RESIDENTS of two communities in Plateau State have again been thrown into mourning following coordinated attacks that left at least six people dead and several others hospitalised. News Point Nigeria reports that the incidents, which occurred in Shonun community of Riyom Local Government Area and Hurum in Gashish District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, have reignited concerns over persistent insecurity in the region. Speaking to this newspaper via telephone, the Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Tengong Rwang, disclosed that the attacks happened separately on the same night, with assailants reportedly arriving on foot and armed with…
Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson
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COMBINED security operatives have rescued the remaining 13 passengers who were abducted on Wednesday night. The Benue State Police Command confirmed the development in a text message to News Point Nigeria early Sunday morning. A police statement also announced that the Commissioner would address the press on the rescue operation at the Command Headquarters later on Sunday. “Good morning, gentlemen of the press. Happy Sunday. Please note that there will be a press briefing by the Commissioner of Police concerning the rescue operation of the 13 kidnapped victims at the Command Headquarters today by 10:30 a.m. Thank you for your…
SECURITY operatives in Benue State have arrested seven suspects in connection with the kidnapping incident in Otukpo Local Government Area. The development was confirmed in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria late on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer for the Benue State Command, Udeme Edet. The abduction occurred on Wednesday when gunmen attacked a commercial bus operated by Benue Links Limited in Otukpo. According to reports, the assailants intercepted the vehicle, robbed the passengers, and abducted several of them into the bush. There have been conflicting reports regarding the number of victims. While some sources estimate that…
THE Benue State Police Command says that two abducted passengers from a commercial bus earlier this week have managed to escape their captors, while efforts intensify to rescue the remaining passengers. About 14 candidates travelling to Otukpo for their examination centres in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) were abducted. According to a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, on Friday, investigations revealed that the vehicle involved was a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BGT 234 S4 belonging to Benue Links Limited. Police also confirmed that one suspect has…
THE Kogi State Police Command has launched a massive search-and-rescue operation following a kidnapping incident on the Ayere–Kabba Road. According to a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Afusat, the incident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. on April 13, 2026, when armed hoodlums intercepted a Toyota Hiace bus. The vehicle, operated by a transport company, was traveling from Lagos to Abuja when it was attacked in the Kabba Local Government Area. The police said that following a swift, coordinated response from security forces, one passenger was successfully rescued, while the transport vehicle…
NO fewer than 15 passengers have been abducted by suspected gunmen along the Makurdi–Otukpo highway, with the Benue State Police Command confirming that a search operation is currently underway to rescue the victims. A source who spoke to News Point Nigeria disclosed that the incident occurred on April 15, 2026, at about 8:30pm, when a driver with Benue Links, identified as Peter Ikwe, reported the attack to the Divisional Police Officer in Otukpo. The driver was said to have been conveying passengers in a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BGT 224 SA from Makurdi to Otukpo at the time…
HUNDREDS of youths in Aiyetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, on Monday took to the streets in protest, alleging a coordinated political move to undermine the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). News Point Nigeria reports that the protesters, drawn from various youth and civil society groups, marched across major parts of the community, declaring support for the electoral body’s independence and solidarity with Joash Ojo Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the chairman of the commission. Wielding placards with inscriptions such as “Enemies of Fairness, Beware!” and “Fair Elections Start with Amupitan,” the…
A LEGAL scholar and alumnus of the University of Jos, Dr. John B. Mahwel, has come to the defence of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), amid sustained public criticisms from former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung. In a detailed account made public, Mahwel, who is a member of the Faculty of Law’s 2009 graduating class dismissed allegations questioning Amupitan’s integrity, describing them as “false, misleading and unacceptable.” The scholar, who holds multiple law degrees from the institution, including a PhD, said his intervention was necessary to “set the record straight,”…
ACADEMIC activities at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) are set to resume fully following a return to calm after the deadly March 29 attack on the Angwan Rukuba community of Plateau State, which left over 33 people dead, including two students of the institution. News Point Nigeria reports that UNIJOS Vice-Chancellor, Tanko Ishaya, confirmed during a press briefing that the violence had a direct impact on the university community, resulting in the death of two students and injuries to three others. “The aftermath of the killings left over 25 persons dead, and so many with various degrees of injuries,” he…
THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Jos branch, has declared a total and indefinite withdrawal of services following the non-payment of March 2026 salaries and the exclusion of the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) from staff remuneration. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Wednesday by the Branch Chairperson, Jurbe Molwus, the union directed all its members to immediately abstain from lectures, examinations, and statutory meetings. The industrial action, which takes effect from Wednesday, April 8, 2026, complies with resolutions of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) and the branch congress. ASUU UNIJOS said the decision…
