THE Nigeria Police Force has set up a Special Operation Squad which will commence work immediately in Plateau State as part of the intervention to address insecurity in the state. Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, disclosed this on Friday at the Government House in Jos during a condolence visit to the governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, over the recent attacks that led to about 195 deaths and many injuries. “More deployment of our tactical unit will be made. We are deploying our tactical unit to assist you; we are deploying our intelligence unit. When you see the IGP…
Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson
Read More
DAYS after the deadly Christmas Day attacks on Bokkos, yet another community came under attack in the same Local Government on Thursday night. The Yuletide incident has been regarded as the worst outbreak of violence in Plateau since May and has left more than 190 people dead and hundreds injured. News Point Nigeria had earlier reported that the gunmen had sent a letter of an imminent attack to the Pushit community in the Mangu Local Government Area of the state. When asked about the impending attack on the Pushit community yesterday, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Alabo…
GUNMEN have threatened fresh attacks on a community in Plateau State on Friday (today), barely four days after they killed 195 persons in 17 communities across the state. The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Middle Belt Forum, Stanley Kavwam, in an interview with Arise Television on Thursday, said the gunmen had sent a letter of an imminent attack to the Pushit community in the Mangu Local Government Area, where he hailed from. When asked about the impending attack on the Pushit community, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Alabo Alfred, told this newspaper that the command was…
THE International Association Of World Peace Advocates IAWPA has condemned the Christmas eve massacre in Plateau state, describing it as horrendous and a sad tale of a brutality by man against man. The association made it’s position on the massacre known which was carried out against Christians preparing for the Christmas on its eve in some communities at Bokkos and Barkin Ladi LGAs of Plateau State through its Director of African Affairs Amb John Metchie describing it as reprehensible, ungodly, satanic and condemnable. Metchie, who promised to lead a high powered delegation of the International Association Of World Peace Advocates…
THE British American Tobacco Nigeria Limited (BATN) and affiliated companies will pay a $110 million (N132, 000, 000, 000) penalty over multiple infractions, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) said on Wednesday. According to a statement, the affiliated companies that contravened the laws include British American Tobacco Marketing (Nigeria) Limited (BATMN), British American Tobacco Plc, and British American Tobacco (Holdings) Limited. This followed an investigation initiated on 28 August 2020, after the commission obtained a court-issued order and warrant of search and seizure. Substantial evidence, including forensic analysis and testimonies, revealed several violations and BAT parties cooperated under…
AS the maiden edition of Southern Kaduna Festival 2023 kicks off tomorrow Thursday, the zone has identified prominent sons and daughters, including the late Wazirin Jema’a, Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed and Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa for their sterling contributions in the development of the area. Disclosing this recently in Abuja, the Chairman of the Central Planning Committee for the event, Rear Admiral Fergusson Dukas Bobai (retd), revealed that the reason behind the awards is to give honour to the memories of leaders from the zone and also acknowledge the contributions of leaders, both past and present, in the development of the…
NO fewer than seventy six persons were reportedly killed by assailants in fresh attacks on several communities of Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State. Transition Implementation Committee Chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area, Monday Kasa, told News Point Nigeria that the coordinated attacks occurred on Saturday and lasted into the Christmas Eve when residents were already in the festive mood. The local government boss explained further that the casualty figures is increasing as more dead bodies are been recovered by the team of security personnel, local vigilantes and hunters who are still going through the bushes combing…
NO fewer than 16 persons were killed in Mushu village of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau state. Spokesperson of Operation Safe Haven, a multi security taskforce maintaining peace in the state, Captain Oya James, confirmed the incident to this newspaper. According to Captain James, the attack took place on Saturday night while residents of the attacked community were asleep. He added that “following the attack, security personnel were deployed to prevent any breakdown of law and order in the area. There was uprising after the incident but the situation has been brought under control.” Meanwhile, Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang…
THE 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly on Wednesday commenced sitting in Port Harcourt, the state capital. The lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule convened at the House of Assembly quarters. The notice of withdrawal was contained in a letter signed by the 27 – although one of them was hospitalised and wasn’t in attendance – of them and read out by their Speaker, Martins Amaewhule. Amaewhule said this was in line with the conflict resolution intervention instituted by the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The oil-rich state has been embroiled in a crisis following a rift between Wike…
THE Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, has described as alarming the number of Nigerian university lecturers studying abroad under TETFund sponsorship and have absconded. Echono said TETFund would make the absconded lecturers refund money expended on them or be repatriated. He spoke on Monday on the sidelines of the TETFund Management Retreat held in Makurdi, He said TETFund devised the two ways, which he described as soft and hard measures, to ensure that the university lecturers who absconded were sanctioned. He said, “I don’t want to give a figure because it’s alarming and huge; it’s very sad…
