A WAVE of anxiety swept through Eruku community in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State on Thursday after bandits reportedly demanded ₦100 million ransom per victim to free the worshippers abducted during Tuesday’s violent attack on Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Igan. News Point Nigeria reports that Pastor Lawrence Bamidele, who leads the congregation, confirmed that between 30 and 35 members were taken during the evening service, throwing the community into deep distress. Multiple family members, church officials, and community leaders told News Point Nigeria that the kidnappers have begun contacting relatives using the phones of the abductees. The demands were…
Author: Gbenga Mukhtar
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SUSPECTED bandits have launched another attack in Kwara State, abducting four rice farmers in Bokungi Village, Edu Local Government Area. This came barely 24 hours after gunmen attacked a church in Eruku, Ekiti LGA, killed two people and abducted some others. Sources told News Point Nigeria that the latest incident occurred on Wednesday evening while the victims were working on their rice farms during the peak of the harvest season. According to a community source, the attackers arrived suddenly and surrounded the farmers as they were gathering their harvested rice. “It has been confirmed that bandits struck again at Bokungi…
KWARA State Government on Wednesday ordered the immediate closure of schools across four Local Government Areas following a deadly bandit attack in Eruku, Ekiti LGA, that left three worshippers dead and more than 35 others abducted. News Point Nigeria reports that the directive affects schools in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Ekiti LGAs, and was communicated through a circular issued by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kwara State Wing. The circular was signed by the NUT Chairman, Yusuf Agboola, who said the union was acting strictly on instructions from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development. According to the…
A PASTOR has been shot dead and several worshippers abducted after heavily armed bandits attacked Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State. News Point Nigeria reports that the violent attack, which occurred on Tuesday evening, sent shockwaves through the border community that lies close to Kogi State, an area that has recently witnessed escalating insecurity. Eyewitness footage obtained by News Point Nigeria shows worshippers gathered inside the church for an ongoing programme when sudden gunshots shattered the calm. Panic erupted as church members scrambled for safety, ducking behind chairs and crawling to…
THE Lagos State Police Command has confirmed that former governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ondo State, Bamidele Akingboye, was murdered, following the conclusion of an autopsy and toxicology analysis. Speaking to News Point Nigeria, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olorundare Jimoh, revealed that the police had received the full autopsy report and were now prepared to proceed with prosecution as soon as legal advice is issued by the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP). According to him, the toxicology report, completed on September 11, provided the breakthrough investigators needed leading to the re-arrest and detention…
PAYSTACK, one of Africa’s leading payment technology companies and a subsidiary of global fintech giant Stripe, has suspended its co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Ezra Olubi, after a public allegation of sexual misconduct involving a junior employee emerged online. News Point Nigeria reports that the company confirmed the development in an official statement on Friday, noting that Olubi’s suspension takes immediate effect while a formal investigation is launched into the claims. The allegation first surfaced on November 12, 2025, spreading rapidly across social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), where the accuser detailed alleged inappropriate behaviour by the Paystack…
FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday advised Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde not to be discouraged by criticisms of his administration, saying that leaders often face attacks only to be praised later for their foresight and achievements. Obasanjo gave the advice in Ibadan while commissioning the new Ibadan Central Bus Terminal at Iwo Road, a signature urban infrastructure project by the Makinde administration aimed at easing transportation challenges in the Oyo State capital. The newly inaugurated facility features two mega bus stations equipped with waiting halls, ticketing spaces, eateries, public conveniences, parking areas, elevators, escalators, a water reservoir, and a…
THE Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has said that the time for Nigerians to jointly fight terrorism to a standstill and placate the aggrieved has come following a military action threat by US President Donald Trump. Oba Ladoja stated this while receiving the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, at the Olubadan Palace, Oke Aremo, Ibadan, over the weekend. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by Adeola Oloko, the media aide to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Ladoja, the monarch noted that it has been over a decade, specifically, since the…
NIGERIA’s stock market suffered a severe setback during the first week of November, with equities shedding a staggering N2.8 trillion in market value as heightened geopolitical tension rattled investor confidence. News Point Nigeria reports that the sustained market downturn followed United States President Donald Trump’s escalating threats of a possible military operation in Nigeria, over what he described as government inaction on alleged religious persecution. The U.S. leader, who last week designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” warned that Washington would cut off all aid and might intervene militarily, if the Nigerian government failed to address alleged killings…
NIGERIA’s reliance on foreign food supplies continues to surge despite government-backed agricultural initiatives, as the country spent a staggering $2.39 billion on food imports between April 2024 and March 2025. News Point Nigeria reports that this represents an 11.6% increase from the $2.14 billion recorded in the preceding year, according to a fresh breakdown of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s sectoral foreign exchange allocation obtained on Friday. The rise in import dependence comes at a time when Nigeria is battling severe food insecurity — with the cost of basic staples soaring and millions of families struggling to access adequate nutrition.…
