A NOTORIOUS bandit leader, Kachallah Muhammad, has reportedly established communication with relatives of the abducted retired senior military officer, Major General Rabe Abubakar Batsari, in a development that may open a channel for negotiations over the couple’s release. This newspaper gathered that on Monday that the bandit kingpin, who operates in parts of Katsina State, opened a line of communication with the family of the retired military officer earlier in the day. Major General Batsari and his wife were reportedly abducted on Saturday while travelling in Katsina State. The couple’s vehicle was said to have been ambushed along the Marabar…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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FORMER Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has reaffirmed his loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the policies of his administration, dismissing reports suggesting that he criticised the President during a recent media interview. Tuggar made the clarification in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday in Bauchi through his media aide, Abdulkadir Alkassim, who said the minister’s comments in a Hausa-language interview had been misrepresented and taken out of context. “For the avoidance of doubt, Ambassador Tuggar did not criticise or question President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in any way. Any suggestion to the contrary is false…
THE Federal Government has activated emergency surveillance measures at airports and other points of entry across the country, including mandatory screening for inbound passengers and returning Hajj pilgrims, following a fresh outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. News Point Nigeria reports that the measures include the deployment of a dedicated Ebola screening portal for all passengers travelling to Nigeria, heightened monitoring at international airports, and enhanced collaboration among health and aviation authorities aimed at preventing the importation of the disease. The move follows the declaration by the World Health Organization of…
THE Nigeria Governors’ Forum has disclosed that state governors are proposing a new national minimum wage of N100,000 as part of ongoing efforts to cushion the effects of economic hardship on Nigerian workers. News Point Nigeria reports that Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, made this known in a post shared by the state government on Facebook on Saturday, saying the proposal was informed by the rising cost of living, persistent inflation, and the growing financial pressure on workers nationwide. READ ALSO: Working Class, Poor Majority Are Bleeding, NLC Condemns…
ALL access roads leading to the “A-Class” Event Centre in Abuja, the venue scheduled to host a proposed special convention for the ratification of former President Goodluck Jonathan as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, have been barricaded by the police. News Point Nigeria reports that the proposed convention was being organised by members of the party loyal to Tanimu Turaki. Eyewitnesses said the police deployed several operational vans to completely block the two major access roads leading from the Wuse and Maitama axes into the premises of the event centre. The blockade effectively denied access not only…
THE chief judge of the federal high court has reassigned a suit challenging the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to a new judge. News Point Nigeria reports that the case, filed by Nafiu Bala, a former deputy national chairman of the party, has been transferred to Peter Lifu, a federal high court judge, for adjudication. Emeka Nwite, the former presiding judge, was among 12 judges recently recommended by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for appointment as justices of the court of appeal. Bala is seeking to stop David Mark, national chairman of the ADC; Rauf Aregbesola, national secretary;…
WITHIN the last ten months since joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Ibrahim Ali Little has emerged as a major force behind the growth, consolidation, and grassroots expansion of the party in Kano State. News Point Nigeria reports that this was disclosed by the former State Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Chairman of the CPC bloc within the ADC in Kano State, Hon. Abdullahi Dankano. According to him, when Ibrahim Ali Little, alongside his supporters, political associates, and allied groups, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ADC, he initially sought official membership…
THE Federal Capital Territory Administration under the leadership of Nyesom Wike has warned owners of event centres, hotels, and other public facilities in the Federal Capital Territory against allowing their premises to be used by illegal organisations or unrecognised political party leaderships. News Point Nigeria reports that FCTA stated that title documents of any event centre, hotel, or public building used for gatherings organised by illegal groups would be revoked. The warning was contained in a statement issued on Friday by Lere Olayinka. According to the statement, the directive forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen security in the nation’s…
NATIONAL leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has announced the selection of Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo as the Kano governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 elections. News Point Nigeria reports that the former Kano State governor also unveiled Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna as the party’s candidate for the Kano Central Senatorial seat. Kwankwaso disclosed this in a statement issued through his official handle on Friday. According to him, the decision followed extensive consultations within the party and was guided by the principles of equity, fairness, loyalty, and competence. “I am delighted to announce that His…
KWANKWASIYYA leader and chieftain of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has tackled Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf over comments regarding the governor being described as his political stooge. News Point Nigeria reports that Kwankwaso, in a recent interview had described the governor as “Abba PA,” someone he claimed to have lifted from a low level and eventually made governor. Responding to the remark, Governor Yusuf recently challenged Kwankwaso, describing it as disrespectful for the 69-year-old former governor to refer to him as a boy despite the fact that he is 63 years old. However, while addressing supporters…
THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday fixed July 6, 2026, for judgment in the forfeiture suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against 57 properties linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN. News Point Nigeria reports that the Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date after counsel to the EFCC, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, and lawyers representing Malami and other respondents adopted their respective processes and presented arguments for and against the suit. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the anti-graft agency is seeking the final…
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Abdulrahman Mohammed has announced former Cross River State governorship candidate, Senator Sandy Onor, as its consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 general election. News Point Nigeria reports that the announcement was made by the Chairman of the PDP Presidential Primaries Collation Committee and former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, during the collation and presentation of the party’s presidential primary results at the Wadata Plaza Abuja on Tuesday. Members of the presidential primaries collation committee said the exercise followed consultations and voice votes conducted among party members across the states. Senator Onor emerged as…
NYESOM Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has said he was not surprised by the withdrawal of Siminalayi Fubara from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Rivers State. Fubara had announced his withdrawal from the contest a day before the primary election, stating that he decided to step down out of “conviction and sacrifice for the state to move forward in peace and unity.” The withdrawal came shortly before the APC conducted its governorship primary election in Rivers State on May 21, where Kingsley Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives and ally of…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is asking the Court of Appeal in Abuja to set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which nullified part of the election guidelines issued by the commission for the conduct of the 2027 general election. News Point Nigeria reports that in a motion on notice attached to the appeal, INEC prayed the appellate court for an order staying the execution and/or further execution of the judgment delivered by the High Court on May 20, 2026, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed against the ruling. Justice Muhammed Umar of…
THE Federal Government has declared Wednesday, May 27 and Thursday, May 28, 2026, as public holidays to mark the Eid-el-Kabir celebration. News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced this in a statement issued on Monday by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Magdalene Ajani. According to the statement, the declaration reflects the Federal Government’s respect for the faith and spiritual heritage of millions of Nigerian Muslims observing the festival alongside the global Islamic community. Tunji-Ojo congratulated Muslim faithful in Nigeria and the diaspora on the occasion, describing Eid-ul-Adha as a festival of deep spiritual significance…
FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen are set to test their political strength on Monday (today) as the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by interim National Chairman David Mark, holds its presidential primary ahead of the 2027 general election. News Point Nigeria reports that the three leading aspirants are competing to secure the party’s presidential ticket in what insiders describe as a closely watched and highly competitive race within the opposition ranks. Their participation in the contest follows the conclusion of a screening exercise conducted by a…
VETERAN Kannywood actress Wasila Isma’il has died at the age of 46 after a prolonged illness. Her former husband, journalist and former editor of LEADERSHIP Hausa, Al-Amin Chiroma, confirmed her death in a social media post late on Sunday. “Innalillahi Wainna Ilaihirrajiun. Wasila Isma’il is dead. She died at the Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria Hospital, Kaduna,” he wrote. According to him, the actress passed away on Sunday following a prolonged illness. She is survived by her children. The late actress was regarded as one of the prominent figures in the Kannywood film industry and was widely celebrated…
NIGERIA is facing an alarming security crisis, with an estimated 2.2 million kidnapping incidents and about ₦2.2 trillion paid as ransom within a single year, a security expert, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, has disclosed. News Point Nigeria reports Aremu made the disclosure during a public lecture organised by the Social Sciences Students’ Association (SOSSA) of Adekunle Ajasin University in Ondo State, where he examined Nigeria’s worsening security situation, its global security rankings, and the growing human and economic consequences of insecurity across the country. The security scholar, who lectures at University of Ibadan and currently serves as Acting Vice Chancellor of…
FORMER Governor of Anambra State and presidential aspirant under the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has dismissed suggestions that he is avoiding former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election. News Point Nigeria reports that Obi made the clarification on Friday while speaking in Cape Town, South Africa, on the sidelines of the Spier Dialogue 2026, a pan-African governance forum. The former Labour Party presidential candidate insisted that his relationship with Atiku remains cordial and respectful despite recent political developments involving both leaders. “There are very few human beings who are as close as I…
GOVERNORS Bassey Otu and Caleb Mutfwang have emerged as the governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress in Cross River and Plateau states respectively ahead of the 2027 general elections. News Point Nigeria reports that Otu was officially declared winner of the APC governorship primary election in Cross River State after polling 116,038 votes across 196 wards in the state’s 18 local government areas. Chairman of the Cross River APC Primary Election Committee, Mr Samuel Yarnap, announced the result at the party’s state secretariat in Calabar on Friday. According to Yarnap, Governor Otu, who contested unopposed, secured victory in what…