Author: Farouk Abbas

THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has confirmed the arrest of 16 military officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations, with several of the affected personnel now set to face trial before military judicial panels. News Point Nigeria reports that the confirmation was made on Monday in Abuja by the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Samaila Uba, who disclosed that the investigative panel constituted by the military authorities has concluded its assignment. According to Maj.-Gen. Uba, the panel’s findings revealed that a number of the officers have serious cases to answer, necessitating further disciplinary and judicial action in line…

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima might be replaced as Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 elections. APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, addressed the speculation on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria on Monday. Asked about calls within and outside the party for a balanced 2027 ticket, Morka said the party remains focused on governance rather than premature election speculation. “A few hours ago today, I put out a statement to dismiss some of the rumours swirling around this question regarding the possible replacement of the Vice…

THE political landscape in Kano State has been thrown into fresh turmoil following a wave of high-profile resignations from Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration, including the resignation of Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, son of former governor and NNPP leader Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. News Point Nigeria reports that Mustapha Kwankwaso, who served as Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, announced his resignation on Monday, stepping down both from his cabinet position and his membership of the Kano State Executive Council. In a resignation statement, Mustapha said the decision was taken with a “heavy heart,” while expressing gratitude to Governor Yusuf for…

KANO State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside 22 members of the Kano State House of Assembly and nine members of the House of Representatives. News Point Nigeria reports that the governor announced the decision at a political event held at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano on Monday. Addressing party leaders, lawmakers and supporters at the event, Governor Yusuf said the decision followed extensive consultations with elected representatives and key stakeholders across the state. “After wide consultation, 22 out of 24 members of the Kano State House of Assembly and nine out…

THE Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has taken over the criminal case brought against a senior lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC). News Point Nigeria reports that the development, however, stalled Ozekhome’s planned arraignment before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the three-count charge filed against him by the ICPC and in which he is accused of, among others, forgery. At the day’s proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), said he was representing…

KANO State Governor, Abba Yusuf, is set to rejoin the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, January 26, 2026, following his resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). The development was confirmed in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa. According to the statement, Governor Yusuf’s decision marks a return to the APC, a party he first joined in 2014. He had emerged winner of the party’s primary election for the Kano Central Senatorial seat that year but later conceded the ticket to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Explaining the…

THE political crisis rocking Kano State deepened on Saturday following the resignation of the Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim Kofarmata, from Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s cabinet. Kofarmata announced his resignation in a letter dated January 25, 2026 sighted by News Point Nigeria, addressed to the governor, formally stepping down from his position and withdrawing from the State Executive Council. In the letter, Kofarmata said his decision was informed by growing political tensions in the state and his concern that remaining in office under the prevailing circumstances could compromise his independence, objectivity, and professional integrity. According to…

THE political landscape in Kano State was thrown into deeper uncertainty on Saturday as Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf relieved his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Sunusi Surajo, of his appointment, barely 24 hours after resigning from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP). News Point Nigeria reports that the dismissal of Surajo, a staunch loyalist of former governor and NNPP national leader Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, comes amid a wave of mass defections that has seen 22 members of the Kano State House of Assembly and several other elected officials abandon the NNPP in solidarity with the governor. Surajo, a former…

VICE President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja after a week-long diplomatic and economic mission to Guinea-Conakry and Switzerland, declaring that Nigeria has reclaimed a frontline seat in global and regional policy discussions. A statement sent to News Point Nigeria by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, said the Vice President arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Saturday. He had represented President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration of Guinea’s President, Mamadi Doumbouya, and led Nigeria’s delegation to the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos. According to the Vice President, the trip reflects…

FORMER presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and national leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared that he remains firmly committed to his political ideology, insisting that no amount of pressure or inducement would make him abandon his principles. News Point Nigeria reports that Kwankwaso made the declaration on Friday while addressing party supporters at his residence in Kano, hours after the resignation of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the NNPP alongside dozens of political office holders across the state. The governor’s exit, which also affected several local government chairmen, members of…

