THE former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, Hudu Ari, has insisted that he has enough evidence the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aisha Binani defeated Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Hudu, who spoke on Saturday in Bauchi with select journalists, said that both Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmud Yakubu, and the Election Tribunal dismissed all his evidence against the irregularities in the controversial governorship election. He said that there was pressure on him and other officials of the Commission to declare the incumbent Fintiri or else his…
Author: Sani Nura
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KIDNAPPERS of a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), retired General Maharazu Tsiga, have demanded a N250 million ransom for his release. A source close to the family who doesn’t want his name to be mentioned, told our correspondent on Saturday that the family of the victim was contacted last night by the kidnapper’s ringleader and requested the said amount. This newspaper reports that Tsiga was kidnapped alongside several other residents of Tsiga village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State. A resident of the area confirmed the incident to this newspaper in a telephone call…
NO fewer than 11 worshippers, including an Imam, have been abducted by yet to be identified gunmen who invaded a mosque in Bushe community, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The attack during the Thursday Subhi prayer has left residents in despair. This newspaper reports residents as saying the gunmen had been molesting the people of the community for some time now. They said the timely intervention of security agents led by troops of the Nigerian Army curtailed the activities of the gunmen. The Sokoto State Police Command confirmed the attack yesterday. The Command’s spokesman, Ahmed Rufai, said…
ONE person has been reportedly killed while six others are hospitalized following Lakurawa terrorists attack at Gulma community in Argungu Local Government Area of Kebbi State. While speaking to our correspondent, Chairman of Argungu local government, Aliyu Sani Gulma, said the terrorists attacked the village around 11.00pm on Thursday while residents of the community were sleeping. “In the attack, they killed one person and shot six other people. The victims are at the Federal Medical Centre in Birnin Kebbi now”, he said. He added that the terrorists fled to the forest when they realized some persons in the community had…
GUNMEN suspected to be bandits have kidnapped a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Major General Mahrazu Tsiga (retired). Tsiga, was kidnapped alongside several other residents of Tsiga village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State. A resident of the area confirmed the incident to News Point Nigeria in a telephone call on Thursday. He said, the abduction occurred on Wednesday after the hoodlums armed with sophisticated weapons invaded the residence of the former NYSC Director General. The Katsina State Government and the police are yet to issue a statement on the latest abduction. Eyewitnesses said…
THE Kebbi State Police Command has arrested 165 illegal immigrants from Burkina Faso, Mali, Ivory Coast, Benin Republic, and Niger Republic, all residing in a three-bedroom flat in the Kuwait area of Birnin Kebbi. According to the command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, the arrests followed an intelligence report that led detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to discover the arrested individuals from francophone countries living in the cramped apartment. “During the operation, 35 Burkina Faso nationals, 110 from Ivory Coast, 11 from Benin Republic, five from Niger Republic, and four from Mali were taken into custody,”…
FIRE gutted two petrol-laden tankers at an MRS filling station along the Numan Road, opposite the Jezco filling station near the Yola International Airport on Tuesday. The road leading into Yola, the state capital, was blocked as curious residents of the area rushed out to catch a glimpse of the inferno, ignoring the inherent danger. Two fuel tankers have been consumed by the fire as of press time but men of the fire service have arrived at the scene. The emergency responders have begun efforts to contain the fire but it seemed they have run out of water. Security personnel…
TROOPS of the 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army and Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have cracked down on a notorious bandit camp and killed a suspected bandit in Angwan Bala, Kambari village of Karim Lamido Local Government Area, Taraba State. The incident which occurred on Sunday 2025 followed intelligence gathering by the military. Acting on credible intelligence on the movement of suspected bandits, troops conducted a fighting patrol to the identified hideout, and on sighting the patrol team, the bandits opened fire, prompting an immediate and overwhelming response from the troops. In the ensuing firefight, one bandit was killed, while…
THE Adamawa State High Court sitting in Yola has dismissed an application filed by the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Hudu Yunusa Ari, seeking to halt proceedings in the case against him. Justice Benjamin Lawan Manji, in his ruling, rejected Hudu’s plea to stay proceedings indefinitely pending the judgment of an appeal filed at the Yola Court of Appeal. The appeal, heard on January 21, 2025, challenges the trial court’s jurisdiction and raises concerns of alleged bias. Hudu, through his counsel, M. K. Tijjani, argued that the trial court should adjourn the matter…
THE Sultanate Council Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs has announced that there were no confirmed reports of the sighting of the crescent moon marking the beginning of Sha’aban 1446AH. The announcement done in collaboration with the National Moon Sighting Committee, is significant for Muslims in the country being the month that precedes Ramadan. In a release signed by the Wazirin Sokoto, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council, Sokoto, Prof. Sambo Wali Junaidu, the committee stated that no moon sighting reports were received from various committees nationwide. “As a result, Thursday, January 30, 2025, will be…
