigeria. News Point Nigeria reports that the arrests were part of Operation Catalyst, a landmark operation targeting terrorism financing and related criminal activities across six African countries. According to INTERPOL, the three-month operation, conducted between July and September 2025, led to 83 arrests and identified 160 persons of interest. Countries that participated in the operation include Nigeria, Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, and South Sudan. In Nigeria, INTERPOL confirmed that 11 suspected terrorists, including senior members of various terrorist groups, were apprehended. The operation…

TROOPS of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have defeated terrorist attacks on multiple locations across the joint operations area in Borno and Yobe states. The Nigerian Army, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Thursday, explained that between midnight and 4 a.m., the terrorists launched coordinated assaults on troops’ positions in Dikwa, Mafa, Gajibo, and Katarko, situated in Sector 1(Borno ) and Sector 2 (Yobe ), respectively. It said that in all instances, the troops stood firm, fought gallantly, and professionally repelled the attacks, dealing the terrorists a “heavy, decisive, and bloody blow”. The army stated that the coordinated…

JUSTICE James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 31 for judgement in a suit seeking to stop the 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the grounds of alleged violations of the party’s rules. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Omotosho fixed the date after taking arguments for and against the suit filed by three aggrieved members of the party. At Tuesday’s proceedings, the judge reaffirmed his earlier order directing all parties to maintain the status quo regarding the planned convention, warning that the order must not be flouted. He cautioned that…

THE Nigerian Army says troops of Joint Task Force Operation HADIN KAI under the 21 Special Armoured Brigade on 17 Oct 2025 successfully foiled an attack planned by Boko Haram terrorists around the Kashimri general area of Bama Local Government Area, Borno State. It said that the troops had successfully located and destroyed identified Boko Haram camps in the area, thereby frustrating the terrorists’ plans to attack civilians and disrupt socio-economic activities in the area. It, however, said that a lieutenant colonel and a few other valiant soldiers paid the supreme price during a fierce gunfight. “During the operation, the…

THE death toll in the violent clash between bandits and illegal gold miners in Kaduna State has risen to 17, according to an updated report by AFP, citing a confidential security briefing. Earlier reports by News Point Nigeria had placed the figure at seven, but subsequent findings revealed that the confrontation was far bloodier than initially believed. The deadly confrontation unfolded on Thursday in the Birnin Gwari district of Kaduna State, a region long plagued by the twin scourges of banditry and illegal mining and has reignited fears of renewed violence in an area that had only recently enjoyed a…

PANIC gripped Zonkwa town in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Friday evening after gunmen launched a daring attack on the Zonkwa Divisional Police Station, killing at least two police officers on duty. Residents were thrown into confusion as gunfire shattered the calm of the evening, sending people running for safety. According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers stormed the station located a few metres from Kamyim Hotel, Kurmin-Bi Zonkwa and opened fire indiscriminately. “They came in shooting sporadically. Everyone around started running. It was terrifying,” said a witness who requested anonymity. Sources told this newspaper that the…

THE United States Army War College (USAWC) has posthumously honoured Nigeria’s late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, with his induction into the institution’s prestigious International Hall of Fame (IHOF), one of the highest distinctions accorded to its international alumni. In a statement issued on Monday sent to News Point Nigeria, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anele, described the recognition as historic and deeply symbolic, marking a milestone in Nigeria’s military history. According to the statement, the induction ceremony took place during the opening session of the Association of the United States…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has congratulated former Vice President Namadi Sambo on his turbaning as the Sardaunan Zazzau by the Emir of Zazzau, His Royal Highness Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, scheduled for Saturday. In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga received by News Point Nigeria, President Tinubu said the prestigious title reflects the Emirate’s confidence in Sambo’s integrity, wisdom, and lifelong commitment to public service. “The title of Sardaunan Zazzau, a position of great cultural and historical significance in Northern Nigeria, reflects the Emirate’s confidence in the former Vice President’s wisdom, integrity,…

THE Kaduna State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended its State Secretary, Sa’idu Adamu, over alleged gross misconduct and anti-party activities. The decision was taken by the State Working Committee and ratified by the State Executive Committee during a meeting held on Monday at the party’s secretariat in Kaduna. According to a statement signed by the Kaduna State PDP Publicity Secretary, Maria Dogo obtained by News Point Nigeria, the action aligns with the provisions of Articles 58(1)(h) and 57(3) of the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended). The statement added that Adamu’s suspension, which takes immediate effect, will…

KADUNA was thrown into panic on Saturday following a deadly explosion at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Nigeria’s foremost arms manufacturing facility, located in the Kurmin Gwari area of the state capital. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident, which occurred during a weekend shift at the factory, claimed the lives of two workers including a serving military officer and left four others with severe injuries. Residents living near the DICON facility described the blast as “thunderous”, saying it shook buildings and sent frightened locals scrambling for safety. “I heard a very big blast; it shook the surrounding…

