Author: Abimbola Daniels

THE Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of a staggering $7,000,000 (about ₦10.8 billion) in cash that was mysteriously abandoned inside the vault of a commercial bank branch located at 114 Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the ruling on Monday, granting the prayers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order on August 27. Lead prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), told the court that the EFCC complied with the court’s directive to publish the interim order in a…

NOBEL Laureate, playwright, and global literary icon, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has revealed that he was abducted and robbed during a recent trip to Romania, turning what was supposed to be a celebratory visit into a harrowing experience. News Point Nigeria reports that the 89-year-old literary giant had traveled to attend the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), one of the largest and most prestigious performing arts festivals in the world. The annual event, hosted in Sibiu, Romania, attracts thousands of theatre enthusiasts, performers, and cultural icons from across the globe. However, Soyinka’s experience took a frightening turn shortly after landing in…

MILLIONS of Nigerians will soon enjoy cheaper calls and data as the Federal Government has announced the revocation of the 5% excise duty previously imposed on telecommunications services. News Point Nigeria reports that the decision, which covers both voice calls and internet data, was revealed by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in a statement posted via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday. According to the announcement, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu personally directed the removal of the tax during discussions on the implementation of the…

NIGERIA is bracing for a crippling nationwide fuel scarcity as the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and key transport associations have vowed to proceed with their planned strike today, September 8, 2025, despite last-minute government intervention. News Point Nigeria reports that the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) announced their solidarity with NUPENG in the looming industrial action, which threatens to paralyse fuel distribution across the country. On Sunday, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, convened an emergency…

NIGERIA’s fragile petroleum distribution network faces fresh turbulence as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) threatens to embark on a nationwide strike on Monday, September 8, in protest against alleged anti-labour practices at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. News Point Nigeria reports that the crisis, which has sparked appeals from major fuel marketers and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for presidential intervention, revolves around Dangote’s plan to deploy 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks for direct fuel distribution to retailers, a move unions say could erode thousands of tanker drivers’ jobs and undermine existing operators. NUPENG, in…

FRESH concerns over fiscal responsibility and accountability have emerged after budget performance documents revealed that the Lagos State House of Assembly has earmarked N6.2 billion to purchase 40 residential properties for its members. The provision, captured in the second quarter 2025 budget performance report, indicates that each lawmaker will walk away with a house valued at approximately N155 million as part of their exit package. According to the document obtained by News Point Nigeria, N1 billion (16.1%) of the allocation has already been spent by the end of Q2 2025. The budget line specifically referenced the purchase of 40 properties…

THE Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has raised the alarm over an impending nationwide fuel scarcity, warning that its members may suspend operations following a festering dispute with the management of the Dangote Refinery. In a strongly worded statement signed by Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale, President and General Secretary of NUPENG respectively, the union accused Dangote Refinery of “anti-labour practices” and an outright denial of workers’ constitutional right to freedom of association. According to the union, Dangote has barred drivers recruited to operate its newly imported 10,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks from joining any…

THE Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Chief Sunday Dare, CON, has called on Nigerian youths to take full advantage of the youth-focused initiatives of the Tinubu administration, describing them as champions of the government’s Renewed Hope agenda. News Point Nigeria reports that speaking on Thursday at the Arise Congress 2.0, themed “The Emergence of Champions”, Dare addressed a mammoth crowd of over 24,000 youths at the Baptist International Convention Centre along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The four-day event, which runs from September 3 to 6, 2025, brought together young people from across the country…

NO fewer than 8,692 cases of domestic and sexual violence were recorded in Lagos State between August 2024 and July 2025. News Point Nigeria reports that the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, disclosed this on Friday at a media parley to commemorate Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month held every September. Speaking at the event held at Alausa, Ikeja, in Lagos, Pedro said domestic violence accounted for 3,685 cases, making it the most common issue during the period. Pedro, who was represented by the State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Hameed…

AN elderly passenger was on Wednesday escorted off a Nigerian commercial aircraft after refusing to comply with safety instructions and allegedly threatening a flight attendant, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosed. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident, which occurred earlier in the day at an undisclosed airport, was confirmed by NCAA spokesperson Michael Achimugu in a post on his official X handle. He noted that he deliberately withheld the name of the airline involved, explaining that the matter was shared primarily as an educational case for passengers. According to Achimugu, the passenger was originally seated in an…

