Author: Sani Nura

THE Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Gombe State, on Tuesday, nullified the victory of the incumbent Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Abubakar Mohammed Luggerewo. Luggerewo represents Akko central in the House. News Point Nigeria reports that, Bashir Abdullahi of the Peoples Democratic Party had dragged Luggerewo of All Progressives Congress, and the Independent National Electoral Commission to the tribunal over the cancellation of results in polling units 001, 024 and 014 in Kumo East which allegedly gave APC an edge. Luggerewo was recently announced as the Zonal Vice Chairman, North-East of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures…

THE Taraba Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Jalingo, Taraba State, on Monday upturned the victory of Nuhu Akila of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Also, two candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Batulu Mohammed, for Gashaka State Constituency and Abel Peter of Mbamnga Constituency have retained their seats. The Tribunal presided over by Justice Benson Ogbu had dismissed two cases against elected members of the APC at the Taraba State House of Assembly while a petition against Akila of the PDP was granted in favour of the petitioner, Emmanuel George of the All Progressives Congress. In a late-night ruling,…

THE Zamfara State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Sokoto has affirmed the election of Dauda Lawal as the governor of the state. The tribunal dismissed the petition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bello Matawalle, challenging the outcome of the March 18 governorship election for lacking in merit. It also awarded a N500,000 fine to the petitioner, Matawalle. The chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Cordelia Ogadi, who read the judgment, said the petitioner did not prove his allegation of wrongful collation of elections results, exclusion of results for the Maradun Local Government Area (LGA) and the election…

UNKNOWN gunmen have reportedly kidnapped an Assistant Superintendent of Police in Toro town, Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi state. The gunmen were said to have stormed the town on Friday night and immediately started shooting sporadically, throwing the whole town into serious confusion as residents scampered for safety. A resident of the town who didn’t want to be mentioned narrated that the gunmen stormed the town at about 9.00 pm in their numbers, and shot into the air causing pandemonium among the residents. According to him, the recurring incidents of kidnapping for ransom in Toro Local Government have affected…

GOMBE State Governor,  Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya,  CON has expressed profound sadness over the demise of Engr. Yakubu Abdulkadir Rasheed (Chiroman Dukku) who died today at the age of 53 after a brief illness. Governor Inuwa described Engr. Yakubu’s  life as one marked by unwavering commitment to the development of community,  state and the nation, leaving an indelible mark on our dear Gombe State. He recalled the meritorious services rendered by the deceased in various capacities, especially when he served the state diligently as the Chairman of the Gombe State Water Board, contributing to the improvement of the state’s infrastructure and…

OVER 33 kidnapped victims including women and children have regained their freedom 24 hours after they were kidnapped at gunpoint in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State. The victims were rescued following a directive by the state Governor, Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, who hails from the area. It was learnt that the Joint Security Taskforce engaged the bandits and secured the release of all the 33 kidnapped victims, hale and hearty. Caretaker Chairman of Alkaleri local government, Comrade Bala Ibrahim Mahmoud, received the victims Friday night from the security operatives in Yalwan Duguri of Alkaleri LGA. Mahmoud said that the…

A LARGE number of bandits have taken over 15 farming communities in Taraba State, preventing farmers from harvesting their crops. The affected villages include Garin Gima, Bantaguru, Shadussa, Garin Bose, Mailabari, Gamfurum, Garbatau and Nayinawa, among others. This newspaper gathered that residents of these villages have fled and are now taking refuge in Garba-Chede and other places in Bali Local Government Area of the state, leaving their matured crops unattended to. One of the affected farmers, Adamu Musa, said the bandits forced them out of their communities without harvesting their rice, maize, yam and beniseeds, among others. He lamented that…

POLICE authorities in Kebbi State have intercepted two vehicles conveying 7,500 live cartridges and parcels of Indian Hemp worth over N600 million. One of the trucks was coming from Ghana through Togo and Benin Republic to Nigeria, while the second vehicle took off from Benin Republic to Nigeria, beating different checkpoints. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Nafiu Abubakar, said this while briefing journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday, describing the arrest as huge. He said that on September 10 at about 7:30 pm, a team of police border patrol team attached to Saransa-Maje road, Bagudo Local Government…

THE Chairman of the Taraba State Task Force Committee, General Jeremiah Faransa (Rtd), has lamented the involvement of over 20,000 residents in illegal mining and deforestation in the state. He said that over 100 ring leaders and foreigners have been arrested, adding that the state government will not lower its guard in the fight against illegal miners and those bent on acts of deforestation across the state. It was an unannounced invasion of the illegal miner’s camp by the taskforce team set up by the Taraba government following the ban on illegal mining and deforestation. Upon arrival, the team uncovered…

THE police in Sokoto State have confirmed a banditry attack in Giyawa village, Goronyo Local Government Area in the eastern senatorial district of the state, where four persons were confirmed dead. A source in the village told this newspaper that the bandits stormed the town in the early hours of Thursday on dozens motorcycles. “They invaded our village shortly before Subhi prayer (dawn prayer) on bikes and started shooting sporadically at houses and people preparing for farm and mosque’, the source stated. The Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ahmed Rufai, confirmed to News Point Nigeria…

