Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

AN investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bello Umar, on Wednesday told the Federal High Court, Abuja, how Olugbenga Obadina, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Almond Projects Limited, allegedly received ₦2.1 billion from the Office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), without executing any contract. News Point Nigeria reports that testifying before Justice James Omotosho, Umar, who appeared as the first prosecution witness (PW-1), detailed how the payment was traced to Obadina’s company in multiple bank transactions despite the absence of any legitimate contract with the NSA’s office. The ongoing trial…

THE Federal Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its proposed nationwide strike, assuring that it is working diligently to address the union’s outstanding demands and grievances. News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the appeal during a press conference held in Abuja on Wednesday, where he confirmed that discussions between the government and the university lecturers’ union were ongoing and progressing steadily. Alausa disclosed that the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed-led Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee had been reconstituted and inaugurated to accelerate dialogue with all academic…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially accepted the departure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the expiration of his second and final tenure, marking the end of a decade-long leadership that oversaw two general elections and several landmark reforms in Nigeria’s electoral system. News Point Nigeria reports that in a statement on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President expressed appreciation to Professor Yakubu for his years of service to Nigeria and his role in deepening the nation’s democratic process. “President Tinubu…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted the resignation of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, following a storm of controversy surrounding allegations of certificate forgery and academic misrepresentation. The development comes barely 48 hours after News Point Nigeria exclusively reported that Nnaji was on the verge of resigning after court documents and official records from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) disowned the degree certificate he claimed to possess. Confirming the development on Tuesday, the Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said the President had accepted Nnaji’s resignation “in good faith” and thanked him for his service…

PROFESSOR Mahmood Yakubu has handed over to May Agbamuche as the Acting National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), News Point Nigeria gathered. The development, which marks a major shake-up in Nigeria’s electoral leadership, was confirmed on Tuesday at the ongoing meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) held at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja. Professor Yakubu’s  two- term 10-year tenure is schedule to end in November as he has led the Commission since 2015. He formally announced his exit on Tuesday and  handed over to Agbamuche-Mbu, urging management staff and commissioners to extend their full support to her…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has summoned an emergency Council of State meeting and a Police Council session for Thursday, October 9, 2025, as part of renewed efforts to address Nigeria’s growing insecurity and review the nation’s internal security framework. The high-level meetings to be held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja will bring together former Presidents and Heads of State, state governors, former Chief Justices of Nigeria, and top security officials, marking one of the most significant gatherings of national leaders under Tinubu’s administration. According to a statement issued on Monday by the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs…

FORMER Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor (rtd), has described the 2022 Abuja–Kaduna train abduction as one of the most harrowing and challenging episodes of his military career, admitting that the tragic incident stretched Nigeria’s security architecture to its limits. Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on Monday night monitored by News Point Nigeria, the retired general reflected on the turbulence of his tenure, saying the attack on the passenger train near Katari, Kaduna State, was a defining moment that demanded every ounce of his experience and leadership. “For me, during the time I was…

LESS than 24 hours after News Point Nigeria exclusively published an in-depth investigation exposing discrepancies and inflation in the 2026 Hajj fare announced by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an immediate review and downward adjustment of the fare. The President directed NAHCON to come up with new, affordable Hajj fares within 48 hours. The directive was conveyed by Vice President Kashim Shettima during a meeting with the management and board members of the commission at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday. According to the Vice President, the President’s order followed concerns raised…

A BRITISH Airways (BA) flight from London to Abuja was forced to make an emergency diversion to Barcelona, Spain, in the early hours of Monday after a retired Nigerian Air Vice Marshal from Anambra State reportedly died mid-air. News Point Nigeria reports that the flight, which departed London’s Heathrow Airport at about 11:00pm on Sunday, October 5, was scheduled to arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by 5:00am on Monday. However, the journey took a tragic turn when the pilot declared a medical emergency around 1:30 a.m., prompting the aircraft to divert to El Prat Airport, Barcelona, for…

THE United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced sweeping global job cuts that have claimed nearly 5,000 positions across the world, as the organisation struggles with a worsening financial crisis triggered by massive reductions in international humanitarian aid. In Nigeria alone, over 280 staff members have reportedly lost their jobs in recent months, marking one of the largest single-country layoffs in Africa. A senior source within the UNHCR Nigeria office confirmed the development to News Point Nigeria, lamenting that “almost 300 UNHCR colleagues have already lost their jobs this year.” “This is more than half of our Nigeria…

