FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned of an impending constitutional crisis following revelations that the gazetted version of Nigeria’s recently enacted tax laws does not reflect what was actually passed by the National Assembly. Atiku described the development as illegal, unconstitutional, and tantamount to forgery, insisting that any law gazetted in a form different from what lawmakers approved is a nullity and has no legal force. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by Atiku’s Media Aide, Paul Ibe late on Sunday, the former presidential candidate said the confirmation by the Senate that discrepancies exist between the passed…
Author: Sadiq Abdullateef
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THE Federal Government has revealed that a total of 16 GPS-guided precision munitions were deployed using MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms in a joint Nigeria–United States operation that targeted Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist enclaves in Sokoto State. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Saturday. He noted that during the course of the operation, debris from expended munitions fell in Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and in Offa, Kwara State, near the premises of a hotel. He, however, added that “No civilian casualties” were…
WHILE Nigerians were marking Christmas with reflection and family gatherings, a startling announcement from the United States injected global power politics into the country’s fragile security landscape. From Washington came word of airstrikes; from Presidency, careful confirmations; and from the North-West, confusion, fear and heated debate. President Donald Trump disclosed that U.S. forces had launched “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria, linking the operation to what he described as ongoing killings, particularly of Christians. The language, the timing and the unilateral tone of the announcement quickly stirred controversy across the nation. In this weekend report,…
THE United States has carried out airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist targets in northwestern Nigeria following authorisation by President Donald Trump, in an operation that Nigerian authorities say was conducted through established security cooperation frameworks between both countries. News Point Nigeria reports that President Trump announced the military action on Thursday, describing the strikes as “powerful and deadly” and warning ISIS militants to halt attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria. According to Trump, the operation was carried out on Christmas Day and resulted in the killing of “multiple ISIS terrorists.” “I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they…
THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and 12 other federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have been rated non-compliant, recording zero scores in the Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) assessment conducted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The damning outcome was contained in an official publication released by the anti-corruption agency on Wednesday obtained by News Point Nigeria, detailing the performance of 357 MDAs assessed during the 2025 evaluation exercise. According to the report, NNPC ranked last overall, scoring zero across all four key governance pillars, thereby placing it at the top of…
KIDNAPPING for ransom has become a deeply entrenched and highly organised criminal enterprise in Nigeria, with abductors collecting at least ₦2.57 billion from victims and their families within a 12-month period, a new report by SBM Intelligence has revealed. The findings are contained in SBM Intelligence’s report titled “The Year Ahead at an Inflection Point,” released on December 19, 2025 sighted by News Point Nigeria, which examined key political, economic and security trends shaping Africa in 2025, with a particular focus on Nigeria’s worsening security crisis. According to the report, kidnappers demanded an estimated ₦48 billion in ransom between July…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has firmly declined to recognise the new national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) allegedly elected at the party’s National Convention held between 15 and 16 November 2025, citing subsisting court judgments and ongoing legal processes. INEC’s position was conveyed in an official letter dated 22 December 2025 and signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Dr. Rose Oriaran-Anthony. The letter, obtained by News Point Nigeria, was in response to repeated demands by lawyers representing the PDP, urging the Commission to update its website with the list of National Officers said to have…
THE Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation has flagged a total sum of ₦288.18 billion in expenditures by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing widespread procurement breaches, financial irregularities and internal control weaknesses under the leadership of Professor Mahmood Yakubu. The revelations are contained in the Auditor-General’s Annual Report on Non-Compliance and Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for the 2022 financial year, obtained by News Point Nigeria. According to the report, the queried expenditures relate largely to activities carried out between 2018 and 2019, covering procurement processes, payments to contractors, non-retirement of advances, and…
IN a season when Nigeria’s economic story is often told through statistics, projections and policy statements, a quieter but compelling narrative is unfolding, one that blends ambition, cross-border opportunity and the evolving face of Nigerian entrepreneurship. News Point Nigeria reports that this story leads from the ancient commercial corridors of Kano to the corporate meeting rooms of Riyadh, where a Nigerian firm has just secured a landmark Saudi franchise deal with implications far beyond business headlines. At the centre of the deal is Badamasi Burji, a Kano-based journalist-turned-businessman whose journey from media engagement to international trade reflects a broader shift…
