THE Kogi State Government has ordered the temporary closure of selected markets and motor parks across parts of Kogi West Senatorial District to support intensified security operations aimed at flushing out terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements. The directive was announced in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo. He said the measure is in support of ongoing clearance operations being carried out in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and heads of security agencies in the state. According to the government, the closures are designed…
Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson
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NO fewer than 184 persons have been arrested by the Plateau State Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce following overnight raids across several locations in Jos and surrounding areas. News Point Nigeria reports that the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Daffi, who also chairs the Plateau State Taskforce on Anti-Human Trafficking, disclosed this on Saturday while addressing journalists at the Ministry of Justice Secretariat in Jos. He described the operation as a breakthrough in the state’s fight against human trafficking and child exploitation. According to Daffi, the intelligence-driven operation was carried out simultaneously at multiple locations late Thursday night and stretched into…
GUNMEN suspected to be bandits have kidnapped a Catholic priest and several other individuals, and killed three security operatives during rescue efforts in Ningi village, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. News Point Nigeria reports that the Catholic Archdiocese of Kafanchan confirmed the abduction of Reverend Father Nathaniel Asuwaye, the parish priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Karku community. Although the police authorities have yet to officially confirm the incident, locals reported that the attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday, at about 3:20 a.m., when armed men stormed the priest’s residence. Church authorities stated that the…
PLATEAU State has confirmed an outbreak of Lassa fever affecting seven local government areas, with 11 positive cases and four deaths recorded since December 2025. News Point Nigeria reports that the Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Baamlong, disclosed this during a press briefing on Saturday at the Ministry of Health in Jos, where he provided an update on the outbreak and the state’s response efforts. “We were first alerted on December 20, 2025, following a case from the Quanpan Local Government Area, and immediately, we activated our incident management team,” Baamlong said. He explained that two cases were initially confirmed,…
TARABA State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, has dismissed rumours of a fallout between him and former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd), describing their relationship as “sound, firm and solid.” News Point Nigeria reports that the governor clarified over the weekend during a solidarity visit by traditional rulers from Wukari Local Government Area to the TY Danjuma House in Jalingo, the state capital. Kefas’s remarks followed months of political speculation suggesting a strained relationship between the duo, a development that had fueled uncertainty over Taraba State’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 governorship election. Receiving the delegation, the…
NO fewer than four persons, including a soldier and three suspected bandits, have been killed in a coordinated attack on Sabon Gari and Zurak communities in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State, while two soldiers have been declared missing. Military sources told News Point Nigeria that troops of Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) thwarted the attack after receiving intelligence that armed bandits had mobilised about 200 motorcycles in preparation for an assault on Kampani community. The troops were immediately placed on red alert to prevent the planned invasion. “At about 1703 hours, the bandits moved towards Sabon Gari and fired…
THE Kogi State Government has ordered the temporary closure of all schools across the state for a period of two weeks, citing security concerns and the need to safeguard lives and property. The directive was announced on Tuesday by the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria. According to the government, the decision followed the receipt of credible security intelligence, necessitating urgent preventive measures around educational institutions to protect pupils, students and teachers. Fanwo stressed that the move was not informed by panic, but by a sense of responsibility on…
NINE suspects linked to the attack on a Benue State community have pleaded not guilty to the 57-count charge of terrorism preferred against them by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. News Point Nigeria reports that the nine suspects: Ado Lawal Mohammed Dunu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Mohammed Musa, Abubakar Adamu, Yakubu Mamman (at large, struck out), Shuaibu Adamu, Isa Yusuf Nagogo, Ado Mohammed Saidu and Jibril Bako, denied involvement in the June 13, 2025 attack on Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. In the 57-count charge read to them…
SOME suspects arrested and linked to the killings in Yelwata, a town in Benue State, will be arraigned on Monday, February 2. News Point Nigeria reports that they will be arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdul-Malik of the Federal High Court, Abuja. In a statement on Sunday, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice assured Nigerians that justice will be ensured in the matter, sending a strong signal to enemies of the country acting under any disguise. “The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to the protection of the lives and properties of…
SEVEN persons have been confirmed dead following a night attack on an illegal mining site at Capitex, Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, the Nigerian Army has said. News Point Nigeria reports that the attack occurred at about 1:00 a.m on Thursday when suspected armed bandits stormed the site with the intention of carting away illegally mined minerals. Troops of Sector 6, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), were alerted to the incident at about 8:40 a.m. by a local resident and immediately mobilised to the area to restore normalcy. A top military source told this newspaper that…
