THE Senate on Thursday adjourned plenary until September 23, 2025, marking the start of its annual recess and effectively ensuring that suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan serves out her six-month suspension in full. News Point Nigeria reports that the embattled lawmaker from Kogi Central, who was suspended on March 6, 2025, over allegations of misconduct, had attempted to return to the chamber earlier this week, citing a court order. However, she was denied entry, with Senate authorities insisting the suspension still stands. With the recess now in effect, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return to plenary will only be possible after the break ends, coinciding…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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THE new Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, on Thursday, downplayed the relevance and strength of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC). “There is no opposition for now,” he said dismissively on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme shortly after he emerged as the ruling party’s chairman on Thursday in Abuja monitored by News Point Nigeria. “Zero fears,” he said of the opposition coalition champion on the ADC platform. The new APC chair also boasted that his party would win the next presidential election. “Why is it that all…
THE new Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has vowed to take tough decisions in his position as the leader of the ruling party. Yilwatda stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme hours after he emerged as APC chair in Abuja monitored by News Point Nigeria. Yilwatda, who likened his gentle mien to that of President Bola Tinubu, said he would consult broadly across the party’s organs and take tough decisions for the collective interest of the party. “Of course, I will because that is what the president asked me to do and the members are…
THERE was a brief moment of tension at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday morning, when officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) stopped suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from boarding a flight to London and seized her international passport. News Point Nigeria reports that incident, which occurred in the early hours of July 24, 2025, reportedly created a stir among international travellers. Eyewitnesses said Senator Natasha arrived at the airport terminal accompanied by her husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, to board a British Airways flight. However, just before boarding, immigration officers flagged her travel documents and informed her that…
THE Yobe state government, in partnership with the security agencies in the state, has reopened the Kukareta and Buniyadi markets, which were shut down recently due to insecurity in the areas. The markets located in Gujba and Damaturu local government areas were shut down to cut suspected food supply chains to the insurgents who have been terrorizing the residents in recent times. Dahiru Abdulsalam, the Security Adviser to Governor Mai Mala Buni, disclosed this while briefing newsmen immediately after the Yobe State Security Meeting chaired by the Deputy Governor, Idi Barde-Gubana, at Government House, Damaturu. “After the review of the…
THE Senate has reaffirmed its position on the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, stating unequivocally that the Kogi Central lawmaker remains suspended until the National Assembly reconvenes from its ongoing recess in two months’ time. This was made known by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, monitored by News Point Nigeria. His remarks came just hours after the embattled senator was barred from entering the National Assembly complex, despite citing a court judgment in her favour. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing…
THE House of Representatives has taken a bold step toward curbing the elite’s reliance on private and foreign services, as lawmakers on Tuesday passed for first reading a bill that seeks to ban public and civil servants, along with their families, from patronising private schools and healthcare facilities. The proposed legislation, championed by Hon. Amobi Ogah (Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, Abia State), is designed to compel government officials to exclusively use public institutions for education and healthcare. According to the lawmaker, this would foster trust, reduce wasteful spending, and revamp crumbling public systems. “Our public schools and hospitals are in a…
TENSION flared at the National Assembly on Tuesday as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was denied entry into the legislative complex in Abuja, despite a recent court ruling suggesting her reinstatement. News Point Nigeria reports that the embattled lawmaker, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, arrived at the gates of the National Assembly vowing to resume plenary after a Federal High Court judgment advised the Senate to lift her six-month suspension. However, security operatives at the gate refused her access, citing standing orders from the Senate. Senator Natasha, who was in a black vehicle at the time, was accompanied by activist Aisha…
THE Federal Government has revealed that over 730 individuals have been convicted for terrorism-related offences, as part of its intensified efforts to combat terrorism financing and dismantle illicit financial networks. The National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre, Major General Adamu Laka, disclosed this at the on-site meeting of the Financial Action Task Force on Monday in Abuja. He said more than 90 of the convictions were secured with direct support from the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, underscoring the success of inter-agency collaboration in tracking and disrupting financial networks that support terrorist groups. He said, “Disrupting the financial lifelines of terrorist…
A GROUP of retired police officers took to the streets of Abuja on Monday in a peaceful protest to draw attention to the poor welfare conditions of serving and retired members of the Nigeria Police Force. The protest was led by the Convener of the Revolution Now Movement, Omoyele Sowore, who joined the retirees to demand urgent intervention from the Federal Government. They expressed displeasure over what they described as years of neglect, non-payment of pensions, and poor treatment of officers who had served the nation diligently. Sowore, speaking during the protest, called on the government to recognise the sacrifices…
