Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson

THE Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos says it will declare former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, wanted if he fails to appear on the next adjourned date for his trial. Justice Olubumni Abike-Fadipe frowned upon the constant non-appearance of the defendant, noting that the last time he was in court was November 4, 2022. Fani-Kayode is standing trial on a 12 counts bordering on the use of false documents, use of fabricated evidence, procuring the execution of documents by false pretense and fabricating evidence. He pleaded “not guilty” to the charge when he was first arraigned on December…

MEMBERS of the Academic Staff Union of Universities have re-elected Professor Emmanuel Osodeke unopposed as their National President to steer the affairs of the union for another two years. The union members also re-elected Chris Piwuna, a Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Professor in the College of Medicine, University of Jos, as Vice President. They were re-elected during their 22nd National Delegates Conference of ASUU which was hosted by the University of Jos, Plateau State between May 19 and 21, 2023. Other National Officers of ASUU who were also re-elected during the conference include Prof. Siji Sowande (Treasurer); Prof. Ade Adejumo…

LAGOS, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, will today play host to many oil and gas industry heavyweights who would be arriving the city from different parts of the world to witness the inauguration of the world’s largest single-train refinery, a 650,000 barrels per day facility built by Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. This newspaper gathered that the refinery, which will be inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari and seven African presidents, would alter the international energy landscape and try to sanitise the country’s petroleum sector by ending the smuggling of imported petrol outside the country. Presently, 80 per cent of fuel…

AT least nine people have been reportedly killed by bandits including a six-year-old twins during an attack at Ungwan Dakwa village, near Dogon Dawa ward in Birnin Gwari Local government area of Kaduna State. Although the police authorities are yet to comment on the incident, the House of Assembly member-elect for Birnin Gwari State Constituency, Honourable Yahaya Birnin Gwari, confirmed the incident to News Point Nigeria on Sunday. In a telephone conversation, Gwari said the bandits stormed his community at about 2 pm on Saturday and immediately opened fire on the innocent residents who were going about their daily duties.…

MANY people have been reportedly burnt to death in an accident along Lokoja-Abuja highway in Kogi State. An eyewitness said the accident happened when a fuel laden tanker lost control and collided with vehicles from the opposite direction. “The tanker is still burning with many other vehicles that were trapped in the process. I saw two commercial buses and cars on flames. Security personnel, including operatives of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) making frantic efforts to put out the fire and rescue the passengers trapped in the inferno,” a said one Yusuf from kotonkarfei town. According to him, the accident…

THE Plateau State police command Friday confirmed that 87 people were killed in Tuesday’s attack on villages of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State. The police also said 39 people were injured during the incident and currently receiving treatment in various hospitals in the state. DSP Alabo Alfred, the spokesperson of the command, confirmed the casualty figure in a statement sent to New Point Nigeria, adding that two suspects were arrested in connection with the attack. He said, “After calm was restored to the communities, more bodies were recovered, which is part of the 30 earlier reported. The figures…

PLATEAU State Governor-elect Caleb Mutfwang says foreign mercenaries are behind attacks in the state. Recently, over 20 persons were killed in the North Central State, prompting the imposition of a curfew in two communities of Fungzai and neighbouring Kubat in the newly created district of Bwai in the Mangu Local Government Area. But the governor, who was on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria, blamed foreign mercenaries for the incident and the incessant attacks in the state. While admitting he is not in the best position to speak about the crisis since he is yet to be…

OVER 29 deaths have so far been recovered from two communities of Fungzai and neighbouring Kubat in the newly created district of Bwai in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State in North Central Nigeria. According to sources in the communities, the invaders attacked Kubat on Tuesday morning setting houses on fire. The marauders also attacked fleeing members with dangerous weapons leading to the death of some residents while others were injured. Members of neighbouring Fungzai community, who saw the burning Kubat village, mobilised women and children to move out of the community in other to escape the wrath…

GUNMEN have attacked two villages in Plateau State and killed no fewer than 20 persons. The killings, it was gathered, occurred on Monday night around 9pm. The affected villages were Kubwat and Fungzai in the Mangu Local Government Area of the state. A resident of Fungzai community who witnessed the attacks, John Yakubu, confirmed the attacks to this newspaper in Jos on Tuesday. Yakubu said that in Fungzai community alone, the gunmen killed 15 persons including the wife of his younger brother and her children while a total of 29 corpses had been recovered Yakubu said, “It was last night,…

A MAN identified as Idris Aminu has allegedly killed his 75-year-old stepmother Mrs. Salamatu Aminu with a pestle in the Ihima Obeiba Ebozohu community, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State. It was gathered that the suspect had attempted to kill the old woman with poison three days before but she survived. New Point Nigeria’s correspondent in Lokoja reliably gathered that the suspect had alleged that her stepmother was a witch, and that was why he is not successful. As a result, he first tried to poison the woman. Fortunately, the woman survived his trap until he finally decided to…

