A POS operator simply identified as Alfa Rafiu has been arrested in Kwara State for allegedly squandering N280m mistakenly sent to his account. The suspect, our correspondent gathered, is a resident of Akuji compound, Abayawo area in Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state. According to sources familiar with the issue, Rafiu suddenly went on a spending spree after he received the alerts in batches of several million some weeks ago. “About two weeks ago, he received several bank alerts that scaled up to N280 million which he knew nothing about. “But instead of him drawing the attention of…
Author: Maryam Garba
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THE eight female students at Government Secondary School, Awon in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State have escaped from the hands of their abductors. News Point Nigeria reported that, the students were kidnapped by the bandits in the Awon general area on April 3rd, 2023. Confirming the development in a statement on Tuesday, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan said that the students escaped from a thick forest around the Kaduna – Niger interstate boundaries, and walked for days before arriving at a location (kept undisclosed for security reasons) where they were harboured.…
AS the 1444 Hijra (2023) Ramadan draws to an end, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged Muslims across the country to look for the new moon of Shawwal on Thursday. The Director of Administration of the NSCIA, Arc. Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu, said this on Tuesday in a statement. “Consequent upon the advice of the National Moon-Sighting Committee (NMSC), the President-General enjoins the Nigerian Muslim Ummah to search for the crescent of Shawwal 1444 A.H. immediately after sunset on Thursday, 29th Ramadan…
THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has announced a total of 1,336 suspected cases of cholera, including 79 deaths, so far in 2023 (between January to March). The NCDC disclosed this in its latest cholera situation epidemiological report obtained by News Point Nigeria on Monday. The report revealed that 12 states across 43 local government areas reported the suspected cases, with a case fatality ratio of 5.9 per cent. The 12 states reporting cases in the country are Abia, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Sokoto, and Zamfara. Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by…
MINISTER of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has said that three main opponents of his party in the February 25 poll gave away the presidential victory to the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu by splitting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the 2019 presidential election. The former Lagos State governor, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics monitored by News Point Nigeria, said Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) all belonged to the same party, the PDP, in 2019 but they separated towards the 2023 presidential poll…
AFRICA’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has released its unaudited results for the first quarter ended March 31st, 2023, recording remarkable growth across all its major income lines. The Bank’s result which was released to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Thursday, April 13, 2023 showed that gross earnings rose by 47.5 percent from ₦183.9 billion to ₦271.2 billion; while Interest Income which stood at ₦125.9 billion as at March 2022, grew by 53.4% to ₦191.9 billion in the quarter under consideration. The results further revealed that Operating Income rose by 39.6 percent to ₦175.7 billion, as…
NIGERIA’s President-Elect, Bola Tinubu has been named in the Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people for 2023. Time Magazine’s yearly list of the 100 most influential people in the world recognises people for changing the world, regardless of the consequences of their actions. The 2023 list released on Thursday categorised individuals into pioneers, leaders, titans, artists, innovators, and icons. Tinubu, who won the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria, was listed alongside United States President, Joe Biden; Brazil President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska; amongst other world leaders. The report described Tinubu,…
AGAIN, bandits killed nine including four local vigilante members at the Sabon Layi community, Birnin Gwari Local government area of Kaduna State on Wednesday morning. Locals said they saw the bandits patrolling the affected community on Tuesday, but there were no security operatives to chase them away. According to a BBC Hausa report monitored by News Point Nigeria Wednesday afternoon, about 25 locals were kidnapped in the area, while livestock belonging to the locals was rustled by the bandits. This is coming less than 24 hours after troops eliminated notorious bandit leader of the area, Isiya Danwasa. News Point Nigeria…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, for the commencement of an eight-day official visit. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement on Tuesday, said upon his arrival, he was received by the Deputy Governor Sa’ud Khalid Al-Faisal. The presidential spokesman said the President visited and prayed at the Prophet’s Holy Mosque this evening and greeted Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his two companions. He added that at the entrance of the Prophet’s Holy Mosque, the President was received by a number of officials. Editor’s…
JAMES Abiodun Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, Ikeja Federal Constituency, has been named the preferred choice for the position of Chief of Staff in the incoming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The choice was named by a chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and Director-General USIR North-West Project For Tinubu/Shettima, Hajiya UmmaSalma Isiyaku Rabiu in a press statement signed by the DG herself. According to the DG, who is also a member, Grassroot Engagement And Orientation, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke’s loyalty, competence, capacity and political reach makes him the best candidate for…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday condemned the “extreme violence” and killings of scores of people in Benue State within one week. The President, in a statement by one of his spokespersons, Garba Shehu, condemned the “use of terrorism as a tool in inter-communal conflicts”, directing that the attackers “be found and dealt with” swiftly under the law. He directed the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force and military commanders to enhance surveillance on every front and to immediately review the security management in the affected areas. The President also conveyed his grief and sympathy to the families of…
