OPERATIVES of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Niger State have rescued two pastors and a church member abducted by armed bandits in Kaduna State. News Point Nigeria reports that the victims, Idi Buhari, Emmanuel Jacob, and Suleiman Adamu, were kidnapped on January 9, 2026, at the Gwagwada area of Chikun Local Government Area while travelling through Kugosi to Sarkin Pawa in Niger State to officiate a wedding ceremony. Receiving the rescued pastors, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Joseph Hayab, said the victims were safely rescued…
Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson
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TWENTY-FOUR parishioners abducted from a branch of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Aiyetoro-Kiri, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, have regained their freedom after weeks in captivity. News Point Nigeria reports that the worshippers were among about 37 parishioners kidnapped when gunmen suspected to be bandits stormed the church during a service on December 14, 2025, throwing the community into shock and grief. The victims, comprising elderly women, men, and teenagers, were forcefully taken away during the attack, prompting frantic efforts by families, community leaders, and local groups to secure their release. Confirming the development, the community…
SUSPECTED gunmen have ambushed and killed two security personnel, a soldier and a senior officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Udeku community, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, heightening fears over worsening insecurity in the area. News Point Nigeria reports that the fatal attack occurred on Saturday evening when the security operatives reportedly ran into a deadly ambush along a community road while returning from Aga Market, where they had gone to refill cooking gas. Local residents said the incident happened at about 5:00pm when the assailants allegedly blocked the road, trapping the officers…
THE Plateau State Government has confirmed the rescue of 25 children abducted in the Wase Local Government Area by armed men who posed as vigilantes. News Point Nigeria reports that the children were reportedly kidnapped on December 21, 2025, along the Zak–Sabon Layi Road at about 7 p.m. while travelling to attend a Maulud celebration. Three other children reportedly escaped during the incident. Briefing journalists in Jos on Thursday, the Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau, described the rescue as a breakthrough by security agencies in the state. “This afternoon, I am here to inform the public that security…
OPERATIVES of the Nasarawa State Police Command have rescued four abducted children and reunited them with their families, following an intelligence-led operation. The Command’s spokesman, Rahman Nansel, disclosed this in a statement sent tp News Point Nigeria in Lafia on Tuesday. Nansel stated that the rescue followed a report received on December 31, 2025 at the New Nyanya Division in Karu LGA, concerning the disappearance of the children under suspicious circumstances. According to him, the command immediately launched a discreet and thorough investigation upon receiving the report. He explained that detectives of the command, working in collaboration with operatives of…
THE Ayetoro-Kiri community in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State is once again reeling from tragedy, after an attack on the area, leading to the death of three persons and the abduction of about 30 others. According to a press release by the community spokesperson, David Ampitan sent to News Point Nigeria, scores of residents were initially abducted during the December incident. Following what Ampitan described as a “painful ransom payment” funded through communal contributions, only seven victims were released. Tragically, three of these individuals were reportedly “dead on arrival,” while the remaining four are now fighting for their…
AT least 14 people have been killed following a deadly attack by Boko Haram insurgents on two rural communities in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, prompting renewed calls for urgent military intervention. The Chairman of Hong Local Government Area, Usman Inuwa, confirmed the attack on Friday, saying the insurgents struck Mubang and Zar villages during a night raid last week. Speaking with News Point Nigeria via telephone, Inuwa said the attackers stormed the communities at about 9:00pm, killing 14 residents, injuring two others, and setting several houses ablaze along with food supplies. “At about 9pm that day, which…
PLATEAU State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), bringing an end to his long-standing association with the opposition party and triggering a major political realignment in the state. The governor’s resignation was contained in a letter dated December 29, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman of the PDP in Ampang West Ward, Dasjak Sunday Longyol. The letter, which was personally signed by Mutfwang, was obtained by News Point Nigeria in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Thursday. In the letter, the governor announced his resignation from the PDP with immediate effect, citing the need…
AT least seven people have been confirmed dead following a deadly attack on the Bum community in Chugwi, Vwang district of the Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident occurred barely minutes into the New Year. The Berom Youths Moulder-Association (BYM) said the attack, allegedly carried out by suspected armed bandits, occurred at about 11pm on Wednesday, as residents were preparing to usher in 2026. Confirming the incident, the National Publicity Secretary of the association, Rwang Tengwong, said the community was thrown into mourning at a time when others across the state…
THE Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has revealed that 27,416 inmates were convicted across custodial centres nationwide in 2025, while a significantly larger number, 50,703 inmates remain behind bars awaiting the conclusion of their trials. The figures, contained in the latest statistics released by the NCoS, reviewed and obtained by News Point Nigeria on Saturday, underscore the persistent challenge of overcrowding in Nigeria’s custodial facilities, driven largely by the high population of Awaiting Trial Persons (ATPs). According to the Service, the disproportionate number of inmates awaiting trial continues to exert intense pressure on custodial centres, stretching infrastructure, manpower, and resources beyond…
