Author: Peter Noah KC

GUNMEN, suspected to be bandits, have killed nine persons in separate attacks on communities in Apa and Gwer West local government areas of Benue State. Six people were reportedly killed in Uchen community in Gwer West LGA while three people were said to have died in Apa LGA. The National Chairman of the Apa Development Association, Mr Eche Akpoko, said three villages were attacked on Sunday and Monday by suspected bandits who invaded Akpanta, Ochumeko and Ijaha villages. He said, “Akpanta and Ogwuji villages were burnt down and the attackers killed three people at Ijaha village. Speaking of the attack…

THE Nigerian Bureau of Statistics has revealed that the country’s inflation rate for the month of April has hit 22.22% surpassing last month’s rate of 22.04% This is according to the Commodity Price Index report published on Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics. According to the report, in April 2023, the headline inflation rate rose to 22.22% relative to March 2023 headline inflation rate which was 22.04%. Looking at the movement, the April 2023 inflation rate showed an increase of 0.18% points when compared to March 2023 headline inflation rate “On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was…

SOUTHAMPTON’s 11-year stay in the Premier League ended in tame fashion as their relegation was confirmed with defeat at home by Fulham. Aleksandar Mitrovic, making his return from an eight-game ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh, sealed Saints’ fate with a stooping header after Carlos Vinicius’ opener. The hosts could have few complaints about the outcome after producing a muted performance despite knowing they had to win to have any chance of pulling off an unlikely survival mission. They did have a Carlos Alcaraz strike disallowed for a marginal offside just before Vinicius broke the deadlock but the confident Cottagers…

THE Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria has ordered the immediate relocation of all aircraft stationed at the General Aviation Terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja ahead of the inauguration of the new government scheduled for May 29, 2023. FAAN said the removal of aircraft parked at the Abuja airport was necessary to enhance the safety of the airport during the forthcoming presidential inauguration. Many of the aircraft parked at GAT terminal in Abuja are private jets belonging to wealthy Nigerians, firms and airlines. The relocation directive was contained in a circular dated May 8, 2023, addressed to aircraft…

VICTOR Osimhen’s second-half equaliser against Udinese sealed Napoli’s first Scudetto title in 33 years. The Nigerian, leading the race for the Italian Serie A golden boot, netted in the 52nd minute to cancel Sandi Lovric’s first-half strike, a goal that sent fans into raptures in Naples. Needing just a draw to scoop their first domestic crown since 1990, Napoli’s dreams of landing it seem to be fading away when Lovric scored early on. But Victor Osimhen’s leveller was enough to bring the Scudetto back to southern Italy’s biggest city for the third time. Luciano Spalletti and his team will receive…

THE Senate has joined the House of Representatives and the ECOWAS Parliament to appeal to the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London, for leniency in the sentencing of Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice. The Senate’s decision to appeal for clemency followed a motion raised by Senator Chukwuka Utazi during Wednesday’s plenary session. This is coming after both the House of Representatives and the ECOWAS Parliament on Tuesday appealed to the UK government to temper justice with mercy. In the motion, Senator Utazi recalled that Ekweremadu was a former Deputy Senate President for 12 years and the former Speaker of…

THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that importation of Indomie noodles to Nigeria has been banned following allegations of a cancer-causing chemical found in the noodles and non-registration of the agency. News Point Nigeria recalls health officials in Malaysia and Taiwan recently detected ethylene oxide, a compound in Indomie’s “special chicken” flavour noodles. Ethylene oxide is a colourless, odourless gas that is used to sterilise medical devices and spices and is said to be a cancer-causing chemical. The ministry of health in Malaysia noted that it examined 36 samples of instant noodles from…

THE Federal Government has declared Monday, May 1, as a public holiday to mark this year’s Workers Day celebration. The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government. Aregbesola, in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Shuaib Belgore, on Friday, commended workers for their hard work, diligence and sacrifice, noting that their efforts are largely responsible for the greatness of the country and the respect Nigeria now commands in the comity of nations. The minister said, “There is dignity in labour, we have to have dedication and commitment to the…

THE Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the posting of 12 Commissioners of Police with a charge to be totally loyal to the nation. In a statement on Tuesday, PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, listed the new CPs as Haruna Gabriel Garba (Kano), Tajudeen Abass (FCT), Oladimeji Yomi Olarewaju (Delta), Taiwo Jesubiyi (Ogun) and Julius Okoro (Ondo). Others are – Romokere Ibiani, Bayelsa State Command; Mohammed Bunu, Yobe State Command; Garba Musa Yusuf, Kaduna State Command; Garba Ahmed, Zamfara State Command; Hayatu Kaigama Ali, Sokoto State Command and Aliyu Musa, Katsina State Command. Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Solomon Arase, a…