A NIGERIAN monarch, Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, has been sentenced to 56 months (over four years) in prison by a U.S. District Court after being found guilty of orchestrating a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme tied to COVID-19 emergency loan programmes. News Point Nigeria reports that the 62-year-old traditional ruler, who holds dual U.S. and Nigerian citizenship and resides in Medina, Ohio, was convicted by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko on August 26. According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio on Tuesday, Oba Oloyede will also serve…

DR Awele V. Elumelu, OFR, Director at Heirs Holdings, Founder of Avon HMO & Avon Medical, and Co-Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, has called on governments, the private sector, and global partners to see Nigeria’s challenges as untapped opportunities for transformative investment. News Point Nigeria reports that delivering the keynote private sector address at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) International Business Conference and Expo 2025 at Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Dr. Elumelu emphasized that Nigeria’s future lies in harnessing its youthful population, bridging infrastructure gaps, and empowering entrepreneurs. Highlighting Nigeria’s demographics, she described…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of shares worth over ₦246 million linked to a retired Nigerian Army General, Major-General U.M. Mohammed, to the Federal Government. News Point Nigeria reports that the ruling, delivered on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, by Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, followed a motion on notice filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to court documents, the forfeited assets were several units of shares valued at ₦246,305,544, traced to the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL). Confirming the…

THE Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) held the second edition of its Book Reading Series on Wednesday at the Nigerian Content Tower, Swali, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, featuring veteran journalist and former Editor of The PUNCH, Mr. Dayo Oketola. Oketola captivated the audience with readings from his new book, The Catalyst: Nigerian Tech Evolution Through a Journalist’s Lens, a compelling 352-page exploration of Nigeria’s telecommunications journey, technological transformation, and digital inclusion efforts. The event drew a diverse crowd of book lovers, students, writers, and industry professionals, who were also treated to spoken word performances that enriched the atmosphere of intellectual and…

COMFORT Emmanson, an air passenger embroiled in a controversial Ibom Air incident, has given a detailed account of the events on board the flight that led to her arrest, arraignment, and eventual discharge by a Lagos court. In a video shared on her Instagram page on Sunday, Emmanson expressed gratitude to supporters who stood by her during what she described as a “traumatic” ordeal. Narrating her version of events, the real estate consultant recalled that on August 10, 2025, she boarded a flight from Uyo to Lagos. She alleged that a disagreement began when a flight attendant, identified as Juliana,…

THE story of Comfort Emmanson, the Ibom Air passenger who was detained in Kirikiri Prison following an in-flight altercation, has taken dramatic turns from unexpected windfalls to a high-stakes legal battle that now questions the very integrity of Nigeria’s aviation system. Emmanson, who was at the centre of a heated confrontation with Ibom Air crew on August 10, was released after the withdrawal of charges and her removal from the airline operators’ no-fly list. But what began as a tale of public embarrassment has transformed into a narrative of reward, controversy, and legal reckoning. In the days following her release,…

COMFORT Emmanson, the Ibom Air passenger whose controversial in-flight altercation led to her detention, has spoken publicly for the first time since regaining her freedom. In a surprising twist, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) is now considering making her an ambassador for good passenger conduct, according to Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo. Emmanson, who was remanded after a viral incident aboard an Ibom Air flight, was released on Wednesday, August 13, following the withdrawal of the complaint against her. The release came after interventions from the Federal Government. Taking to Instagram shortly after her release, Emmanson, known online as #soft_commy…

THE Federal Government has eased sanctions in three separate high-profile aviation incidents that sparked nationwide debate, reducing penalties, withdrawing criminal charges, and pledging reforms in how disruptive passenger cases are handled. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced the decisions on Wednesday after consultations with key stakeholders, including the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), and security agencies. Fuji legend Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as Kwam 1, had been placed on an indefinite no-fly ban following an incident on August 5, 2025, when he attempted to…

THE Dangote refinery has reduced the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly referred to as petrol, from N850 to N820 per litre nationwide. A statement signed by the Dangote Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, disclosed this on Tuesday. “Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a reduction in the ex-depot (gantry) price of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly referred to as petrol, by N30 from N850 to N820 per litre, effective from 12th August 2025. “As part of our unwavering commitment to national development, Dangote Petroleum Refinery assures the public of a consistent and uninterrupted supply of petroleum products,”…

THE Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mike Achimugu, has clarified the agency’s role in two recent passenger incidents, saying the authority only intervenes where necessary and within its mandate. Speaking on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief monitored by News Point Nigeria, Achimugu said in the case involving Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, better known as K1 De Ultimate, the airline did not press charges. “The airline [in the singer’s case]did not activate its right to take the passenger to court. As a result, the NCAA petitioned relevant authorities to…