A former Deputy governor of Nasarawa State, Professor Onje Gye-Wado, has been abducted. The state Police Public Relations officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, in a press release confirmed the abduction early on Friday. He said Gye-Wado was whisked away Friday morning when gunmen broke into his residence in Gwagi village of Wamba Local government area of the state. According to the police spokesman, a search has been initiated by a police tactical team in collaboration with other security personnel to rescue the victim unhurt. Below is the full police statement on the abduction. Police Press Release April 7, 2023 CP Maiyaki…
THE House of Representatives has mandated the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to put on hold the release of 15 billion naira counterpart funding requested by the Federal Government, pending the approval of the Commission’s budget by the House. The was after a member of the green chamber, Unyime Idem, on Thursday, moved a motion drawing the attention of the House to the Federal Government’s request. According to the request, the Ministry of Niger Delta was to jointly finance an intervention and humanitarian programme of sums running into several billions of naira using the money recovered by the Economic and…
THE Kaduna State Government on Tuesday confirmed that only eight students were abducted along with other citizens. It, however, said they were not kidnapped in the school compound. On Monday, gunmen whisked away 10 victims from Government Day Secondary School in Awon, Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The abduction is the latest onslaught launched by gunmen that have wreaked havoc in the North-Western state despite the efforts of the state government and security agencies. But the state government in its update said it received detailed reports from security agencies on the incident, adding that the students were not…
THE immediate past spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Wap Maigida, is dead. Maigida was reported to have slumped and died in the nation’s capital. A family source, who confirmed the development, said the senior military officer was hale and hearty before the sad incident. The spokesman of the NAF, Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, who also confirmed the development, described the death as shocking. More details in a while…
THE Kaduna State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Sabon Garin Nassarawa communities in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state following the killing of two persons. According a short statement by the state commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the curfew is with immediate effect. Aruwan also said the decision was reached following a breakdown of law and order that led to loss of two lives in an incident of urban gang violence. The commissioner added that security agencies have been directed to enforce the curfew in the area and restore order, while investigation…
AN UNCOUNTABLE number of people have been reportedly killed and hundreds of houses burnt when gunmen in the early hours of Sunday attacked Aloko, a community in Oganenigu Ward of Dekina Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi State. Our source gathered that the militia in their hundreds launched their latest attack from a base in the neighbouring Bassa LGA. Residents said that the invading militia started shooting anyone in sight and set houses ablaze on arrival. The Oganenigu Ward chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), James Adah, is said to be among those killed in the attack. Locals said…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has sworn in former Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase (rtd.) as the new Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC). The new PSC boss took the oath of office on Wednesday at the council chamber before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, two months after the Senate confirmed him as chairperson of the PSC. Also present at the inauguration was the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; and Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, among other council members. Arase who retired in 2016,…
AMNESTY International has spoken out against human rights violations in Nigeria, including terrorist attacks by Boko Haram, extrajudicial killings, torture, banditry, and arbitrary detentions, among others. The international non-governmental organisation stated this in an annual report titled ‘Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The state of the world’s human rights’ published Monday on its website. With the International Criminal Court (ICC) marking its 20th anniversary, Amnesty said the ICC’s actions begged the question of whether its principles applied equally to victims of crimes under international law in any situation or region. “While it publicly promoted its absolutely vital large-scale investigation into the…
BANDITS in Kaduna went berserk on Sunday, killing a baby born by an abducted pregnant house wife, Mrs Shamsiya Mustapha. This newspaper had reported that the woman, her husband, Mustapha and her 16-year-old daughter, Mahapuza Mustapha, were abducted by bandits at their residence in Janjala community in Kagarko local area of the state on February, 5, 2023. The bandits, however, freed the woman’s husband, Mustapha after they collected N2 million ransom including a brand new motorcycle and food stuff, but they held his pregnant wife and daughter and demanded another N2 million before the woman and her daughter could be…