TORRENTIAL rainfall between Thursday night and Friday morning has left a trail of destruction in Zaria, Kaduna State, displacing over 470 children and destroying more than 270 households in what local officials described as the worst flood in years. News Point Nigeria reports that a coordinated assessment mission led by the Zaria Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Jamil Ahmad Muhammad Jaga, in partnership with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), visited the affected communities to ascertain the extent of damage. The inspection tour covered some of the hardest-hit…

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has granted the Department of State Services (DSS) approval to accelerate the trial of Khalid Al-Barnawi, a terror suspect, and four alleged accomplices accused of masterminding the August 26, 2011 bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over the matter, delivered the ruling on Friday following an application by the DSS, represented by its lead counsel, Alex Izinyon (SAN). The request, which sought to fast-track proceedings in the long-drawn trial, was not opposed by defence lawyers. The August 2011 suicide bombing marked…

BARELY 48 hours after the Department of State Services (DSS) brokered peace between the Dangote Group and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), a fresh crisis has erupted, forcing the union to halt fuel loading operations at the multi-billion-dollar Dangote Refinery in Lagos on Thursday. News Point Nigeria reports that the latest flashpoint stems from a directive allegedly issued by Alhaji Sayyu Dantata, Managing Director of MRS Oil and Director of Logistics at Dangote Group, instructing tanker drivers to remove NUPENG union stickers from their trucks — a move the union considers a breach of Tuesday’s…

THE Kaduna State Police Command has insisted that former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and six senior members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) must appear in person before investigators to answer questions relating to allegations of criminal conspiracy, incitement, mischief, and causing grievous hurt. Spokesperson of the Command, Mansir Hassan, told this newspaper on Tuesday that the police would not accept legal representatives or proxies in place of the individuals invited, stressing that the summons was directed at El-Rufai and the specific ADC leaders named. It will be recalled that the Kaduna Police Command had earlier invited the former governor and…

FORMER Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC) over what he described as unprofessional conduct and violations of the Police Act by officers of the Kaduna State Police Command. In the petition sighted by News Point Nigeria, El-Rufai stressed the importance of accountability within the force, noting that the PSC must be consistently informed of misconduct that undermines public confidence. “I am writing out of concern that the Nigerian Police, warts and all, is the only frontline law enforcement institution that we have. “The duty of all citizens is not only to support it at…

POLITICAL tension is escalating in Kaduna State after the African Democratic Congress (ADC) strongly distanced itself from a controversial political event linked to former governor Nasir El-Rufai, while the police opened an investigation into alleged violence and gunfire during the gathering. In a statement released on Saturday and signed by Engr. Musa Idris, the Kaduna State Publicity Secretary of the ADC made available to News Point Nigeria, the party dismissed the so-called “Official Inauguration Ceremony of the Kaduna State APC, PDP, SDP, LP, NNPP to ADC Transition Committee” as fraudulent and illegitimate. “The ADC in Kaduna State has no knowledge…

Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Saturday, attended the wedding fatiha of Ms Halima Junaid, the granddaughter of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, and Mr Walid Muazu, the son of Iyan Katagum. News Point Nigeria reports that the wedding was held at the Yahaya Road Juma’at Mosque, Ungwan Rimi, in the Kaduna metropolis. Shettima was accompanied by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia; the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Balarabe Lawal; the Minister of Transportation, Sen. Sa’idu Alkali; and Rep. Lawal Zannah. The Vice-President stood for the bride, Halima Junaid, while Alhaji Shehu Mauzu stood for…

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has clarified that its 2027 presidential ticket remains open to all interested aspirants despite the widespread endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office. News Point Nigeria reports that the clarification was made by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, during an interactive session with journalists at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday. According to Argungu, while the APC’s leadership, including the National Working Committee (NWC), the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, and the National Assembly leadership under Senate President Godswill Akpabio,…

A MIDNIGHT tragedy struck Karauka area of Zaria city on Wednesday when a mud wall collapsed on a family, killing a mother and three of her children in their sleep. News Point Nigeria reports that the victims have been identified as Mallama Habiba Nuhu, her two daughters, Hauwa’u Nuhu and Aina’u Nuhu, and her grandson, Za’uma. According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened between 3:30am and 4:00am, after ceaseless rainfall weakened a neighbour’s mud wall, causing it to cave in on the victims’ room. A relative of the deceased, Mallam Ahmed Ibrahim, narrated the harrowing scene, explaining that Mallam Nuhu Dogara,…