Author: Farouk Abbas

THE Federal Government has directed Nigerian security agencies to intensify efforts aimed at identifying and dismantling social media accounts used by terrorist and criminal groups to promote violence, raise funds and coordinate their activities across the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the Director-General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, disclosed this on Tuesday while addressing journalists during an end-of-year briefing in Abuja. Laka revealed that security agencies are working closely with major social media companies, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X, to track, flag and take down accounts linked to terrorists, bandits and other…

FORMER Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has revealed why former President Goodluck Jonathan was never invited for questioning over the controversial $2.1 billion arms procurement scandal that rocked Nigeria’s political landscape after the 2015 general elections. According to Magu, documentary evidence and internal memos available to investigators showed that the disbursement of the funds was not officially approved for campaign purposes, making it difficult for the anti-graft agency to directly implicate Jonathan. The revelation is contained in a newly released book titled “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,” authored by Dr.…

OYO State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has revealed why he will not support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, highlighting a growing political divergence within the Peoples Democratic Party. News Point Nigeria reports that speaking during a media chat on Tuesday in Ibadan, the state capital, Makinde reflected on his early career, recalling that at the age of 29, he secured his first major contract with Mobil worth $1 million. The governor stated that at a time when the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had probably just left law school. Makinde described the deal as a pivotal moment…

THE Federal Government has announced that Nigeria’s newly appointed ambassadors will formally assume duty in their respective countries of assignment in 2026, following the completion of their screening and confirmation by the National Assembly. News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Monday while addressing journalists at an end-of-year press conference in Abuja. The Senate recently screened and confirmed 64 ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, marking a major step toward restoring full diplomatic representation across Nigeria’s foreign missions. According to Idris, the deployment of…

THE Federal Government has formally extended its congratulations to the Honourable Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, following his conferment with the prestigious “Great Ambassador of the University of Jos” award. News Point Nigeria reports that in a congratulatory letter personally signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, fnim, CON, the Federal Government described the honour as a testament to Amupitan’s lifelong dedication to academic excellence, legal scholarship, and selfless national service. The award was conferred on the INEC boss during the University of Jos’s landmark 50th Alumni…

FRESH findings by this newspaper have revealed that bureaucratic bottlenecks and unresolved inter-agency disagreements are slowing down the implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s directive on the recruitment of forest guards, raising growing concerns among security stakeholders and vulnerable communities nationwide. Despite the President’s clear approval of the initiative in May 2025, more than seven months later, the proposed national forest policing programme has yet to take off, even as insecurity continues to worsen, particularly in forested and rural areas that have become havens for bandits, kidnappers and terrorist groups. President Tinubu had approved the recruitment of forest guards as part…

THE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, is holding a meeting with the leadership of the two groups of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). News Point Nigeria reports that the meeting, which is being held at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, is at the instance of the INEC chairman ahead of the FCT area council elections and those of Osun and Ekiti states scheduled for next year. The meeting is attended by the Tanimu Turaki-led national working committee and that of Samuel Anyanwu. After the opening remarks of the Amupitan, who stated that the meeting was…

THE Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has formally alerted state governors across the country to intensify security preparations ahead of the 2025 festive season, citing increased population movement, large public gatherings and heightened public safety risks. The development was confirmed in a communiqué issued by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) at the end of its 7th meeting of 2025, held from Wednesday night into Thursday morning at the forum’s secretariat on Lake Chad Street, Abuja. The communiqué obtained by News Point Nigeria, signed by NGF Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, was read to journalists by…

THE Nigerian Air Force C-130 crew, earlier detained in Burkina Faso and released on Thursday, has continued its mission from the country to Portugal with the same aircraft. News Point Nigeria reports that the crew, comprising 11 Nigerian personnel, was on a mission to Portugal for scheduled aircraft maintenance when it made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso. The emergency landing, which occurred in Bobo-Dioulasso on December 8, 2025, was described as a precautionary measure following a technical issue with the aircraft. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the…

THE Senate has confirmed all 64 nominees for career and non-career ambassadorial positions following consideration of a report by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. News Point Nigeria reports that the confirmation came after the committee, chaired by Senator Sani Bello, presented its report, after which the recommendations were adopted. However, during the session, Senator Sahabi Yau raised an objection, drawing attention to the absence of any nominee from Zamfara State on the list. He urged that the President be notified of the omission. In response, the Senate President acknowledged the concern, explaining that the current list was not exhaustive. He…

