RESIDENT and businesses across Kano metropolis and surrounding areas were thrown into darkness on Wednesday following the commencement of an indefinite strike by workers of the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) over alleged poor working conditions and unresolved welfare issues. The strike was jointly declared by the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) after the expiration of an ultimatum issued to KEDCO management, which elapsed on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, without a resolution. As early as Wednesday morning, union members shut down operations at KEDCO facilities, including the company’s…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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A SUSPECT standing trial over the August 26, 2011 bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja has narrated before a Federal High Court how he joined the Ansaru terror group allegedly led by Mohammed Usman, popularly known as Khalid Al-Barnawi. News Point Nigeria reports that the suspect, Mohammed Bashir Saleh, is one of four defendants being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) in connection with the deadly attack, Nigeria’s first bombing of an international organisation’s facility, which claimed over 20 lives and left more than 70 others injured. Saleh made the disclosure during the resumed hearing of…
JUSTICE Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court Abuja, has granted the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, and his co-defendants a ₦100 million bail each in the alleged $9.7 million terrorism financing offences. News Point Nigeria reports that in a ruling, Justice Umar held that Adamu and his co-defendants had placed sufficient materials before the court for the court to exercise its discretion in their favour judicially and judiciously. Justice Umar, who granted the bail applications, directed the defendants to produce two sureties each who must be a permanent secretary and a director in the civil service. The…
FORMER Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), may remain longer in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) as the agency intensifies investigations into allegations bordering on terrorism financing and other security-related matters. Multiple security sources disclosed that the DSS is already taking steps to obtain a court order to keep the former justice minister in detention pending the conclusion of what officials described as sensitive and complex investigations that could span several months. Malami’s latest legal ordeal began on Monday, moments after he perfected his bail and was released from the…
THE Federal Government and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) are locked in a sharp public dispute over the location of a newly commissioned gold refinery in Lagos, following allegations by the forum that the facility violates Nigeria’s federal character principle and deepens structural inequality against the North. News Point Nigeria reports that the controversy erupted after the NEF, in an open letter dated January 18, 2026, accused the Federal Government of siting what it described as a “National Gold Refinery” in Lagos despite the concentration of Nigeria’s commercially viable gold deposits in Northern states. The letter, signed by NEF spokesperson,…
THE Supreme Court has ordered that the trial of former Jigawa Governor, Sule Lamido, his two sons, and others, over alleged ₦1.35billion fraud, should continue before the Federal High Court in Abuja. News Point Nigeria reports that a five-member panel of the apex court issued the directive in two unanimous judgments, in the two appeals filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the trial court, which dismissed the no-case submission filed by the Lamidos and held that the defendants had a case to answer. Both appeals were against the July 25,…
THE political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election witnessed a significant twist on Thursday as Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid. News Point Nigeria reports that the development comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the next presidential race, in which Atiku Abubakar,Tinubu’s main challenger in the 2023 election is expected to seek the presidency again, this time on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Popularly known as Abba, Atiku’s son was officially received…
THE Federal Government has again reaffirmed its long-standing policy of refusing to pay ransom for abducted victims, insisting that all rescue operations are carried out through sustained military pressure and intelligence-led operations rather than negotiations with criminals. The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, made the clarification during an interview with BBC Hausa, monitored by News Point Nigeria, amid widespread public assumptions that ransom payments are often made to secure the release of kidnapped victims, particularly schoolchildren. According to the minister, such assumptions are inaccurate and fail to reflect the realities of how security agencies conduct rescue missions across the country.…
A FRESH controversy has erupted in Katsina State following allegations that a local government council earmarked ₦300 million in its 2026 budget to pay suspected bandits, despite repeated assurances by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda that his administration does not negotiate with criminal groups. News Point Nigeria report that the allegation was made by a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the state, Dr Mustapha Inuwa, who claimed that the allocation was part of a broader pattern in which several local councils affected by insecurity allegedly make monthly payments running into millions of naira to bandits. Inuwa, a former…
THE Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have signed a new agreement aimed at improving the quality of the university education system and ensuring stability. News Point Nigeria reports that the new agreement replaces the 2009 pact that triggered several industrial actions over unresolved issues. The signing and unveiling of the agreement took place on Wednesday at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Conference Hall in Maitama, Abuja. The ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad. Speaking at the…
