PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reversed the controversial presidential pardon earlier granted to Maryam Sanda, the woman convicted for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, in their Abuja home in 2017. The President has now commuted her death sentence to 12 years imprisonment, a decision that will see her spend about six additional years in custody. News Point Nigeria earlier reported that Sanda, 37, has been dropped from the list of beneficiaries of presidential pardon after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved an amended version of the Clemency and Prerogative of Mercy list earlier forwarded for implementation. But according to an updated…
Author: Sadiq Abdullateef
Read More
CONVICTED husband-killer, Maryam Sanda, has been dropped from the list of beneficiaries of presidential pardon after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved an amended version of the Clemency and Prerogative of Mercy list earlier forwarded for implementation. Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, had reportedly appeared on an earlier draft of the list, sparking widespread public outrage. Her exclusion confirms that the Federal Government has now bowed to intense public pressure and security considerations. According to a statement on Wednesday sent to News Point Nigeria, Special Adviser to the President on…
THE Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has intensified its investigation into an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, with military operatives reportedly interrogating a Managing Director of a Federal Government agency over suspicious financial transactions allegedly linked to the planned coup. Two top intelligence officials confirmed to this newspaper that the unnamed MD from the South-South region was arrested after transferring a “huge sum of money” to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Bayelsa Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, who is now being probed as one of the alleged financiers of the coup plot. Investigators are said to be…
IN a development following last month’s industrial face-off between the Dangote Refinery management and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the Dangote Group has redeployed the refinery engineers earlier disengaged at the peak of the dispute. Findings by News Point Nigeria revealed that the affected workers, many of whom were still graduate trainees at the time of their dismissal, have now been offered redeployment to multiple Dangote business units across the country including locations in Borno, Zamfara, Benue, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Ebonyi States. The move follows federal intervention and negotiations that compelled the company…
AS Nigerians continue to battle soaring cost of living, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, have blamed state governors for not translating the country’s surging revenue allocations into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens. News Point Nigeria reports that the The two leaders, speaking separately at public events in Abuja on Monday, urged Nigerians to hold their governors and local government chairmen accountable for how they spend the increased statutory allocations flowing from the Federation Account which, according to Yilwatda, have risen from ₦400 billion per month…
A MEMBER of the United States House of Representatives, Riley M. Moore (R-W.Va.), has insisted that approximately 7,000 Christians have been killed across Nigeria so far this year, and is calling for Nigeria to be designated a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over what he describes as a genocide against Christians. In an interview on Fox News monitored by News Point Nigeria, Moore stated that the killings have been ongoing for decades with little international attention. He said: “7,000 Christians have been murdered in Nigeria this year. That’s 35 Christians murdered per day. It’s a tragedy that cannot be ignored…
CONTRACTORS responsible for providing food to inmates across correctional centres in the country have raised alarm over what they describe as crippling unpaid debts owed to them by the Federal Government, warning that the situation is threatening the continued supply of food to prisons and could spark security risks. The suppliers say the government owes over ₦30 billion in accumulated feeding costs, including a ₦7.7 billion backlog from late 2023 and a ₦23 billion shortfall arising from the Federal Government’s failure to implement an approved increase in the daily feeding allowance for inmates. In August 2024, the Presidency approved an…
AS the sun dipped behind the arid horizon of Mafa town in Borno State, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum stood before a crowd of anxious security operatives and community leaders. His tone was grave. His words, urgent. For the first time, Boko Haram terrorists had reportedly deployed a drone to attack a military formation in the state, a chilling escalation that underscores Nigeria’s growing vulnerability to a new phase of insurgency. “This is frightening,” Zulum told journalists. “In Dikwa, I was told drones were used. The proliferation of drones, particularly in the hands of non-state actors, is of great concern for…
THE Presidency has explained why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved major changes in Nigeria’s military hierarchy, including the removal of the Chief of Defence Staff and the appointment of new service chiefs. The clarification comes amid public speculation linking the shake-up to recent rumours of a coup attempt within the military. The Presidency, however, insists that the decision was purely strategic and aimed at strengthening national security operations. Last Friday, the President announced the appointment of General Olufemi Oluyede as the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing General Christopher Gwabin Musa. Also appointed were Major-General W. Shaibu as Chief of…