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained several principal officers of the Benue State Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, alongside private consultants, over an alleged N4.6 billion fraud linked to local government finances in the state. News Point Nigeria gathered that the officials were picked up about a week ago and are currently being held at the EFCC zonal office in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, as investigations continue into the alleged diversion of funds meant for the state’s 23 local government councils. According to sources familiar with the investigation, the anti-graft agency is probing allegations…
AT least six students reportedly returning to school have drowned after the boat they were travelling in capsized at the Buruku crossing point in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State. Witnesses told News Point Nigeria that the incident occurred on Sunday night while the students and other passengers were being ferried across the River Benue at the Buruku crossing point. The witnesses said the mishap happened while the ill-fated boat was enroute to the Buruku side of the river from the Logo LGA axis with passengers mainly from the Sankara axis. A maritime worker at the crossing point, who…
OPERATIVES of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Niger State have rescued two pastors and a church member abducted by armed bandits in Kaduna State. News Point Nigeria reports that the victims, Idi Buhari, Emmanuel Jacob, and Suleiman Adamu, were kidnapped on January 9, 2026, at the Gwagwada area of Chikun Local Government Area while travelling through Kugosi to Sarkin Pawa in Niger State to officiate a wedding ceremony. Receiving the rescued pastors, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Joseph Hayab, said the victims were safely rescued…
TWENTY-FOUR parishioners abducted from a branch of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Aiyetoro-Kiri, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, have regained their freedom after weeks in captivity. News Point Nigeria reports that the worshippers were among about 37 parishioners kidnapped when gunmen suspected to be bandits stormed the church during a service on December 14, 2025, throwing the community into shock and grief. The victims, comprising elderly women, men, and teenagers, were forcefully taken away during the attack, prompting frantic efforts by families, community leaders, and local groups to secure their release. Confirming the development, the community…
SUSPECTED gunmen have ambushed and killed two security personnel, a soldier and a senior officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Udeku community, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, heightening fears over worsening insecurity in the area. News Point Nigeria reports that the fatal attack occurred on Saturday evening when the security operatives reportedly ran into a deadly ambush along a community road while returning from Aga Market, where they had gone to refill cooking gas. Local residents said the incident happened at about 5:00pm when the assailants allegedly blocked the road, trapping the officers…
THE Plateau State Government has confirmed the rescue of 25 children abducted in the Wase Local Government Area by armed men who posed as vigilantes. News Point Nigeria reports that the children were reportedly kidnapped on December 21, 2025, along the Zak–Sabon Layi Road at about 7 p.m. while travelling to attend a Maulud celebration. Three other children reportedly escaped during the incident. Briefing journalists in Jos on Thursday, the Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau, described the rescue as a breakthrough by security agencies in the state. “This afternoon, I am here to inform the public that security…
OPERATIVES of the Nasarawa State Police Command have rescued four abducted children and reunited them with their families, following an intelligence-led operation. The Command’s spokesman, Rahman Nansel, disclosed this in a statement sent tp News Point Nigeria in Lafia on Tuesday. Nansel stated that the rescue followed a report received on December 31, 2025 at the New Nyanya Division in Karu LGA, concerning the disappearance of the children under suspicious circumstances. According to him, the command immediately launched a discreet and thorough investigation upon receiving the report. He explained that detectives of the command, working in collaboration with operatives of…
THE Ayetoro-Kiri community in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State is once again reeling from tragedy, after an attack on the area, leading to the death of three persons and the abduction of about 30 others. According to a press release by the community spokesperson, David Ampitan sent to News Point Nigeria, scores of residents were initially abducted during the December incident. Following what Ampitan described as a “painful ransom payment” funded through communal contributions, only seven victims were released. Tragically, three of these individuals were reportedly “dead on arrival,” while the remaining four are now fighting for their…
AT least 14 people have been killed following a deadly attack by Boko Haram insurgents on two rural communities in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, prompting renewed calls for urgent military intervention. The Chairman of Hong Local Government Area, Usman Inuwa, confirmed the attack on Friday, saying the insurgents struck Mubang and Zar villages during a night raid last week. Speaking with News Point Nigeria via telephone, Inuwa said the attackers stormed the communities at about 9:00pm, killing 14 residents, injuring two others, and setting several houses ablaze along with food supplies. “At about 9pm that day, which…
PLATEAU State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), bringing an end to his long-standing association with the opposition party and triggering a major political realignment in the state. The governor’s resignation was contained in a letter dated December 29, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman of the PDP in Ampang West Ward, Dasjak Sunday Longyol. The letter, which was personally signed by Mutfwang, was obtained by News Point Nigeria in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Thursday. In the letter, the governor announced his resignation from the PDP with immediate effect, citing the need…