Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson

TRAGEDY struck Angwan Rimi community in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Sunday night when armed bandits launched an attack that left seven people dead and eight others injured. The assault, which reportedly targeted mostly women and children including a one-year-old baby of Irigwe extraction, has plunged the community into mourning and renewed calls for urgent government intervention. According to a statement issued on Monday by the Irigwe Youth Movement (IYM) made available to News Point Nigeria, those who lost their lives in the attack include: Jacob Zakka (12), Felicia Francis (30), Magaret Mathias (5), Veronica…

THE Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon. Aondona Dajoh, has resigned from his position, capping a week of intense political drama within the state legislature. News Point Nigeria reports that Dajoh’s resignation was formally conveyed in a letter dated August 24, 2025, personally signed by him and circulated to the press. The letter, titled “Resignation As The Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly”, read in part: “I write to resign my position as the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, effective today, August 24, 2025. “This is done in good faith and in the best interest of…

THE Benue State House of Assembly has suspended the lawmaker representing Makurdi North, Alfred Berger; his Kian state constituency counterpart, Terna Shimawua; Cyril Ekong of Obi state constituency, and James Umoru, representing Apa state constituency for six months. This, according to the House, followed an attempt to impeach the Speaker, Aondona Dajoh, on Thursday night. The Majority Leader, Saater Tiseer, in a motion of urgent importance, moved for the suspension of the four lawmakers for attempting to unsettle the state assembly with what he said was a needless crisis. Following the motion, the Speaker directed the Sergeant at Arms to…

IN what he described as a deliberate move to enhance grassroots leadership and improve livelihoods, Hon. Musa Gude, a member representing Uke/Karshi Constituency in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, has appointed 106 aides to assist him in legislative duties and constituency service. Gude, who was elected under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), made the disclosure during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia on Tuesday. According to the lawmaker, the decision was not just about easing his legislative workload, but also about creating opportunities for people within his constituency. “I want to…

VICE President Kashim Shettima on Monday led a Federal Government delegation on a condolence visit to the family of the late former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh. Ogbeh, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 2001 and 2005, died last Saturday at 78. Shettima described Ogbeh as one of Nigeria’s most visionary leaders whose contributions to food security will remain indelibly etched in the nation’s development history. Vice President Kashim Shettima consoles the family of former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh on August 11, 2025 He said the passing of the…

UNKNOWN gunmen have reportedly abducted 9 passengers at Ogbabo junction along the Itobe-Anyigba road, while the driver and six passengers miraculously escaped abduction. This newspaper learnt that the incident occurred Friday evening at about 4:20 p.m. near Ogbabo Junction in Ofu Local Government of Kogi State. It was learnt that the gunmen, who were laying in ambush at the location, suddenly burst onto the expressway when they noticed a Hummer bus loaded with passengers approaching. The gunmen forced the bus to a halt and started firing guns to scare the passengers, who were travelling in a Peace Mass Transit suspected…

THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) in its latest situation report says the country had recorded 811 confirmed cases of Lassa Fever and 152 deaths this year. Published on Monday, the Lassa Fever Situation Report for Week 28 (7th–13th July, 2025) stated that 11 new confirmed cases were reported in Ondo, Edo, and Benue States. According to the NCDC, with respect to Lassa fever, “811 confirmed cases and 152 deaths recorded cumulatively in 2025. Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is 18.7%, higher than the 17.3% reported in the same period in 2024. 89% of confirmed cases are from…

THE Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, has submitted the first batch of commissioner-nominees to the Benue State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation. Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, who made this known in a statement on Friday in Makurdi, said that the transmission of the list to the House was in line with constitutional provisions. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Alia had sacked all the 17 commissioners and his Chief of staff on Wednesday. Kula listed the first batch of commissioner nominees to include Theresa Odachi, Dr Benjamin Ashaver, Dr Margaret Adamu, and Dr…

PROTESTING Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State have taken to the streets demanding food and improved living conditions, sparking a wave of concern just 24 hours after the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, presented a ₦1 billion donation to support their welfare. News Point Nigeria reported that the First Lady had, on Tuesday, handed a symbolic cheque to Governor Hyacinth Alia during her visit to Makurdi, stating that the funds were part of her humanitarian outreach to displaced communities affected by insecurity and conflict. However, by Wednesday, scores of IDPs mainly women and children blocked the Makurdi-Lafia highway, chanting…

THE Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday dissolved the State Executive Council. Alia announced the dissolution in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, and made available to newsmen in Makurdi. Kula said that the governor informed the council members of the dissolution at the end of the 12th (2025) SEC meeting. The chief press secretary said that the governor directed the commissioners to hand over to the permanent secretaries of their ministries as soon as possible. He appreciated all the former commissioners who worked with him for two years and urged those who might…