THE Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, turned down a request by the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, seeking for the release of his international passport, saying that the medical report attached to the application was not signed by its maker. Justice Emeka Nwite, while delivering the ruling at the resumed hearing of the alleged money laundering case filed against the former governor by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, however, said that, contrary, to the submission of the prosecution team, the application was not an abuse of court process. The defendant had applied for the release…
THE Senate has asked Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to stay away from its proceedings, saying the suspended lawmaker can’t resume yet. In a statement on Sunday, Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu insisted that there was no subsisting court order mandating the Senate to recall the lawmaker before the expiration of her suspension. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in March 2025 for violating Senate rules after a seat arrangement brawl with Senate President Godswill Akpabio whom she accused of sexual misconduct, an allegation Akpabio denied. Recently, the suspended lawmaker, who relied on a recent judgment delivered by Justice Binta Nyako of the…
THE leadership crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has taken a new twist as the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) moves to expel its suspended National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, along with two other top officials, and refer them to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for investigation and possible prosecution over allegations of misappropriating over ₦1 billion in party funds. The decision follows the submission of a 14-day investigative panel report which found that Gabam and two other suspended members, Nze Nnadi Clarkson, the National Auditor, and Uchechukwu Chukwuma, the National Youth Leader, ignored formal invitations…
THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has wasted at least N8 billion on 6,200 “contingency bed spaces” for non-existent pilgrims in Makkah during the 2025 Hajj. This revelation comes at a time when the commission is facing threats of international litigation from Saudi catering and accommodation companies over N12.9 billion in debts. This scandal was uncovered by a team of investigative journalists who are currently reviewing dozens of officials documents that include contractual agreements, transactional receipts, payment vouchers, as well as audio, videos, recorded voices and interviews with many officials familiar with what transpired during the 2025 Hajj operation.…
THE management of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU) in Ayingba has expressed sorrow and concern over the sudden and unexplained death of one of its lecturers, Mr. Olabode Abimbola Ibikunle, who passed away last Thursday while reportedly in the company of a female student, Miss Glory Ojochegbe, from the same department. Ibikunle, who served in the Department of Social Science Education, was said to have died under unclear circumstances, prompting growing public interest, speculation, and viral rumours on social media. In a statement issued on Friday by the institution’s Registrar, Mr. Yahaya Alilu, the university confirmed the incident, describing it…
SETTLEMENT talks between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and former Adamawa State governor, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd.), over an alleged ₦29 billion fraud were put on hold on Friday following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari. At the resumed hearing before Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) informed the court that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), was unable to conclude key consultations due to the national mourning period declared in Buhari’s honour. “The Honourable Attorney-General was supposed to meet with parties involved to finalize…
THE Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has denied reports linking the Federal Government to a 25 per cent share acquisition in First Bank Holdings. In a statement issued on Friday, the Special Assistant to the President on Communication and Publicity, Kamarudeen Ogundele, described the July 17 publication on news platforms as “inaccurate, misleading, resentful and malicious.” The statement partly read,” We are compelled to respond to a publication by ThisDay Newspaper of July 17, 2025, and Arise TV suggesting that 25% of First Bank Holdings (First Holdco) shares were transferred to…
THE Armed Forces of Nigeria has launched the 2025 First Bi-Annual Sensitisation Training on Stress Management, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Emotional Intelligence for troops deployed in active combat theatres. The training, held on Friday at the 8 Division Auditorium in Sokoto, was targeted at officers and soldiers involved in Operation FANSAN YAMMA and other internal security operations across the country. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, reaffirmed the military’s commitment to the mental health of its personnel, noting that troops not only confront physical threats but also endure deep emotional and psychological strain…
THE Federal Government has suspended its recruitment process into its paramilitary agencies such as the Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Fire Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Nigerian Correctional Service. In a statement dated July 16, 2025, the Secretary to the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services, Maj-Gen A.M. Jibril (rtd), said the application portal would be reopened on Monday, July 21, 2025. “As part of an effort to optimize the efficiency of its system, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) announces that the portal dedicated to the recruitment into its paramilitary agencies has…
FORMER Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has officially resigned from the party, marking a significant blow to Nigeria’s main opposition platform. The development was confirmed through a letter dated Monday, July 14, 2025, sighted by News Point Nigeria on Wednesday. The letter, addressed to the PDP Chairman of Jada 1 Ward in Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State, was signed by Atiku himself and marked as received. The letter was shared publicly by one of Abubakar’s media aides, confirming weeks of speculation about his looming departure amid political realignments ahead…