THE Adamawa State Government has identified factors that led to three boat accidents recorded in the state within a week. Water accidents have claimed an estimated 57 of lives in the last eight days, sparking criticism about the management of water transport in the northeastern state. The most recent wave of accidents started on Monday, September 4, where a canoe travelling between Mayo-Ine and Mayobelwa in Mayobelwa Local Government Area capsized, killing two of its passengers. Four days later, another accident involving another canoe conveying 23 traders and farmers from Rugange village to Yola town in Yola South area occurred…

TRAGEDY struck in Gurin, a suburb of Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa state, on Monday, as a boat conveying passengers capsized. According to a source, the victims, mostly women and children, were returning from farms and a naming ceremony when the wooden boat sank. The Executive Secretary of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Mohammed Suleiman, confirmed the incident, stating that it occurred in the afternoon and that rescue efforts were ongoing. The member representing Fufore/Gurin constituency at the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Barr. Umar Bobbo Ismail, also confirmed the tragic incident. The development comes 48 hours…

SOME gunmen killed a housewife and wounded her husband in Jalingo, Taraba State capital, on Sunday. The spokesman of the state Police Command, SP Usman Abdullahi, disclosed the unfortunate incident to Daily Trust in a telephone interview. The incident occurred at the Mile 6 area of Jalingo metropolis of the state. Abdullahi mentioned that the attackers entered the house of one Mr. Balanko Gamalia and shot him and his wife in an attempt to abduct them. The wife was reported to have died on the spot while the injured husband is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Jalingo. He…

REPENTANT Boko Haram terrorists have called on the government to provide them with a means of livelihood as they resettle back into communities having undergone series of rehabilitation. Speaking exclusively to News Point Nigeria at the Bulumkutu Rehabilitation Centre, Maiduguri where the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, distributed food items to them and some rescued Chibok girls, the former insurgents expressed concerns on their current status, adding that some of them are thinking of returning to the bush. “I am still living in the camp although I have been freed by the authorities but I have…

THREE top military officers in Burkina Faso have been arrested and charged with plotting against the ruling junta, the country’s military prosecutor said on late Friday. Investigators last week received a tipoff about “soldiers and former soldiers working in intelligence” who were scouting out the homes and other locations used by key figures in the junta, including strongman Captain Ibrahim Traore, he said in a statement. Their goal was to “destabilise… the transition”, it said, referring to a term used to describe interim military rule before promised elections. Investigations led to the arrest of the three, who have been ordered…

THE Bauchi State House of Assembly has rejected the nomination of Mr Ishaku Yankari as the state Auditor General on the ground that the executive breached the criteria for his appointment. Speaker of the House, Rt Hon. Abubakar Y Suleiman, disclosed this during the plenary on Friday, shortly after the reports of the House Committee on Public Account in respect of the screening of the nominee was presented by the committee chairman, Hon. Mubarak Haruna (Jama’are Constituency). Last week, the State Governor, Bala Mohammed, forwarded Yakari’s name to the House as a nominee for the Auditor-General of Bauchi State. The…

THE security of lives and property in the eastern part of Sokoto State appears to have hit an all-time low as undesirable elements now enjoy free reign in killing, kidnapping, and maiming innocent members of the communities. Consequently, fear of the unknown has gripped the affected communities, especially those in Isa, Sabon Birni, Rabah, Goronyo, and Illela Local Council Areas of the state, whose natives have been forced to resign their fate in the hands of Allah. The new wave of uncertainty now pervading Sokoto East has also resulted in many people not visiting or staying in their native communities,…

KATSINA State Governor, Dikko Radda, says his administration has so far recruited at least 1,500 Community Watch Officers drawn from the eight frontline local government areas of the state. This he said, is part of measures to empower the residents to defend themselves against terrorist attacks. Radda, who was speaking on Wednesday during a media chat held at the Katsina Government House as part of activities to mark his 100 days in office, maintained that insecurity important to his administration, hence his government has attacked it head-on. According to the Governor, the creation of the Ministry of Internal Security and…

GOMBE State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, is elated over the judgment by the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), which has unanimously affirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 Presidential election. Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who is also the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, described the judgment as a victory for democracy and truth, and a momentous affirmation of the Nigerian people’s trust in President Tinubu’s leadership. “This victory is a testament to the strength of our democracy, the resilience of our institutions, and the belief of our people in a brighter future,” Governor Inuwa Yahaya said. He…

THE Katsina State Government on Sunday launched the distribution of palliatives in the Kankara Local Government Area of the State. This followed the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government which caused economic hardship including the hike in foodstuff prices and other essential commodities. The State Deputy Governor, Hon. Faruk Lawal Jobe, while launching the distribution exercise in the Kankara Local Government Area of the state, explained that the palliatives will cover all the 361 wards of the state where each of the 6,652 polling units will be given five bags of rice. He announced that there are a…