THE national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has firmly denied reports suggesting that he has approved or endorsed a planned defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). News Point Nigeria reports that Kwankwaso’s denial follows a wave of speculation in Kano political circles that the governor is preparing to dump the NNPP for the APC, a development that has heightened internal tensions within the party and fuelled claims that the former Kano governor may have softened his long-standing opposition to political defections. On Tuesday night, reports…
THE Nigeria Police Force says a coordinated security operation across Kogi and Kwara states has led to the rescue of 309 hostages, the arrest of 129 suspected terrorists, and the killing of 55 others. The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television monitored by News Point Nigeria. Providing details of the operation, Hundeyin said the suspects who were killed during armed confrontations with security operatives, stressing that the incidents were not cases of extrajudicial killings. “I can confirm that 129 of these terrorists were arrested and 55 were…
THE United States has delivered military supplies to Nigerian security agencies to bolster security operations in several parts of the country. This was disclosed in a post via X on Tuesday by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) sighted by News point Nigeria. “U.S. forces delivered critical military supplies to our Nigerian partners in Abuja. This delivery supports Nigeria’s ongoing operations and emphasizes our shared security partnership,” the post read. The Federal Government had said that the US government affirmed its readiness to deepen security cooperation with Nigeria, including the provision of enhanced intelligence support, defence equipment, and articles to…
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced a sharp surge in its nationwide membership following the rollout of its electronic registration platform, projecting that the party could record between eight and nine million registered members within days—a development that has sparked strong reactions from opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections. News Point Nigeria reports that the party’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists in Abuja, revealing that over two million Nigerians had already registered digitally within one week of the commencement of the exercise. Basiru said the electronic registration initiative, approved last…
THERE was a heavy deployment of security operatives at the Kano State Government House on Monday amid growing speculation over the planned defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). A visit to the Government House by News Point Nigeria revealed the presence of combined security personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), who mounted checkpoints and maintained a strong security cordon around the premises. At least seven Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) belonging to the police and the DSS were stationed…
THE Federal Government has proposed a ₦42.18 billion allocation to provide basic healthcare services for an estimated 10 million vulnerable Nigerians in 2026, as part of a broader ₦2.48 trillion budgetary provision for the health sector. News Point Nigeria reports that the proposal forms part of the ₦58.47 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the National Assembly last month, outlining the administration’s fiscal priorities amid persistent economic pressures and social challenges. According to details of the budget, the ₦42.18 billion intervention is earmarked for the procurement of essential drugs, medical consumables, diagnostic reagents, test kits,…
THE Department of State Services (DSS) has broken its silence on the abduction and defilement of a minor by one of its staff member. News Point Nigeria reports that a magistrate court in Hadejia, Jigawa State, had ordered the arrest and investigation of the operative over allegations of abducting, unlawfully detaining, and forcing the religious conversion of the 16-year-old girl. This followed a petition by a group of lawyers under Gamji Lawchain, who acted on behalf of the father of the girl identified as Walida Ibrahim. The petition alleged that the officer had abducted Walida over two years ago, held…
THE Commander, 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke, accompanied by officers of the Brigade, has paid a solidarity visit to Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) Wesley Tafida, a World War II veteran and father of Major General HT Wesley (Retired). The visit, aimed at crisscrossing, brought to light sacrifices made by the veteran in protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria during World War II (1944–1945), where he served as a courier conveying arms and ammunition. Aged 106 years, the veteran warmly received the delegation and assured them of a good reward for their sacrifices and dedication to the safety…
THE vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Datti Baba-Ahmed, says he did not declare interest in contesting for the presidency in 2027. Datti said this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief monitored by News Point Nigeria, explaining that he only clarified that he was still a member of the LP. “I never declared to contest the presidency even though there could be a possibility of that happening. I certainly did not declare for the presidency. I simply reiterated my membership of the Labour Party,” the Labour Party chieftain said on the morning show.…
THERE is growing confusion among the 140 licensed Nigerian private tour operators following the failure of a Saudi company, Rawaf Mina, to secure camp services for their 10,000 pilgrims in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa for the 2026 Hajj. This comes after the companies realised that Rawaf Mina, which was engaged on November 15, 2025 by NAHCON for them, does not have the capacity and requisite authorization from the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to provide camp services to pilgrims this year. The company was engaged to provide services to about 9,750 Nigerian private pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj.…