GUNMEN on Monday night ambushed and killed a 300-level student of the Federal University of Education Pankshin in Dum Village, Bachi District of Riyom Local Government Area. News Point Nigeria reports that the victim, identified as 29-year-old Badung Sunday Alamba, was killed when the attackers, who had reportedly positioned themselves at the entrance of the village, opened fire on two young men from the community. While one of them managed to escape, Alamba was not as fortunate. He was said to be the only child of his mother, a loss that has deepened the grief within the family and the…
A SOLEMN funeral service for victims of the Palm Sunday attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos, turned tense as fresh revelations emerged and protesters gathered outside the church. News Point Nigeria reports that the Chief of Staff, Government House Jos, Jeremiah Satmak, who represented the Plateau State Government, commiserated with families of the victims and assured them that efforts are underway to uncover the motive behind the killings and bring perpetrators to justice. Satmak disclosed that toll from the attack has risen from 28 to 33, following the death of some victims in the hospital. “Government is working tirelessly to unravel…
AT least three persons have been killed following an attempted attack by gunmen on the Hyeipang community in Jos, Plateau State, as security operatives repelled the assault and arrested one suspect. News Point Nigeria reports that the Commissioner of Police in Plateau State, Bassey Ewah, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists, noting that the incident occurred on Sunday despite what he described as a relatively calm security situation across the state. According to him, the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, had earlier reinforced operations in volatile areas following the directive of the Inspector General of Police, leading…
FRESH details have emerged following the deadly attack on a branch of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Arikon community, Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where worshippers were killed and dozens abducted during an Easter service. The assault, which has sent shockwaves across the state, occurred as congregants gathered for worship, turning what should have been a sacred celebration into a scene of chaos and grief. According to a security source who spoke to News Point Nigeria via telephone on Sunday night, the attackers stormed the community in large numbers, riding on more than 20 motorcycles. The assailants…
THE Governor of Taraba State, Agbu Kefas, has renewed his call for religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and collective responsibility among citizens, using the occasion of Easter to emphasise the need for unity across faiths. In a goodwill message to Christians in the state and across Nigeria, the governor congratulated the faithful on the celebration of Easter, while urging deeper reflection on the core values of sacrifice, love, and compassion that define the season. According to the message sent to News Point Nigeria by Emmanuel Bello, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Digital Communications, Kefas noted that Easter remains…
TROOPS of the Nigerian Army, under Operation Enduring Peace, have commenced a comprehensive stop-and-search exercise across the Jos metropolis in Plateau State, following a recent attack in Jos North in which over 28 people were killed and more than 50 others injured. A statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace, Captain Chinonso Oteh, said the exercise, which began on Friday, is part of a broader mandate to restore normalcy and ensure the safety of lives and property in the state. According to the statement, the heightened security presence…
THREE persons have been killed and one injured in a fresh attack in Nyamgo Gyel, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, deepening fears over the deteriorating security situation in the region. News Point Nigeria reports that the victims, identified as Luka Sandu Pam (36), Samuel Davou (38), and Deme Saidu (35), were ambushed by assailants at about 7pm on Friday while returning home from Gero on a motorbike. The attack, which occurred on Good Friday, has left the community in shock and mourning. Eyewitness accounts indicated that the victims were part of a group of about 15 youths…
NOT less than eleven people on Friday have been reported killed, while more than 50 houses were said to have been burnt in a fresh attack by hoodlums on Nasarawa communities. News Point Nigeria gathered that the incident, which occurred in the early hours of the day, involved hoodlums carrying out a suspected reprisal attack over the alleged killing of two of their kinsmen. In the course of the attack, 11 persons were said to have been killed, while about 50 houses were burnt in Akyawa and two houses in Udege Kasa. In a statement on Saturday, Police Public Relations…
TWO Nigerian nationals were arrested in separate incidents in India this week for cocaine trafficking, local authorities reported. In Hyderabad, a Nigerian woman was arrested on Friday after excise officials seized 7.5 grams of cocaine from her possession. According to the Times of India, the district task force of the excise department acted on information that she had arrived from Mumbai, Maharashtra State, to sell drugs in the city. Officials intercepted her near Paradise, a central neighbourhood in Hyderabad, shortly after her arrival. “On checking her belongings, officers found five packets containing a total of 7.5 grams of cocaine. The…
BARELY 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu visited Jos, the Plateau State capital, to reassure residents and victims of the recent violence, fresh attacks have again shaken communities, raising concerns over the fragile security situation. News Point Nigeria reports that in the early hours of Friday, suspected terrorist elements reportedly from the Rankum (Mahanga) area launched an attack on the Jol community in Riyom Local Government Area, killing 51-year-old Dalyop Betobeje. The attack, which occurred at about 6:56am, has been described by local leaders as a direct affront to ongoing efforts to restore peace in the state. The latest incident…