FIRST Lady Remi Tinubu on Tuesday announced a ₦1 billion donation by the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) to support families displaced by a suspected herders’ attack in Benue State. She made the announcement at the New Banquet Hall of the Benue State Government House during her condolence visit to the state, following the attack on Yelewata community in June, which claimed over 100 lives. According to her, the donation, aligned with the mission of the Renewed Hope Initiative, is intended to help displaced families regain stability, return to their livelihoods, and build better lives. “On behalf of the governing council…

THE Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the discovery of the body of a slain photojournalist, Mr. Ayo Aiyepeku, who was allegedly killed by his neighbour, Oluwapelumi Adebayo, in Lokoja, the state capital. The disturbing discovery was made on Sunday evening, with the body found in a bush near the WAEC office in the Crusher Zone 8 area of the city. Police say the recovery followed days of investigation after the victim was reported missing last Tuesday, July 22. Speaking to journalists on Monday in Lokoja, the spokesperson for the state police command, SP Williams Aya, confirmed the development and…

THE abductors of the six Nigerian Law School students have reportedly demanded a ransom of N20m for each victim, News Point Nigeria gathered. The students were reportedly kidnapped in Benue State by suspected gunmen while travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School in Adamawa State on Saturday. News Point Nigeria reported on Sunday that the incident occurred in the late hours of Saturday, as the students were on their way to resume academic activities at the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School, scheduled to reopen on Monday (today), following their court externship…

FEAR and anxiety have gripped the Nigerian Law School community following the abduction of at least six students by armed men suspected to be bandits, along a notorious stretch of road between Taraba and Benue States. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident, which occurred in the late hours of Saturday, July 26, involved students who were travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to resume academic activities at the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School in Adamawa State. The campus is scheduled to reopen on Monday, July 28, after students concluded their mandatory court externship programme. One of the students,…

RADIO Nigeria’s Prime 101.5FM Jimgbe in Kogi State has gone off air following a robbery attack in which transmission equipment worth millions of naira were stolen. Quoting the General Manager of the Station, Momoh-Jimoh Adeiza, Kogi Reports, a local publication, said the incident happened in the early hours of Saturday. The armed robbers were said to have operated uninterrupted for more than three hours. Adezia told reporters that they woke up to see that their station had been vandalised, with no trace of the armed men behind the incident. “This is a major attack on the station. We are currently…

THE Federal Government, through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, is currently constructing 250 units Renewed Hope estate in 12 states across the six geopolitical zones in the country. The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa spoke in Kano on Friday during an inspection of the ongoing construction of the Renewed Hope City and Estate in Lambu, Kano State. He noted that provision is also being finalised to flag off construction of the same project in the remaining 24 states to make affordable housing available for Nigerians. Government is also constructing seven Renewed Hope Cities, one…

THE Kogi State Police Command has launched a manhunt for a photojournalist accused of killing his colleague, Mr. Ayo Aiyepeku, in what authorities have described as a brutal and cold-blooded attack. The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday night at an office around the Government House/GRA axis of Lokoja, where both the victim and the suspect worked as photographers in an unnamed firm. Confirming the incident to this newspaper, the spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, SP William Ovye-Aya, said the matter was reported in the early hours of July 23. “The incident, which reportedly happened on Tuesday, has been…

FORMER Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, says he does not regret working against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election, despite that he was the flag bearer of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “I did not hide it. I have no regret,” the former governor said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria. Ortom was one of the five PDP governors at the time, known as G5, who openly rejected Atiku as the PDP flag bearer and worked for Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the…

THE Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services, Hon. Mark B. Useni, has strongly denied recent media reports suggesting allegations of administrative misconduct or statutory violations against the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba. In a statement issued to journalists in Taraba State on Monday, Hon. Useni described the claims as false, misleading, and unfounded, warning that such misinformation could erode public trust in both the legislature and the institutions tasked with delivering basic education across Nigeria. Useni, who represents the Ussa/Takum/Donga federal constituency, clarified that neither the House…

THE Kaduna State Police Command has stopped a planned rally by supporters of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the state. The rally was billed to be held in honour of Obi’s birthday celebration. Stating the reason for banning the rally, the Command said that intelligence information at its disposal revealed that certain criminal elements are planning to infiltrate and hijack the proposed rally, using it as a platform to cause disruption, incite violence, and disturb the prevailing public peace in the state. In a statement by its Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, the command said…