FORMER Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has expressed surprise at the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed’s verbal attacks on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. According to Dogara, Mohammed’s attack on Wike is surprising because Wike financed Mohammed’s campaign to become governor. In a long statement on Tuesday, Dogara said he and others supporting Mohammed to become governor were shocked that despite being a former minister he had no money to fund his governorship bid. Dogara said apart from Wike taking control of the PDP primary to ensure Mohammed’s emergence as the PDP flag-bearer,…
THE Sultanate Council of Sokoto has instructed the Muslim Ummah to observe the crescent of Sha’aban 1446 AH on Wednesday, corresponding to the 29th day of Rajab 1446 AH in the Islamic calendar. Prof. Sambo Junaidu, the Waziri of Sokoto and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, conveyed the directive in a statement issued on Tuesday. The statement said when the crescent moon is sighted, it should be reported to the nearest district or village heads for onward communication to the sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, for official confirmation. “May Allah (SWT) help us in the…
FORMER President Muhammadu Buhari has described Nigeria as a challenging country to govern. Buhari, who handed over to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, spoke at an All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting at Government House, Katsina, While reflecting on his time in office, he said despite efforts to address the nation’s challenges, he was often subjected to criticism. According to him: “Those outside the corridors of power do not understand the complexities and difficulties facing Nigeria. ”My health has improved since leaving office. People who visited me told me I look better than before. On the political turf, Buhari urged political…
GOVERNOR Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, on Saturday, said he received with shock and sadness the news of the death of Alhaji Atiku Mu’azu Buyam, a retired Permanent Secretary and former Chairman of the Gombe State Board of Internal Revenue Service, Atiku Mu’azu. The late Permanent Secretary was reportedly abducted and killed in Kano State, where he had been residing after his retirement from public service. Yahaya, in a condolence message signed by the Director-General, Press Affairs, Gombe Government House, Ismiala Uba Misilli commended the swift response of security agencies, who have since apprehended a suspect in connection with the heinous crime.…
THE Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, on Friday disclosed that notorious terrorist kingpin, Bello Turji, has declared that he is ready to surrender. With his second in command and other lieutenants recently taken out by the military, the Chief of Defence Staff said that Turji has been forced to discard most of those under him, signalling his willingness to lay down his arms. “They (terrorists) are within the communities; the people know them. So, sometimes when they see them, before you get the information, it’s like two hours – the man has moved. So, when the information gets…
GOVERNOR Dikko Radda of Katsina State has declared that his administration will never negotiate with criminal elements perpetuating evil acts in the state. The governor disclosed this on Wednesday while hosting the General Officer Commanding 8 Division and Commander of Joint Task Force Northwest Operation, Major General Ibikunle Ademola Ajose, during a courtesy visit to the governor at the Katsina Government House, Katsina State. He stressed that the government can only go into a peace deal with the bandits on some laid down conditions to ensure lasting peace. The governor added that the negotiation can only be successful with the…
THE Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has confirmed the outbreak of anthrax in Zamfara State. The ministry in a statement on Tuesday by its Director of Information and Public, Mr. Ben Bem Goong, said the outbreak was recorded on a farm in north west state. The statement called for heightened vigilance and proactive measures to mitigate the risks associated with the disease. “Anthrax, caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, is a zoonotic disease that can affect various warm-blooded animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and wildlife, as well as humans. It is listed as a notifiable disease by the…
TWO notorious bandit leaders in Katsina State are said to have surrendered their arms with over 15 kidnapped victims in their captivity in Batsari Local Government Area of the State. The bandit leaders were identified as notorious leaders, Abu Radde and Umar Black. Many have attributed their surrender to the intense military operations conducted by the combined forces of Operation FANSAN YANMA and other security agencies in the area. Security sources told News Point Nigeria on Tuesday that the surrender ceremony held on Sunday was widely attended by key stakeholders, comprising some representatives from the military, and traditional and religious…
COMBINED ground and air troops under Operation Fansan Yanma have escalated their offensive against the notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, in Zamfara State. Recent coordinated military strikes have dismantled his key hideouts in Fakai, a stronghold in Shinkafi Local Government Area, where Turji and his associates have long operated, competent security expert Zagazola Makama hinted. “This comes after a series of successful missions that resulted in the destruction of multiple bandit camps in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Zamfara State. “Among the camps targeted were Zangon Dan Gwandi, Zangon Tsaika, Zangon Kagara, and a school reportedly used by…
TROOPS of the Defence Headquarters Special Operations Brigade have neutralised six terrorists during a coordinated operation against Lakurawa terrorists in the Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State. According to a statement signed and made available to newsmen on Thursday by the Coordinator, Joint Media Coordination Centre, Operation Fansan Yamma, Lt Col Abubakar Abdullahi, the operation led to an intense firefight where five soldiers lost their lives. “The troops recovered the following items from the operation, four AK-47 rifles, 160 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and one box of 12.7mm ammunition. “Despite this success, the operation came at a heavy…