NIGERIA’s defence leadership is undergoing a significant strategic elevation with the appointment of new Service Chiefs whose academic backgrounds, operational records, command experience, and professional accomplishments place them among the most decorated and battle-tested officers of their generation. The newly appointed military heads bring decades of field experience, instructional expertise, and international engagement in defence operations, peacekeeping, counterterrorism, strategic planning, and leadership restructuring. This detailed report provides a comprehensive profile of the new Service Chiefs, highlighting their early lives, education, military training, operational deployments, command tenure, professional merits, and personal commitments. Chief Of Army Staff – Major General Waidi Shaibu…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved sweeping changes in Nigeria’s military hierarchy, including the removal of General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the appointment of General Olufemi Oluyede as his successor. This was contained in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Media & Public Communication, Sunday Dare. According to the statement, the changes take immediate effect and form part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to “strengthen the national security architecture and respond more effectively to emerging security threats across the country.” Until his…
FRESH pressure is mounting on former President Goodluck Jonathan to abandon his speculated plan to return to the presidency in the 2027 general elections, as prominent figures from the Niger Delta are rallying to persuade him to instead throw his weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid. Findings by News Point Nigeria reveal that former militant leader and influential Niger Delta figure, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, is leading a coordinated regional effort to convince Jonathan to drop his rumoured ambition and back Tinubu’s second-term project. According to impeccable sources, Tompolo, accompanied by close associates including…
FORMER Kano State Governor and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general elections, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has predicted that the 2027 general elections will be the toughest in Nigeria’s democratic history, even as he declared that his party is open to alliances with other political forces, including President Bola Tinubu and Labour Party’s Peter Obi. Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa monitored by News Point Nigeria, Kwankwaso, who recently marked his 69th birthday, said the NNPP is willing to collaborate with any political party or individual that shares its vision for a…
VICE PRESIDENT Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to upholding press freedom and supporting the journalism profession in Nigeria. News Point Nigeria reports that Shettima gave the assurance on Wednesday when he hosted the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by its President, Alhassan Abdullahi, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Describing the media as the “lifewire of the nation” and “the conscience of democracy,” Shettima said the Tinubu administration considers the press an indispensable partner in national development. “In President Bola Tinubu, you have a friend, an ally,…
A NIGERIAN teenager, Mohammed Aminu Sani, has made history by becoming one of the youngest Nigerians ever to earn a United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Commercial Multi-Engine Pilot License, achieving the milestone at just 18 years old. News Point Nigeria reports that Sani, who completed his intensive training at Phoenix East Aviation (PEA) in Daytona Beach, Florida, finished the entire programme in just 10 months, an exceptional feat for any aviation trainee. Even more remarkable, he passed every stage of his flight training without a single checkride failure, a rare accomplishment that underscores his discipline, resilience, and precision. “Becoming…
DESPITE being listed among the 175 beneficiaries of President Bola Tinubu’s recent presidential pardon, convicted killer Maryam Sanda may remain behind bars at least for now as the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has ordered a comprehensive multi-agency review of the controversial clemency list. Sanda, who was convicted in 2017 for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, had been among those granted presidential mercy in the announcement made at the Council of State meeting on October 9, 2025. But findings indicate that the release of several high-profile convicts including Sanda has…
THE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Pakistan, has ordered the arrest of News Point Nigeria’s editor, Farouk Abbas, through the Department of State Services (DSS) over a series of investigative reports exposing corruption in the commission and his alleged disrespect and coordinated attacks against Vice President Kashim Shettima. Editor Arrested and Detained for Over 50 Hours Abbas was reportedly arrested by DSS operatives on October 14, moments after exiting a shopping mall in Kaduna. He was detained for more than 50 hours before being released following intense legal efforts…
NIGERIA’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, has returned to the country after spending several weeks abroad for medical treatment and rest, bringing an end to weeks of speculation about his health status. News Point Nigeria reports that a viral video circulating on social media at the weekend showed the 69-year-old minister at a hotel in Abuja, where he reportedly held a closed-door meeting with a visiting Qatari delegation on Sunday. The development confirmed his return to Nigeria after his recent stay in the United Kingdom. Mr. Edun had earlier been reported to have…
THE internal crisis plaguing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a dramatic turn, as the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has formally petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the alleged forgery and cloning of his signature on official party documents. In separate petitions dated October 15 and submitted to the three agencies on October 16, copies of which were obtained by News Point Nigeria, Anyanwu claimed he never signed the August 29 letter to INEC notifying the commission of the party’s upcoming National Convention…
AS the National Assembly moves to alter Nigeria’s 2027 general election timetable, an old speech by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sighted by News Point Nigeria, one in which he fiercely opposed a similar legislative move over two decades ago, warning it could lead Nigeria toward an “authoritarian state.” The renewed debate comes after the Senate and House of Representatives began consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, which proposes shifting the next presidential and governorship elections from early 2027 to November 2026. If passed, the bill will require that all general elections be held no later than 185…