THE coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Ali Pate has dismissed the rumoured resurgence of COVID-19 in the country, stating that there is no scientific research record to back the claims. Professor Pate disclosed this at the maiden public lecture series of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo in Benue State where he was represented by his Senior Special Adviser Emmanuel Oduh. “The diagnosis of COVID is a scientific process. It is not something that is subjective and you speculate about. There could be speculations but once investigations are conducted and it is confirmed that it is…
WORLD Health Organisation, WHO, has announced 25 cases of fresh Coronavirus disease, COVID-19 infections, in Benue State, advising people to take advantage of the availability of vaccines to protect themselves because the virus has returned and is prevalent. The World Health Organisation, WHO, Surveillance Officer, for Benue state, Ogechukwu Chigbo made this known at a one-day Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, and Media Engagement/Orientation meeting on COVID-19 Ramp up in Makurdi. The Surveillance Officer cautioned that COVID-19 has returned big advising that people take advantage of the availability of vaccines to protect themselves from the virus. She stated that “the problem…
FOUR persons have been killed by assailants in Gudum Village of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State. The attack according to accounts from residents of the village occurred on sunday night. The target of the attackers was the ward head of the village whose residence was set ablaze, with his wife and children held hostage while he escaped from the scene. However, the intervention of the personnel of Operation Safe Haven following a distress call forced the assailants to flee from the scene after killing four persons, all of them males. Governor Caleb Mutfwang in a statement by the…
MINISTER of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, says he is confused on whether he should move to the senate or retain his position in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu. Lalong, a two-term governor of Plateau State, had contested but lost the February 25, 2023 election. The Independent of National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Napoleon Bali of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the election. Dissatisfied with the outcome of the elections, Lalong had headed for the tribunal, which ruled in his favour. Bali had rejected the result of the tribunal and filed an appeal. In a…
GUNMEN believed to be bandits have stormed Gandu community and kidnapped some students at the Federal University of Lafia. A resident, who lives within the university community but pleaded for anonymity, informed our correspondent that the gunmen came at first in their numbers at about 7:30pm on Wednesday and started shooting into the air to scare the residents of the area, but when they noticed that security operatives were coming after them, they ran into the bush to hide for several hours. An eyewitness, who also didn’t want his name in print, told our correspondent that the gunmen stormed a…
JUSTICE Monica Dongban-Mensem, the President of the Court of Appeal, has relocated the Kogi Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal from Lokoja to Abuja. A statement by David Umar Mike, Secretary of the Tribunal, said that its sittings would now be at the National Judicial Institute on Umar Yar’Adua Way. It urged litigants to take note of the movement of the Tribunal to Abuja. The movement may not be unconnected with the alleged attack by unknown gunmen on the Secretary of the Kogi State Governorship Election Tribunal in Lokoja. News Point Nigeria had earlier reported that the Kogi State Police Command said…
KOGI State Police Command said its investigating an alleged attack on the secretary of the state governorship election Tribunal, Mr David Umar Mike on Monday in Lokoja. Mr Umar claimed some unknown assailants attacked him and made away with sensitive petition documents on the just concluded gubernatorial election in the state. The state police command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP William Aya, disclosed the probe in Lokoja on Wednesday. According to the claim submitted by Mr Umaru to the police, the documents carted away include, petitions filed by four (4) Parties: Action Alliance (AA), Action People’s Party (APP), Peoples…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says gunmen have attacked the residence of its Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lokoja, Kogi State. The commission in a communique made available to Channels Television, said the attack happened around 3:30 am today, Friday, December 1, 2023. It noted that the armed men engaged security personnel in a gun battle for over 30 minutes until reinforcement arrived. “While no lives were lost, property was destroyed in the ensuing gun battle. A team of combined security personnel have been deployed to protect the residence. This incident occurred a day after a mob besieged our…
THE Kogi state Governorship Tribunal sitting in Lokoja has adjourned its sitting indefinitely pending the inspection of the election materials is complete. In its last Saturday sitting, the governorship Tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue certified copies of electoral materials to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) within 48 hours. At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the SDP said the INEC was cooperating with the inspection of materials, but sought for more time in the exercise. The materials being inspected include, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and result sheets for Adavi, Okene, Okehi, Ogori-Magongo, Ajaokuta, Lokoja, Kogi…
SECURITY agencies have dispersed protesters, who stormed the State Secretariat of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Lokoja, to protest against what they termed “INEC’s dubious tampering with election materials”. The security agencies moved in on Wednesday morning, to prevent an attack on the INEC Office, dispersing the protesters with tear gas while barricading the road leading to the office. The protest started peacefully, until some of the SDP supporters started throwing harmful objects and harassing passers-by. The SDP protesters were demanding that the election materials be moved to Abuja. One of the protesters who identified himself as Danjuma…