BURKINA Faso authorities have released 11 Nigerian soldiers and a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft that were detained following an emergency landing in the Sahel country, bringing an end to a diplomatic standoff that lasted 10 days. The development was confirmed on Wednesday night by the spokesperson of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, who said the release followed sustained diplomatic engagements between both countries. “They have been released. I just confirmed with our Head of Mission in Burkina Faso,” Ebienfa told News Point Nigeria. As of press time, details of when the soldiers and the aircraft would return…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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A MEMBER of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulsammad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), on Wednesday raised serious concerns on the floor of the Green Chamber over alleged discrepancies between tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions later gazetted and released to the public. News Point Nigeria reports that rising on a Point of Privilege under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules, Dasuki told lawmakers that his legislative privilege had been breached, alleging that the contents of the gazetted tax laws did not reflect the bills that were debated, voted on and duly passed by the House…
THE House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved to meet with senior officials in the ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs over the country’s detained aircraft and personnel in Burkina Faso. News Point Nigeria reports that the decision followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Ekiti lawmaker, Mr Rufus Ojuawo. Lawmakers urged the President Bola Tinubu-led government to utilise the Economic Community of West African States and African Union frameworks to facilitate cooperation, mutual understanding, and the expeditious release of the aircraft and detained military personnel. They also called on the Office of the National Security…
PROCEEDINGS in the prosecution of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, took a dramatic turn on Monday as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the defence engaged in a heated legal battle over an allegedly missing international passport and whether the ex-minister should be granted bail. News Point Nigeria reports that the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gwarimpa, Abuja, presided over by Justice Maryam Hassan, adjourned the matter until Thursday, December 18, 2025, for ruling on Ngige’s bail application in a case bordering on an alleged ₦2.2 billion contract fraud. The courtroom exchanges…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday paid an emotional and far-reaching tribute to late former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a leader whose life of discipline, integrity and quiet strength reshaped Nigeria’s political culture and redefined public service. News Point Nigeria reports that Tinubu spoke in Abuja at the official launch of a biography chronicling the life and leadership of the former president, an event that drew top government officials, political leaders, diplomats, traditional rulers and members of Buhari’s family. The President opened his remarks by honouring the late leader’s family, extending the nation’s condolences to Buhari’s widow, Aisha…
FORMER Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has demanded the immediate recusal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from an ongoing investigation involving him. Malami, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by his spokesman, Muhammad Doka, alleged bias, personal vendetta and political persecution linked to his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The ex-minister accused the anti-graft agency of what he described as illegal detention, media harassment and procedural abuse, insisting that the investigation was driven not by law enforcement considerations but by deep-seated historical animosity…
THE Supreme Court has upheld the power of the President to declare a state of emergency in any state to prevent a breakdown of law and order or degeneration into a state of chaos or anarchy. News Point Nigeria reports that in a split decision of six-to-one, the apex court held that the President, during a state of emergency, can suspend elected officials, but that such suspension of elected officials must be within a limited period. In the lead majority judgment, Justice Mohammed Idris held that Section 305 of the Constitution empowers the President to deploy extraordinary measures to restore…
THE National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, says that the congress’ planned nationwide protest on 17 December remains sacrosanct. News Point Nigeria reports that he made the statement shortly after a courtesy visit on the Chairman of the nineteen Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, in Gombe the capital city of the state. Ajaero said the protest would demand decisive government action against insecurity, stressing that the situation now affects every Nigerian, regardless of status or occupation. He said banditry and violent crimes were alien to Nigeria’s culture and must be…
SIX days after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made a precautionary landing in Burkina Faso, the fate of the 11 Nigerian military personnel on board remains uncertain, as diplomatic efforts intensify behind the scenes to secure their release and defuse a growing regional tension. What began as a routine ferry mission has since escalated into a delicate diplomatic standoff between Nigeria and its Sahelian neighbour, with the Burkinabe military government detaining both the aircraft and its crew over alleged violations of national airspace. News Point Nigeria reports that according to Burkinabe authorities, the Nigerian military aircraft was forced to…
A POLITICAL storm is brewing around the continued detention of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) trade sharp words over the legality, motive and timing of his detention. News Point Nigeria reports that the ADC has accused the anti-graft agency of politicising its fight against corruption, warning that turning law enforcement into a political tool amounts to corruption itself. The party faulted the EFCC’s handling of Malami’s bail, describing the agency’s actions as a veiled attempt to curtail the former…
MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he harbours no regrets over his open and consistent support for President Bola Tinubu since 2022, insisting that his political stance was guided by principle, conviction and a sense of fairness rather than convenience. Wike made the declaration on Saturday while speaking at a special event organised to mark his 58th birthday anniversary at his residence in Abuja. The gathering attracted prominent political figures cutting across party lines, reflecting the former Rivers State governor’s enduring influence in Nigeria’s political landscape. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by…
JUSTICE Mariam Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered the remand of the former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, at the Kuje Correctional Center. News Point Nigeria reports that Ngige, who was arraigned on an alleged corruption charge, will remain in Kuje Correctional Centre until Monday, when his bail application will be heard The minister was specifically charged with conferring unfair advantage on his associates in the award of several contracts when he held office as minister between 2015 and 2023. He was also accused of corruptly accepting gifts of several million naira through his organizations…
THE FEDERAL High Court sitting in Kaduna has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to apologise to Dubai-based businessman, Alhaji Rabiu Auwalu Tijjani, for wrongly declaring him wanted, a decision the court described as unlawful, ruling that the Commission violated his fundamental rights. News Point Nigeria reports that delivering judgment, Justice H. Buhari held that the EFCC acted outside the law when it published Tijjani’s name and photograph on its official website without first obtaining a court order or exhausting all available procedural avenues. The judgment was contained in a certified true copy released by the court on…
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed an eight count charge against the former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige. A copy of the charge obtained by News Point Nigeria stated that the former minister will be arraigned on Friday at the FCT High Court in Gwarimpa, Abuja. In the charge dated Oct 31st and filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Sylvanus Tahir and five other lawyers on behalf of the EFCC, the anti-graft agency alleged that Ngige used his position as a former minister to confer undue advantage by awarding different contracts to his associates and…
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has confirmed the death of Bayelsa State Deputy Governor Lawrence Oboraw-Harievwo Ewhrudjakpo on Thursday. Anxiety had mounted earlier in the day over the deputy governor’s health after reports emerged that he had collapsed. Confirming his passing in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria late on Thursday night, the Tanimu Turaki-led PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong, described the news as shocking. The Bayelsa State government is yet to issue an official statement regarding the deputy governor’s death. The party described Ewhrudjakpo as a trusted and faithful party member, noting that his death…
JUSTICE James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja has dismissed a no-case submission filed by Saleh Mamman, former Minister of Power under the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari. News Point Nigeria reports that in a ruling on Thursday, Justice Omotosho held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been able to establish a case against Mamman. Justice Omotosho held that the evidence tendered was such that the defendant must proffer some explanations, or put in a defence to the allegation made against him, especially considering the seriousness of the offences. The judge, however, said that Mamman…
THE Federal Government has opened high-level diplomatic discussions with the authorities in Burkina Faso to secure the release of a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft and 11 military personnel detained in the West African nation for the third consecutive day, this newspaper has learnt. News Point Nigeria reports that the aircraft and its crew were taken into custody by the Burkinabe military government on Monday after reportedly entering the country’s airspace without authorisation—an incident that has triggered diplomatic tension between both nations. Senior military sources confirmed that the matter has now moved beyond the Nigerian Air Force and is being…
IMMEDIATE past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), is currently being interrogated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations bordering on terrorism financing, money laundering, and questionable management of recovered public funds. Malami, who arrived at the EFCC headquarters earlier in the week, remained in custody as of 10pm on Tuesday, after failing to meet the agency’s bail conditions. Sources within the commission say he may remain with investigators for days due to the “weight and volume” of allegations levied against him. According to EFCC investigators, the former AGF is being questioned…
IN what has been described as an audacious violation of diplomatic and security protocols, a Saudi-based accommodation agent earlier blacklisted for shortchanging Nigerian pilgrims, Amjad As Salam, is threatening fire and brimstone after losing out in the 2026 Hajj contracts. The alleged rogue company, Amjad As Salam, had directly sent a letter to the email of Vice President Kashim Shettima in what is considered as a diplomatic and security breach. The Saudi-based coy runs by an Egyptian national, has also written a letter to the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) all challenging why it was not patronized by Nigerian pilgrims…
THE Federal Government has outlawed the use of physical cash for the payment of revenue and directed Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to install Point of Sale terminals within 45 days. The directive formed part of four Treasury circulars obtained by News point Nigeria issued by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation on Monday. In the documents, the Accountant-General, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, said all payments to the Federal Government must now be made electronically and routed through channels approved by the Treasury. “All payments to government must be made through electronic channels approved by the Office of the Accountant-General of…