THIS week, Nigeria witnessed a moment that crystallised public frustration, elite rivalry and institutional anxiety into a single, explosive narrative. As chronicled by News Point Nigeria, the confrontation between Aliko Dangote and a senior oil regulator, Engr Farouk Ahmed was less about two individuals and more about the soul of governance in a high-stakes sector. For years, Nigerians have complained about opaque regulation, unaccountable officials and a system that appears to reward privilege while demanding sacrifice from ordinary citizens. Those grievances found an unexpected outlet when Africa’s richest man publicly accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday convened an emergency meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, ahead of the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly. News Point Nigeria reports that the emergency session, which took place at the Council Chambers of the State House, came just hours after the President formally notified the National Assembly of his intention to present the 2026 budget estimates at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19, 2025, in line with constitutional provisions. Vice President Kashim Shettima, who addressed council members at the…
FAROUK Ahmed has resigned as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) amid corruption allegations levelled against him by the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote. Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Wednesday in which he also said Gbenga Komolafe has left his position as the chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). Onanuga said President Bola Tinubu has sent the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as their replacement. The president wrote to the lawmakers, asking for…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday summoned the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid escalating allegations of economic sabotage and corruption levelled against him by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote. News Point Nigeria reports that Ahmed was sighted at the Presidential Villa at about 5:30pm, where he proceeded directly to the President’s office. He reportedly left the Villa less than 25 minutes later, fuelling speculation over the purpose and outcome of the visit. Although neither the Presidency nor the NMDPRA issued an official statement on…
THE controversy surrounding the leadership of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) intensified on Wednesday as the Dangote Group issued a fresh statement alleging that the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, is facing mounting scrutiny over plans to approve the payment of more than ₦200 billion in outstanding bridging claims to oil marketers. In a press statement sent to News Point Nigeria, the Dangote Group said industry sources expressed deep concern over the proposed settlement of what were described as “legacy” bridging claims spanning 2023, 2024 and 2025, warning that the move could expose serious…
THE Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, has distanced himself from a viral statement circulating on social media purportedly issued in response to corruption allegations made against him by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. Ahmed, in a brief but firm statement made available to News Point Nigeria late on Wednesday, denied authorising or issuing any public response to the allegations, describing the circulating statement as false and unauthorised. The denial comes amid growing controversy following comments by Dangote during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum…
THE Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has submitted a petition against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk, to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing him of corruption and financial impropriety. News Point Nigeria reports that in the petition submitted on December 16, Dangote demanded the arrest, investigation and prosecution of Ahmed for allegedly living above his means as a public servant. In the petition received by the office of the Chairman of the ICPC, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), the Dangote Group Chairman specifically accused the…
FORMER First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has opened up on a troubling period during the presidency of her late husband, Muhammadu Buhari, revealing that rumours within the Presidential Villa once led him to believe she was plotting to kill him. News Point Nigeria reports that Mrs Buhari made the disclosure in a newly released biography titled From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr Charles Omole and launched at the State House, Abuja, on Monday. According to the book, the rumours described as toxic gossip circulating within Aso Rock created fear and mistrust that disrupted Buhari’s…
FOR years, the Maryam Sanda case has sat at the uneasy intersection of crime, power, mercy and justice in Nigeria’s legal imagination. On Friday, that long-running national conversation took a dramatic turn once again, as the Supreme Court delivered what may now stand as the final word in one of the country’s most closely watched homicide cases. News Point Nigeria reports that the apex court has upheld the death sentence imposed on Maryam Sanda for the killing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, bringing fresh intensity to an already polarising case this time in direct contrast to President Bola Tinubu’s earlier…
THE Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence imposed on Maryam Sanda, despite President Bola Tinubu’s earlier decision to commute her punishment to 12 years imprisonment on compassionate grounds. News Point Nigeria reports that In a 4–1 split judgment, a five-member panel of the apex court on Thursday reaffirmed the trial court’s verdict that sentenced Sanda to death by hanging for the 2017 killing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, son of a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The ruling comes weeks after President Tinubu reversed the presidential pardon previously granted to Sanda, reducing her sentence from death…
NIGERIA’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, on Thursday confirmed that the 11 Nigerian soldiers aboard the Air Force C-130 aircraft that made a forced landing in Burkina Faso remain in the custody of Burkinabé authorities despite earlier reports claiming they had been released. News Point Nigeria reports that the development has deepened confusion around the diplomatic standoff, with contradictory accounts emerging from both countries over the fate of the detained personnel. Tuggar made the clarification during a joint press conference with Benin Republic’s Foreign Minister, Olushegun Bakari, at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja. Responding to questions from journalists, the…