Author: Editor

A SUICIDE bomber killed nine police officers and wounded 16 others on Monday in an attack on their truck in southwestern Pakistan, officials said. “The suicide bomber was riding a motorbike and hit the truck from behind,” senior police official Abdul Hai Aamir told AFP. The incident took place at Dhadar, the main town of Kachhi district, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) southeast of Quetta in Balochistan. Mehmood Notezai, police chief for Kachhi district, told AFP the police were returning from a week-long cattle show where they had been providing security. Security forces have been battling a year’s-long insurgency by…

SOUTH Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a former mayor, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, to the newly created position of electricity minister in an effort to address the country’s long-running power crisis. The new minister faces two vast challenges. Power cuts of up to 12 hours a day – the government has declared a national disaster- and allegations of high-level corruption at the state-run energy giant Eskom. The company’s former chief executive recently told the media that senior politicians were looting the firm. Eskom is massively in debt – almost $24bn (£19.9bn) in the red. The rolling power cuts are strangling the…

FOUR Terrorists prisoners escaped from a Mauritanian prison in the capital, Nouakchott, after killing prison guards, the interior ministry has said. The incident occurred on Sunday night amid a reported fire exchange in which the two guards were killed and two others wounded. The authorities have tightened security around the prison and a hunt for the fugitives is under way. The interior ministry has urged the public to report any information that could help apprehend the fugitives.

A CAMPAIGN Group, the North-West Advocates For Tinubu/Kashim (NATIK) has congratulated the president-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Asiwaju Tinubu over his election as the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In a signed statement by the Director-General of the group, Engr. Abubakar Abdulhamid Sadiq, made available to News Point Nigeria, Monday, the group assured Tinubu of their continuous support and assistance for the success of his administration. The statement reads in full: His Excellency, The Vice President–Elect, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Sir, CONGRATULATORY LETTER 1. On behalf of myself, my family, entire Northwest Advocates for Tinubi/Kashim(NATIK) executives and members…

A NIGERIAN Army personnel, Lance Corporal Nwobodo Chinonso has killed three soldiers and himself. Chinonso is reported to have opened fire and killed Lt. Sam Oladapo and others at the weekend. Oladapo was the Commander of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Rabah in Sokoto State. He also shot the FOB Command Sergeant Major (CSM), Sgt. Iliyasu Inusa, and a private soldier, Attahiru Mohammed. After killing his colleagues, the shooter turned the gun to himself and committed suicide. A source told PRNigeria that the Commander 8 Division Garrison and Commander 26 Battalion are at the base. The remains of the victims…

A LUFTHANSA flight LH566 from Frankfurt to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, was on Friday diverted to Cotonou, Togo and later to Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, by the pilot. The pilot had announced to the over 200 passengers on board that the Lagos airport was closed. Our source gathered that among the passengers, 15 Malabo-bound passengers were scheduled to arrive Lagos by 5:45pm on March 3, before flying to Equatorial Guinea capital. But the flight later arrived Lagos at 2am on March 4. However, findings showed that the Lagos airport was not closed at any time on…

AHEAD of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June, some senators-elect have begun lobbying for the presidency of the upper chamber. Aspirants for the top Senate and House of Representatives positions are expected to start declaring interest in their choice positions once the National Assembly resumes from election break on March 14. Apart from the senate presidency, other positions that will be filled include the speaker of the House of Representatives and deputy senate president as well as the principal offices. The principal officers are leaders of the majority and minority caucuses, which are largely based on membership…

SOME ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Niger State have threatened to boycott the March 11 governorship polls over alleged non-payment of their allowances. The aggrieved ad-hoc staff who spoke to our source said they have not been paid their training and election allowances for the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections that they conducted. The aggrieved staff regretted that despite the rigorous stress and threats to their lives, they are yet to be paid their full allowances. Our source reports that there was concern that the biting naira scarcity in the country would affect…

REAL Madrid are now nine points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after playing out a goalless draw at Real Betis. Barca’s 1-0 win over Valencia earlier on Sunday has put them further in control of the title race. Madrid had a goal ruled out by the video assistant referee because Karim Benzema’s free-kick hit team-mate Antonio Rudiger’s arm on the way in. Both goalkeepers were busy, especially in the second half. Betis goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, 39, made five saves including stops to deny Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois made himself big to deny Juan Miranda in the…

ON_LOAN Everton forward Moise Kean was sent off 40 seconds after coming off the bench as Juventus lost at Roma on Sunday. Kean was sent on in the final minute of normal time before being shown a straight red card for kicking out at Gianluca Mancini. The Roma defender had earlier scored what proved to be the winner with a powerful low strike. Roma move back into fourth in Serie A with the win.