THE Federal Government has commenced the payment of the 40 per cent pay rise arrears for civil servants, News Point Nigeria has reliably learnt. Our correspondent who spoke to some federal civil servants on Saturday learnt that workers started receiving bank alerts of the arrears on Saturday, April 22, 2023. A high-ranking civil servant who spoke to this newspaper anonymously in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, noted that the arrears came in alongside the April 2023 salary. “I received my own arrears today. Some of our other colleagues have also confirmed receipt of their arrears. It came in alongside our…

AUTHORITIES of the Nigerian Armed Forces have disclosed that its troops neutralized sixty-three (63) Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa terrorists between the beginning of March and the 15th of April. In addition to neutralizing the terrorists, the troops also liberated over 150 victims in the course of their different operations across the country, including Hadarin Daji, Hadin Kai, and Delta Safe. Major General Musa Danmadani, the Director Defence Media Operations told newsmen at the Defence Headquarters on Thursday, that the troops in the process also recovered several items including about thirty-six (36) ak-47 rifles, ak-47 magazines, other…

THE World Bank says Nigeria spent 96.3 percent of its 2022 revenue on servicing its debts. This was contained in the Macro Poverty Outlook for Nigeria: April 2023 brief released by the international financial institution. According to the report obtained by News Point Nigeria, the country’s fiscal position deteriorated in 2022, leaving the cost of the petrol subsidy to increase from 0.7 percent to 2.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). “This has kept the public debt stock at over 38 percent of GDP and pushed the debt service to revenue ratio from 83.2 percent in 2021 to 96.3 percent…

THE Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Office has revealed why the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi was harassed by immigration officers at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom. Spokesman for the Campaign Council, Diran Onifade, in a statement on Wednesday said the former Anambra State governor was detained and questioned for a duplication offense which suggests that someone has been impersonating Obi in London. According to Mr Onifade, the LP’s Presidential Candidate who is just back from London, where he celebrated Easter, was saved by the spontaneous reaction of Nigerians at Heathrow Airport. Onifade said Obi arrived the Heathrow…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has asked the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to dismiss a petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi. Obi and the LP filed a petition challenging the victory of Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the President-Elect. They also claimed that Tinubu’s running mate and Vice-President-Elect, Kashim Shettima had a double nomination in contravention of the Electoral Act 2022. The petitioners asserted that the election was marred by rigging and manipulations adding that the INEC violated its own regulations when it announced the results when…

A FEDERAL Capital Territory High Court has issued an order restraining the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure; National Secretary, Farouk Ibrahim and two others from parading themselves as national officers of the party. Others stopped from parading themselves as national officers are the National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu and the Treasurer, Oluchi Opara. Justice Hamza Muazu issued the restraining order while ruling in ex-parte application argued by a James Onoja. In an application, Onoja told the court how the restrained National officers allegedly forged several documents of the FCT High Court to carry out unlawful substitutions in…

THE US Justice Department the final resolution of two civil cases seeking the forfeiture of various luxury assets that were the proceeds of foreign corruption offenses and were laundered in and through the United States. With the conclusion of the cases, the department has recovered roughly $53.1 million in cash – constituting the net liquidated value of the defendant’s assets – plus a promissory note with a principal value of $16 million. According to court documents, from 2011 to 2015, Nigerian businessmen Kolawole Akanni Aluko and Olajide Omokore conspired with others to pay bribes to Nigeria’s former Minister for Petroleum…

THE Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu says he will withdraw from the presidential race of the 10th National Assembly if the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu tells him to step down. Kalu stated this on Tuesday while briefing State House reporters after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari over his Senate Presidency ambition. Informing the President of his intention to become the next Senate President, the former Abia State governor said the two of them simply shared laughter over the issue as Buhari issued no response, maintaining an ambiguous mood. The lawmaker, however, stated that he has not got any…

FORMER Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha has withdrawn from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s governorship primary in the South-East state. The former governor was screened and cleared a few days ago by the PDP to contest the party’s primary ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Imo State. However, in a letter dated March 27, 2023, Ihedioha informed the PDP leadership of his “personal sacrifice” for a “consensus candidate” by the party. In January 2020, the Supreme Court sacked Ihedioha as the governor of Imo State after barely seven months in office. The seven-man panel led by Chief Justice…

SUPER Eagles came back to revenge a home defeat to Guinea-Bissau, recording a 1-0 win against same opposition on Monday. The Djurtus shocked everyone on Friday when they recorded a 1-0 victory over the Super Eagles in Abuja. However, a first-half penalty from Moses Simon was enough for Jose Peseiro’s men to win the reverse fixture. With the result, Nigeria return back to the top of Group A with nine points with two more points than second placed Guinea-Bissau. The slim victory also ended a four-match losing streak for the Nigerians who have won the AFCON three times. The third…

THE Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has urged the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to integrate some highly placed opposition members into his administration, including Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. Umahi made the remarks on Monday at commissioning of the remodelled Community Secondary School, Okoro Nu Odo, in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State. The governor highlighted the role Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), played in the election of Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, popularly referred to as Jagaban; and his running mate Kashim Shettima. “God, directly and indirectly, made Governor Wike…