NIGERIA’s fragile electricity system suffered another major setback on Wednesday as the national power grid collapsed once again, plunging large parts of the country into darkness and disrupting economic and social activities nationwide. Checks by News Point Nigeria revealed that electricity generation dropped precipitously from over 4,500 megawatts (MW) earlier in the day to an alarming low of 24MW by about 1:30pm, one of the steepest declines recorded in recent times. Data obtained from industry sources showed that all 23 power generation plants connected to the national grid lost output almost simultaneously, resulting in zero power allocation to each of…

THE United States on Thursday urged the Nigerian government to intensify efforts towards protecting Christian communities in the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, who made the call, said that while some progress had been made in recent months, recent attacks indicated that Nigeria must do more to guarantee the safety of Christians. “Today, we are here to discuss how we can work together to deter violence against Christian communities, prioritising counterterrorism and insecurity; investigating attacks and holding perpetrators accountable; and reducing the number of killings, forced displacements, and abductions of…

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Senate of deliberately frustrating efforts to amend the Electoral Act 2022, warning that continued delays could seriously undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections. Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), raised the alarm in a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday sighted by News Point Nigeria, where he described the existing Electoral Act as deeply flawed and partly responsible for the controversies that trailed the last general elections. According to Atiku, weaknesses in the Electoral Act 2022 created room for widespread…

RESIDENT and businesses across Kano metropolis and surrounding areas were thrown into darkness on Wednesday following the commencement of an indefinite strike by workers of the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) over alleged poor working conditions and unresolved welfare issues. The strike was jointly declared by the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) after the expiration of an ultimatum issued to KEDCO management, which elapsed on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, without a resolution. As early as Wednesday morning, union members shut down operations at KEDCO facilities, including the company’s…

A SUSPECT standing trial over the August 26, 2011 bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja has narrated before a Federal High Court how he joined the Ansaru terror group allegedly led by Mohammed Usman, popularly known as Khalid Al-Barnawi. News Point Nigeria reports that the suspect, Mohammed Bashir Saleh, is one of four defendants being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) in connection with the deadly attack, Nigeria’s first bombing of an international organisation’s facility, which claimed over 20 lives and left more than 70 others injured. Saleh made the disclosure during the resumed hearing of…

JUSTICE Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court Abuja, has granted the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, and his co-defendants a ₦100 million bail each in the alleged $9.7 million terrorism financing offences. News Point Nigeria reports that in a ruling, Justice Umar held that Adamu and his co-defendants had placed sufficient materials before the court for the court to exercise its discretion in their favour judicially and judiciously. Justice Umar, who granted the bail applications, directed the defendants to produce two sureties each who must be a permanent secretary and a director in the civil service. The…

FORMER Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), may remain longer in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) as the agency intensifies investigations into allegations bordering on terrorism financing and other security-related matters. Multiple security sources disclosed that the DSS is already taking steps to obtain a court order to keep the former justice minister in detention pending the conclusion of what officials described as sensitive and complex investigations that could span several months. Malami’s latest legal ordeal began on Monday, moments after he perfected his bail and was released from the…

THE Federal Government and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) are locked in a sharp public dispute over the location of a newly commissioned gold refinery in Lagos, following allegations by the forum that the facility violates Nigeria’s federal character principle and deepens structural inequality against the North. News Point Nigeria reports that the controversy erupted after the NEF, in an open letter dated January 18, 2026, accused the Federal Government of siting what it described as a “National Gold Refinery” in Lagos despite the concentration of Nigeria’s commercially viable gold deposits in Northern states. The letter, signed by NEF spokesperson,…

THE Supreme Court has ordered that the trial of former Jigawa Governor, Sule Lamido, his two sons, and others, over alleged ₦1.35billion fraud, should continue before the Federal High Court in Abuja. News Point Nigeria reports that a five-member panel of the apex court issued the directive in two unanimous judgments, in the two appeals filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the trial court, which dismissed the no-case submission filed by the Lamidos and held that the defendants had a case to answer. Both appeals were against the July 25,…

THE political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election witnessed a significant twist on Thursday as Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid. News Point Nigeria reports that the development comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the next presidential race, in which Atiku Abubakar,Tinubu’s main challenger in the 2023 election is expected to seek the presidency again, this time on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Popularly known as Abba, Atiku’s son was officially received…