MINISTER of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, is at the center of a storm of controversy following his admission in court documents that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), the institution he claimed to have attended never issued him a degree certificate. This admission comes after a two-year investigative report by Premium Times, which revealed that the university had no record of ever issuing such a certificate to the minister, contradicting the documents he submitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Senate, and other federal agencies during his appointment and screening in 2023. The revelation has triggered…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) has released two female journalists with Jay 101.9 FM, Jos, who were wrongfully arrested by its operatives during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Plateau State on Saturday. The Service also tendered an official apology to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) over the incident, describing it as “regrettable and unacceptable.” The journalists; Miss Ruth Marcus and Miss Keshia Jang were reportedly covering activities related to the President’s condolence visit for the burial of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, the late mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, when they…

WHEN President Bola Ahmed Tinubu touched down in Jos, Plateau State, on Saturday, it was meant to be a moment of solemnity and symbolism, a visit that blended condolences with outreach. The President attended the funeral of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, mother of the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, and met with Northern Christian leaders to reaffirm his commitment to unity, fairness, and peace. But even before the echoes of his message faded, political fault lines had deepened. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar swiftly denounced the visit as a “mockery of leadership,” accusing the President of ignoring victims of insecurity…

FORMER President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has denied media reports suggesting that he accused late former President Muhammadu Buhari of being nominated by Boko Haram as a mediator during the peak of the insurgency crisis. Jonathan, in a statement issued by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze sent to News Point Nigeria, on Saturday, clarified that his remarks at the public presentation of a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor (rtd), were twisted out of context by some sections of the media. The former president said his intention was to highlight the manipulative and deceitful tactics…

WHEN the Federal Government and Meta Platforms Inc., parent company of Facebook and Instagram, agreed on Friday to settle out of court a staggering $32.8 million sanction for alleged data privacy violations, it was more than the end of a courtroom tussle. It signaled Nigeria’s intensifying battle with data protection failures, regulatory enforcement gaps, and the rising dangers confronting millions of citizens in a digital-first economy. News Point Nigeria takes readers inside the growing crisis of digital privacy. At the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday (Friday), before Justice James Omotosho, lawyers representing both the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)…

A FORMER presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, has dismissed claims by former President Goodluck Jonathan that Boko Haram terrorists once nominated the late President Muhammadu Buhari as their mediator in proposed talks with the Federal Government. In a statement issued on Friday sent to News Point Nigeria, Shehu described Jonathan’s remark as “false, misleading, and politically motivated,” warning the former president to stop “rewriting history” as part of a potential bid for the 2027 presidency. According to Shehu, neither Boko Haram’s founder, Muhammed Yusuf, nor his successor, Abubakar Shekau, ever nominated Buhari for such a role. On the contrary, he said,…

FORMER President, Goodluck Jonathan has admitted that the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 remains an “eternal scar” on his government and personal life. News Point Nigeria reports that Jonathan made the remark on Friday during the public presentation of “SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum”, a memoir written by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd), in Abuja. The ex-president hailed Irabor as “a soldier who stood for truth and never played politics with national security.” Reflecting on his presidency, Jonathan said the kidnap of 276 schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State,…

THE United States Department of State has accused the Nigerian government of failing to adequately protect victims of Boko Haram insurgency and human trafficking, despite some progress in recent years. In its 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, published on Thursday and reviewed by News Point Nigeria, the US said Nigeria has not met the minimum global standards required in key areas of combating human trafficking, keeping the country on the Tier 2 Watchlist, a ranking for countries making “significant efforts” but still falling short. The report criticised Nigeria’s weak efforts in identifying and protecting vulnerable groups, including internally displaced…

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed reports suggesting that he intends to step down for another presidential aspirant ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that such claims were based on a distortion of his recent BBC Hausa interview. In a statement released on Thursday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe made available to News Point Nigeria, Atiku described the reports as misleading and mischievous, stressing that at no point during the interview did he suggest, imply, or declare that he was stepping down for anyone. According to Ibe, a careful review of both the video footage and transcripts of…

THE Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, has ordered the immediate release of an Abuja-based businesswoman, Mrs. Chineze Ozoadibe, who was wrongfully arrested and detained over alleged involvement in illegal oil bunkering, News Point Nigeria gathered. In addition, Ajayi approved ₦10 million compensation for Ozoadibe, while five other persons who were also arrested in error during the same operation will collectively receive another ₦10 million, bringing the total payout to ₦20 million. According to a credible security source, Ozoadibe was arrested during a joint operation coordinated by another security agency targeting a suspected oil bunkering…