ELEVEN out of the 40 Christian worshippers that were abducted by bandits in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State have been released by their abductors. The victims, including children, were kidnapped during a church service last Sunday and taken to an unknown destination. However, an executive member of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), told News Point Nigeria that 11 of the victims were released on Thursday. Although the police authorities are yet to comment on the development, the source did not disclose if any ransom was paid to the bandits before the victims were released. The source…

TELECOMMS group, MTN, has said that it is planning to increase prices in selected markets due to the elevated inflation in the operating environment. This was disclosed in its first quarter report filed with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Thursday. In its outlook for the rest of 2023, the MTN group said, “We anticipate that trading conditions across markets will remain challenging for the remainder of 2023 and we will continue to execute on our proactive measures to manage the near-term challenges and risks. “Within this environment of elevated inflation, implementing selective price increases across the portfolio remains a critical…

THE Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have filed an application asking that proceedings of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal be televised. This follows a similar application by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar. The former vice president, through his counsel Chris Uche, urged the court to grant permission for the televising of proceedings in his petition challenging the return of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Tinubu as the winner of the election. In a related development, the tribunal adjourned the prehearing session on Obi and the LP’s petition till…

POLICE operatives have rescued 58 kidnap victims at Udulu Forest, Gegu LGA of Kogi State, bordering Sardauna Forest, Nasarawa State, and other identified kidnappers den in communities contiguous to the Federal Capital Territory. Spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the bandits/kidnappers on sighting the security team coordinated by the police, engage the security team in a shootout duel. Adeh, a Superintendent of Police, said a kidnap victim identified as Tama Jonathan died during a gun duel between police operatives and the suspected kidnappers. “The bandits were overpowered and escaped with…

A JUDGE at The Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, has sentenced former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and Doctor Obinna Obeta to jail. At a sentencing hearing on Friday, Ekweremadu was jailed for nine years and eight months, his wife Beatrice was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment while Obeta received a 10-year prison term. The sentencing follows their conviction in March for organ trafficking. The Ekweremadus’ sick daughter, Sonia, was cleared of any wrongdoing. The three were found guilty after arranging or facilitating a young Nigerian man’s travel into the…

TRAVELLERS plying the Jos-Abuja highway were stranded on Wednesday as angry women and youths of Ta-Hoss community in the Riyom Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State blocked the busy road, preventing travellers from gaining access to or leaving the state capital. The protesters were expressing their displeasure over the incessant killings of the locals by unidentified gunmen, the latest of which was the killing of two persons on Tuesday night. Members of the community lamented that killings in the area had become worrisome, prompting women and youths in the area to embark on a protest to send a message…

TEN yet-to-be identified persons were burnt beyond recognition at Bauchi road junction in Jos, the Plateau State capital when a petroleum tanker conveying premium motor spirit lost control, crashed and burst into flames. The Plateau State Police Command confirmed the incident, stating that a team of detectives were deployed to the scene of the accident to determined the level of damages. Upon arrival at the scene, the lifeless bodies of the victims were evacuated and deposited at the Plateau Specialist Hospital while rescue operation was carried out. The explosion affected three vehicles and two tricycles. The scene of the incident…

A SOLDIER and 24 other residents of Ussa and Takum local government areas of Taraba States are said to have been killed so far in the unending feud between Kuteb farmers and herders in the state. This is according to the Police Public Relations Officer in Taraba State, Abdullahi Usman. He said the military officer was ambushed and killed while the other 24 persons are either Kuteb or Fulani extractions. “The military officer who was from the checkpoint coming back to 93 Battalion Barrack was ambushed and killed, though nothing was taken from him, his motorcycle and luckily he has…

TWO soldiers and 15 villagers have been reportedly killed in attacks by armed invaders on three communities in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State. Locals said that the attacks happened simultaneously at about 6pm on Tuesday in Opaha, Odogbo and Edikwu communities in Apa LGA. A local simply identified as Kole, said 17 bodies including two soldiers of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) were recovered from nearby bushes in the early hours of Wednesday after security operatives combed the area. The local also told our correspondent that one of the deceased soldiers was the commander of the unit which confronted…

NO fewer than 18,000 people were displaced this month following the recent attacks on some communities in Benue State. The Executive Secretary, State Emergency and Management Agency, Emmanuel Shior, disclosed this on Tuesday during the distribution of relief materials to some internally displaced persons in the state. Recall that some communities in Apa, Otukpo and Guma local government areas were attacked by suspected armed herders between April 5th and 9th, 2023 leading to the loss of 135 lives. Giving the breakdown of displaced persons within the month of April, the SEMA boss said that 8,000 IDPs were recorded and camped…