THE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, on Thursday said poor telecommunications connectivity remains the commission’s toughest challenge in achieving real-time upload of election results from polling units across the country. News Point Nigeria reports that Amupitan revealed this on Thursday at the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room’s Stakeholders’ Forum on Elections in Abuja. He said that despite technological gains, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), weak network coverage continues to limit full real-time transparency, especially in remote areas. He noted that the commission’s strategic response to…
Author: Gbenga Mukhtar
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FORMER presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Publisher, Dele Momodu, says a last-minute disruption to his planned road trip to Cotonou may have saved him from being caught in the failed coup attempt in Benin Republic. Momodu stated this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria, explaining that he was originally scheduled to be inside Benin Republic at the exact period the coup scare was unfolding. He said the unexpected setback that stopped his 5 a.m. departure “was what saved us.” Momodu narrated that the entire episode felt unreal, noting that he…
TENSIONS between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have deepened as the refinery halted monthly salary payments to engineers affected by the dispute that erupted in September. News Point Nigeria reports that the salary suspension, confirmed by multiple officials and documents obtained by The PUNCH, affects engineers whose appointments were terminated but who were later offered redeployment to various Dangote Group projects across the country—offers many of them rejected. Investigations revealed that the workers’ salaries were first reduced in October before being completely halted in November. Company officials said the…
NIGERIA is set for a challenging fiscal year in 2026 as the Federal Government on Wednesday unveiled a proposed N54.43tn spending plan under the newly approved Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), with debt servicing alone projected to gulp N15.91tn representing 29.2 per cent of the entire budget. The deficit, estimated at N20.10tn, is now N2.78tn larger than the country’s entire 2022 national budget, marking a historic surge that analysts say could push Africa’s largest economy into deeper fiscal distress if not managed prudently. This year’s proposed deficit is also more than double that of 2025, rising by…
CHAIRMAN of the United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, has cancelled his annual TOE All-White Party in honour of the six staff members who died in the September fire at Afriland Towers, Lagos. The fire, which broke out in the high-rise building on Broad Street, claimed the lives of workers and left the business community shaken. In a message shared via his Instagram story on Tuesday sighted by News Point Nigeria, Elumelu said he and his wife, Awele, made the “difficult decision” to suspend this year’s edition of the much-anticipated December 23 celebration. He explained that the moment calls for…
THE abducted traditional ruler, Ojibara of Bayagan in Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state, Alh Kamilu Salami, and six others have escaped from the grip of bandits. Credible sources from the community told News Point Nigeria that the traditional ruler and six other abductees from the neighbouring community were able to escape following a vicious attack launched on the bandits by the vigilantes who flooded the forests. “The vigilante team launched an attack on the bandits deep in the forests and engaged them in a fierce battle around the Eku Idaji area, close to Igbaja. “Although the Baale and…
TENSION has resurfaced in Eruku, a community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, after gunmen suspected to be terrorists abducted another resident on Sunday. News Point Nigeria reports that this comes just a week after 38 worshippers were freed following a kidnapping incident in the same town. It was learnt that the attackers stormed a farmland along the Eruku–Koro Road around midday. The assailants, reportedly four in number, were armed with AK-47 rifles and cutlasses. A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the attackers struck during routine work hours and whisked away one…
BANDITS have abducted a traditional ruler, the Ojibara of Bayagan Oba Kamilu Salami, in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident has triggered fresh concerns over the worsening insecurity plaguing communities across the state. It was learnt that the monarch was kidnapped on Saturday morning on his farm although details surrounding the incident remain sketchy as of the time of filing this report. Residents said the attack happened suddenly, leaving the community in fear and confusion. Police authorities in Kwara State are yet to confirm the incident.
GOVERNOR Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has renewed the call for a joint regional security outfit and the creation of state police. News Point Nigeria reports that Abiodun made the call on Wednesday at a meeting of southern governors hosted in the state which focused heavily on the escalating security threats across the southern part of the country. Governor Abiodun, who chaired the meeting, emphasised the urgent need for intelligence-driven security systems, digital surveillance, and a region-wide Safe School Programme. He also commended President Bola Tinubu for what they described as transformative leadership. He reiterated their longstanding demand for state…
AS political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has vowed to stamp out all forms of electoral manipulation, including vote-buying and rigging, insisting that the credibility of Nigeria’s elections is “non-negotiable.” News Point Nigeria reports that Amupitan made the declaration on Tuesday during the swearing-in of Prof. Adeniran Tella as the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Oyo State. The ceremony, held at INEC headquarters in Abuja, was part of the commission’s ongoing efforts to strengthen electoral administration across the federation. In his address, Amupitan said…
BANDITS have struck the Isapa community of Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 11 residents. News Point Nigeria reports that the gunmen, numbering more than 20, stormed the community with a large herd of cattle on Monday, firing shots indiscriminately. An elderly woman was reportedly hit by a stray bullet during the incident. A community leader, who confirmed the incident under anonymity, said that 11 people were abducted, with seven victims belonging to the same family. The kidnapped victims include a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several young children. Identities of the abducted individuals have been identified…
SOUTH-WEST governors, under the aegis of the South-West Governors’ Forum, have renewed their call for the creation of state police to tackle the security challenges bedeviling the region and the country in general. News Point Nigeria reports that they made the call on Monday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, after a closed-door meeting held at the Oyo State Governor’s Office. The meeting had in attendance the forum’s Chairman and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Others included Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), and the host, Seyi Makinde (Oyo). However, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, was represented…
KWARA State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has announced the safe release of all 38 persons abducted during the recent attack on Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Eruku, in Ekiti Local Government Area of the state. The victims regained their freedom on Sunday, November 23, after intense multi-agency security operations coordinated at the highest levels of government. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, Governor AbdulRazaq attributed the successful rescue operation to what he described as the “hands-on, decisive, and personal” intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. According to the Governor, President Tinubu not only…
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…
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…