PRINCE Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will be invited to King Charles III’s coronation, a statement from the couple suggests. They say they have been emailed about the coronation, on 6 May, but will not confirm whether they plan to attend. It is understood that some prospective guests are being asked to save the date ahead of official invitations that will be sent later. Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on invitations. There has been speculation about whether the US-based couple would be invited, and whether they would attend the coronation of King Charles and Camilla, the Queen…

BANGLADESH authorities are investigating the cause of a massive fire in a Rohingya refugee camp which has left 12,000 people without shelter. No casualties have been reported. But the blaze razed 2,000 shelters after spreading quickly through gas cylinders in kitchens, officials said. Police are investigating if the fire was an act of sabotage. One man has been detained, local media reported. The camp in the south-east is believed to be the world’s largest refugee camp. Most of its residents, Rohingya refugees, have fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar. On Monday, hundreds had returned to the area, known as Cox’s Bazar,…

A COURT in Egypt has handed down jail sentences, ranging from life to five years’ hard labour, to 30 people for involvement with the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Ayesha Khairat al-Shater and her husband were given 10 years each. Her father was the Muslim Brotherhood’s first nominee for president in 2012 before he was replaced by Mohamed Morsi. She was arrested in 2018 and charged with misuse of social media and promoting terrorist ideas. Amnesty International and other rights groups had described her detention as arbitrary and campaigned for her release. The State Security Criminal Court acquitted one woman.

THOUSANDS of Tunisians have gathered in central Tunis in defiance of an official ban on their protest against President Kais Saied, calling for him to release detained critics and retract his controversial remarks on migrants. He recently blamed illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa for violence and crime and said there was a plot to change the demographic composition of Tunisia. Demonstrators shouted “down with the coup” – referring to the fact President Saied has been ruling by decree since September 2021, after dissolving parliament, suspending the constitution and dismissing the government. “Stop racism and xenophobia” and “no to hate speech…

LIVERPOOL delivered the complete performance and Mohamed Salah became the club’s record Premier League goalscorer as Manchester United were overwhelmed at a joyous Anfield. United’s renaissance under manager Erik ten Hag already has the tangible reward of the Carabao Cup but Liverpool unleashed a brutal reality check on their progress with a severe thrashing. Liverpool took control of what had been a tight game, with Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford missing presentable chances, when former Old Trafford target Cody Gakpo applied a smooth finish to Andy Robertson’s perfect pass two minutes before the break. The second half was a tale…

REPORTS have it that ₦2,949,557,867 has been illegally transferred from the accounts of African fintech unicorn, Flutterwave. The tech giant’s counsel, Albert Onimole, reported the case to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, Techcabal reported. According to Onimole’s letter, the hack on Flutterwave’s accounts occurred about some weeks ago revealing that the said sum was initially transferred to 28 accounts in 63 transactions. Although the accounts that received the money were listed, the police are yet to freeze the receiving accounts to prevent the money being moved. According to Flutterwave, some commercial banks allowed the…

A GROUP, Concerned Kano Citizens for Justice, has cautioned against tarnishing the image of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Alhassan Ado Doguwa, while being investigated for an alleged crime. The group said following the arrest and subsequent arraignment of the House Leader, he has been put on a media trial and painted in grubby colours that are at variance with his well known reputation as a leader with integrity. In a statement on behalf of the group by Nura Khalil Tudun Wada, CKCJ said while under Nigerian laws, a suspect is assumed innocent until proven guilty…

POLICE in Bauchi neutralised two suspected kidnappers at Rafin Gora in Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State on Friday and rescued their victim. Police spokesman, SP Ahmed Wakil, stated on Sunday in Bauchi that the gun-wielding assailants invaded the home of a resident at Rafin Gora and attempted to kidnap his 28-year-old son. “The victim resisted the kidnap attempt and was shot multiple times in his lower abdomen while trying to escape. “Police operatives in conjunction with a local vigilance group mobilised to the scene to confront the kidnappers who welcomed them with sporadic gunshots,’’ he stated. He added…

KYLIAN Mbappe scored a club-record 201st goal for Paris St-Germain in an entertaining 4-2 win over Nantes. He had to wait until the 92nd minute but was clinical as he turned to finish left-footed and go clear of Edinson Cavani at the top of the PSG goal list. The France forward, who turned 24 in December, has established himself as a footballing superstar. He has played at two World Cup finals, winning the trophy in 2018 and earning the Golden Boot as top scorer in 2022. Mbappe, who also won the 2021 Nations League with his country, scored a hat-trick…

DIEGO Simeone set a new record as Atletico Madrid coach on Saturday, taking charge of his 613th game at the club against Sevilla in La Liga at the Metropolitano Stadium. The Argentine, 54, overtook the late club legend Luis Aragones on 612, and, accompanied by his own children, was handed a commemorative shirt to mark the new milestone by Aragones’s son before kick-off. “Legend Simeone,” read the back of the shirt and electronic displays around the stadium as Atletico fans chanted their coach’s name in appreciation for his service. Simeone, who played for the club in midfield across two spells,…