JUSTICE Mariam Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gwarinpa has ordered that a former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, continue to enjoy the administrative bail granted him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). News Point Nigeria reports that the court, however, ordered that he present a surety who is a director in a Federal Government employment, and who must have landed property. The surety is expected to deposit documents of his landed property and travel documents with the court pending the finalisation of the retrieval of Ngige’s passport. The EFCC had granted Ngige…

BURKINA Faso authorities have released 11 Nigerian soldiers and a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft that were detained following an emergency landing in the Sahel country, bringing an end to a diplomatic standoff that lasted 10 days. The development was confirmed on Wednesday night by the spokesperson of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, who said the release followed sustained diplomatic engagements between both countries. “They have been released. I just confirmed with our Head of Mission in Burkina Faso,” Ebienfa told News Point Nigeria. As of press time, details of when the soldiers and the aircraft would return…

A MEMBER of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulsammad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), on Wednesday raised serious concerns on the floor of the Green Chamber over alleged discrepancies between tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions later gazetted and released to the public. News Point Nigeria reports that rising on a Point of Privilege under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules, Dasuki told lawmakers that his legislative privilege had been breached, alleging that the contents of the gazetted tax laws did not reflect the bills that were debated, voted on and duly passed by the House…

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved to meet with senior officials in the ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs over the country’s detained aircraft and personnel in Burkina Faso. News Point Nigeria reports that the decision followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Ekiti lawmaker, Mr Rufus Ojuawo. Lawmakers urged the President Bola Tinubu-led government to utilise the Economic Community of West African States and African Union frameworks to facilitate cooperation, mutual understanding, and the expeditious release of the aircraft and detained military personnel. They also called on the Office of the National Security…

PROCEEDINGS in the prosecution of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, took a dramatic turn on Monday as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the defence engaged in a heated legal battle over an allegedly missing international passport and whether the ex-minister should be granted bail. News Point Nigeria reports that the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gwarimpa, Abuja, presided over by Justice Maryam Hassan, adjourned the matter until Thursday, December 18, 2025, for ruling on Ngige’s bail application in a case bordering on an alleged ₦2.2 billion contract fraud. The courtroom exchanges…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday paid an emotional and far-reaching tribute to late former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a leader whose life of discipline, integrity and quiet strength reshaped Nigeria’s political culture and redefined public service. News Point Nigeria reports that Tinubu spoke in Abuja at the official launch of a biography chronicling the life and leadership of the former president, an event that drew top government officials, political leaders, diplomats, traditional rulers and members of Buhari’s family. The President opened his remarks by honouring the late leader’s family, extending the nation’s condolences to Buhari’s widow, Aisha…

FORMER Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has demanded the immediate recusal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from an ongoing investigation involving him. Malami, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by his spokesman, Muhammad Doka, alleged bias, personal vendetta and political persecution linked to his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The ex-minister accused the anti-graft agency of what he described as illegal detention, media harassment and procedural abuse, insisting that the investigation was driven not by law enforcement considerations but by deep-seated historical animosity…

THE Supreme Court has upheld the power of the President to declare a state of emergency in any state to prevent a breakdown of law and order or degeneration into a state of chaos or anarchy. News Point Nigeria reports that in a split decision of six-to-one, the apex court held that the President, during a state of emergency, can suspend elected officials, but that such suspension of elected officials must be within a limited period. In the lead majority judgment, Justice Mohammed Idris held that Section 305 of the Constitution empowers the President to deploy extraordinary measures to restore…

THE National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, says that the congress’ planned nationwide protest on 17 December remains sacrosanct. News Point Nigeria reports that he made the statement shortly after a courtesy visit on the Chairman of the nineteen Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, in Gombe the capital city of the state. Ajaero said the protest would demand decisive government action against insecurity, stressing that the situation now affects every Nigerian, regardless of status or occupation. He said banditry and violent crimes were alien to Nigeria’s culture and must be…

SIX days after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made a precautionary landing in Burkina Faso, the fate of the 11 Nigerian military personnel on board remains uncertain, as diplomatic efforts intensify behind the scenes to secure their release and defuse a growing regional tension. What began as a routine ferry mission has since escalated into a delicate diplomatic standoff between Nigeria and its Sahelian neighbour, with the Burkinabe military government detaining both the aircraft and its crew over alleged violations of national airspace. News Point Nigeria reports that according to Burkinabe authorities, the Nigerian military aircraft was forced to…