THE Federal Executive Council has approved over N43 billion for the completion of Phase II, Section II of the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. News Point Nigeria reports that Briefing journalists after Thursday’s meeting at the State House, Abuja, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, said the new approval is part of several fresh and revised contracts across the country to accelerate the pace of critical road projects. Umahi also provided updates on the East–West Road, which the President Bola Tinubu administration inherited at N156 billion, covering two carriageways, three flyovers and two bridges. According to Umahi, the project has been restructured to…
A VIOLENT mob has lynched the Chief Imam of Sokupkpan community in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, after accusing him of causing the death of a resident through witchcraft. News Point Nigeria reports that the victim, identified as Mallam Abdullahi Audu, was reportedly beaten to death on Wednesday by irate youths who claimed he was spiritually responsible for the death of 25-year-old Ibrahim Gana, a member of the same community. The tragic incident threw Sokupkpan into chaos, as fear and confusion spread among residents. Sources told this newspaper that prior to his death, Gana had been battling an…
THE Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the ₦100 billion lawsuit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Free Zone Enterprise (FZE) against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and several major oil marketers over the issuance of petroleum import licences. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Mohammed Umar struck out the case on Wednesday after counsel to Dangote Refinery, C.O. Adegbe, informed the court of the company’s decision to withdraw the suit. The judge ruled that since pleadings had already been exchanged and trial was set to commence, the proper order was dismissal but without costs. “The…
THE Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has reaffirmed that his declaration of activist Omoyele Sowore as wanted remains in effect, vowing that the police will take all lawful steps to arrest him. Jimoh had on Monday declared Sowore wanted for allegedly “causing a disturbance of public peace and acts to commit a serious felony by planning to obstruct traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge.” Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, the Police Commissioner said Sowore had yet to report to the police since the declaration and reiterated his commitment to pursuing…
THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has unveiled plans to increase its equity holding in the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery, aiming to secure a total 20 per cent stake as part of its broader strategy to strengthen domestic refining capacity and reduce dependence on imported fuel. News Point Nigeria reports that the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Bayo Ojulari, confirmed the development during a panel session at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) 2025 on Tuesday. He noted that the equity upgrade reflects the company’s long-term ambition to deepen Nigerian participation in the…
THE Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has cleared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to proceed with its scheduled elective National Convention on November 15 and 16, 2025. News Point Nigeria reports that in a ruling delivered by Justice A. L. Akintola, the court granted an interim order allowing the party to hold the convention as planned in Ibadan, Oyo State. The court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to attend, monitor, and observe the exercise pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion on notice. The ruling followed an ex-parte application filed by Folahan Adelabi…
THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a secret laboratory used for producing colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, inside a residential building at Ajao Estate in the Isolo area of Lagos State. NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday. He said the owner of the laboratory, 30-year-old Stephen Imoh, was arrested during a raid following months of surveillance and intelligence gathering on the local production of the psychoactive substance. According to Babafemi, the breakthrough was recorded after operatives intercepted multiple consignments of Colorado…
THE World Bank has fixed December 16 as a tentative approval date for a fresh $1bn Development Policy Financing loan to the country under a new initiative tagged “Nigeria Actions for Investment and Jobs Acceleration (P512892).” According to a project document published by the bank on October 27 sighted by News Point Nigeria, the new facility comprises a $500m International Development Association credit and a $500m International Bank for Reconstruction and Development loan. The facility, which falls under the bannk’s Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment practice area for the Western and Central Africa region, is designed to strengthen ongoing economic reforms,…
THE United States Government has defended its decision to revoke the visa of Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, insisting that visas issued by the country are a privilege granted at the discretion of the U.S. authorities—not an entitlement. The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos made the clarification on Thursday in an emailed response to an inquiry by this newspaper regarding Soyinka’s shocking disclosure that his B1/B2 visa had been revoked. The award-winning literary icon, in a media parley held Tuesday at Freedom Park, Lagos, announced that his travel approval to the United States was withdrawn without prior warning, adding that…
THE Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed January 27, 2026, for further hearing in the $42.48m, fraud case filed against a Briton, two Indian nationals, and their companies over alleged defrauding of Ecobank Nigeria Limited. News Point Nigeria reports that the defendants, who are Marcus Wade, a British national and chairman of Wilben Trade Limited; Prem Garg and Devashish Garg, both Indian nationals, are being prosecuted alongside their firms, Wilben Trade Limited (Dubai) and Agrico Agbe Limited (Nigeria). The case, instituted by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, alleged that the defendants conspired to defraud Ecobank under…