AS Christians in Nigeria join their counterparts around the world to celebrate Christmas, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged churches to do so with wisdom, vigilance, and a deep sense of responsibility. The President of CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, gave the advice in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Christmas Eve, in which he extended Christmas greetings to Christians across Nigeria and to people of goodwill. According to him, Christmas is a sacred season that reminds humanity of God’s abiding love, His gift of hope, and the triumph of light over darkness. “The message of Christmas…
KOGI State Governor, Usman Ododo, has openly acknowledged the existence of what he described as a “working cabal” within his administration, saying the group was approved by his predecessor and political godfather, Yahaya Bello. News Point Nigeria reports that Ododo made the disclosure while addressing an audience at a recent project inauguration ceremony in the state. The governor recalled that he was once part of a similar inner circle during Bello’s administration, but said the group at the time failed to deliver meaningful results. “I was a member of a cabal, but our own cabal could not perform the way…
ANXIETY has gripped Zak community in Bashar District of Wase Local Government Area, Plateau State, following the abduction of no fewer than 28 travellers by armed gunmen on Sunday night. The victims, made up of men, women and children, were reportedly travelling from Zak village to Sabon Layi community to attend a Maulud religious event when they were intercepted by the attackers. Confirming the incident in a telephone interview with News Point Nigeria, a youth leader in Wase, Shafi’i Sambo, said the travellers were ambushed around 8:00 pm on the outskirts of the community. According to him, the gunmen stopped…
TROOPS of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wukari, under the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have arrested a notorious bandit leader alleged to be responsible for multiple kidnapping and armed robbery incidents along the Benue/Taraba axis. The arrest was carried out on December 21 during a precision, intelligence-driven operation at Vaase Community, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Monday, Lieutenant Muhammad Umar, the spokesman for the 6 Brigade, disclosed that the operation led to the arrest of Fidelis Gayama, a” high-value” suspect who had long been sought…
THE ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has announced the defection of Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). News Point Nigeria reports that the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yelwata, who is also from Plateau, announced his governor’s defection at the party’s 14th national caucus meeting held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja. Yelwata said with the defection of Governor Mutfwang, the entire North Central is now governed by the APC. The governor was elected under the PDP in the 2023 general elections and becomes the latest high-profile politician to dump the main opposition party.…
AT least 12 persons have been killed, three abducted, and five others injured following an attack by armed men on local miners in Fan, a community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Plateau State. News Point Nigeria reports that he incident reportedly occurred around 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday while the victims were engaged in what community leaders described as legitimate mining activities. Confirming the development in a phone interview, the National President of the Berom Youth Moulder Association, Barrister Solomon Dalyop, said the assailants attacked the miners without provocation. “Our people were carrying out their legitimate mining business in Fan…
THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Monday said enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy will resume on January 2, 2026. Force spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, announced this in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria, citing a surge in vehicle-related crimes. Hundeyin said the decision “follows a careful review of emerging security concerns and the need to ensure the safety of all citizens”. While clarifying that no court order has restrained the police from enforcing the law on tinted glasses, the Force spokesman said police authorities had voluntarily suspended enforcement after a court matter in October to give motorists time…
SENATOR Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, has disclosed that she has repeatedly resisted efforts by individuals linked to the Presidency and some of her colleagues to persuade her to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). News Point Nigeria reports that the first-term senator made the revelation during a recent interview on the Mic On Podcast, hosted by journalist Seun Okinbaloye, which was published on YouTube on Saturday. Speaking candidly on her political future and party loyalty, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she had no intention of joining the APC, stressing that she remained committed to the Peoples Democratic…
THE University of Jos (UNIJOS) community has been thrown into mourning following an accident that claimed the lives of eight students of the institution. News Point Nigeria reports that the crash, involving a trailer and a bus conveying eleven students, happened around 2:30 a.m. opposite Unity Bank along Zaria Road, Jos, Plateau State. According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Plateau State Sector Command Public Education Officer, Peter Longsan, seven students were found dead when responders arrived at the scene. Another victim died in the hospital, bringing the total fatalities to eight. The remaining three students, all male like…
Six people have died, and others have been wounded in a road crash along the Lokoja–Okene road. News Point Nigeria reports that the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said the accident involved a bus carrying passengers returning from the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities held on Wednesday at the Government House, Lokoja. “The unfortunate accident, which occurred along the Lokoja–Okene road, claimed six precious lives,” Fanwo said in a statement. “Thirteen others sustained varying degrees of injuries and are currently receiving medical attention at different health facilities across the state.” Fanwo said the Kogi Government and…