Author: Sadiq Muhammad

THE Nigerian government has received $52.88m recovered Galactica assets, linked to a former Minister of Petroleum Diezani Alison-Madueke from the USA. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi disclosed this at the formal signing ceremony of the asset agreement between Nigeria and the United States of America in Abuja on Friday. Delivering his remarks Fagbemi explained that $50m of the recovered assets will be deployed through the World Bank for the rural electrification project and the remaining $2m will be deployed to the International Institute of Justice to expand the Justice system and also counter corruption.…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Nurudeen Yusuf, has been decorated with a promotion rank in the Nigerian army. The president’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, announced the development in a terse tweet on Thursday, January 9, 2025. He announced the development with three videos that showed the president decorating Yusuf and congratulating him at the State House. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decorates his Aide-De-Camp, LT Colonel Nurudeen Alonwonle Yusuf with his new rank of Colonel at the State House. President congratulates ADC and his family on the accomplishment,” the president’s aide tweeted. Yusuf, who assumed duty as President…

THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command on Wednesday busted a child trafficking syndicate and rescued 59 children who were being taken to the other parts of the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the children, aged between four and 12 years, were rescued by the police Patrol and Guard unit along the Abuja-Kano highway. The team, led by Sarki Umar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), intercepted a white Peugeot 15 bus with registration number KMC 283 ZJ, driven by Idris Usman, a resident of Kano State, accompanied by Alhassan Ibrahim, also from Kano State. Parading the suspects in…

ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police, Daniel Amah, renowned for rejecting a $200,000 bribe, has embraced Islam in a ceremony held at the palace of the Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II. During the private event held on Tuesday, Amah was formally welcomed into the faith and adopted Muhammad as his new name. Speaking in Hausa, the Emir Sanusi urged Amah to seek Islamic knowledge and diligently observe the five pillars of Islam: belief in Allah, the five daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca, and Zakat (charitable giving). The Emir prayed for Allah’s guidance so that Amah could become one of the…

A KANO atheist, who has just been freed after serving more than four years in prison for blasphemy, is now living in a safe house. Mubarak Bala, 40, was convicted in a court in Kano after he pleaded guilty to 18 charges relating to a controversial Facebook post shared in 2020. “The concern about my safety is always there,” he told the BBC in an exclusive interview as he tucked into his first meal as a free man. Nigeria is a deeply religious society and those who may be seen as having insulted a religion – whether Islam or Christianity…

TWO students at an Islamiyyah school located in an Abuja suburb have been killed while four others were injured during an explosion at the school. A security source said the incident happened around noon on Monday at Tsangayar Sani Uthman Islamiyya school in the Kuchibiyu Community of Bwari Area Council, about 42 kilometres from the Abuja city centre, this newspaper gathered. It was also gathered that emergency and security personnel, including the police bomb disposal squad, arrived at the scene of the explosion. The injured victims were taken to a hospital. However, as of the time of filing this report,…

COMMUNITIES in the North-West have called for urgent action against the Lakurawa terrorist group following reports that the sect have aligned with bandits in the region. Worried by the development, the communities admonished the Federal Government and security agents to eliminate the Lakurawa group and other criminals. Last Friday, the group killed two policemen and rustled over 200 cattle in Kebbi State. This happened despite the claim by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, that the group had been dislodged from the country. The Lakurawa group, affiliated with terrorists in the Sahel, particularly from Mali and Niger Republic,…

IN a historic feat that has sent shockwaves of inspiration throughout the academic community, Prof. Umma Abdullahi has become the first female professor of Mechanical Engineering in the whole of northern Nigeria. Professor Umma, who is now in her mid-40’s was amongst the 66 senior Academics recently promoted to the esteemed rank of Professor as approved by the Management of Bayero University, Kano. This remarkable achievement is a demonstration to her dogged dedication, unrelenting passion, and unshakeable resolve to defy the odds and shatter the glass ceiling in a male-dominated field. Born and raised in Sharfadi quarters in the heart…

GOVERNORS Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Abba Yusuf (Kano), and Umar Namadi (Jigawa) yesterday signed the 2025 Appropriation Bills of their states into law. Alia, a reverend father, signed Benue State’s N550,112,988,930.45 Appropriation Bill, named: Budget of Human Capital Development, Food Security, and the Digital Economy into law at the Government House in Makurdi. The signing ceremony was done in the presence of the principal officers of the House of Assembly, led by Speaker Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh, and State Executive Council (Exco) members. The House of Assembly had passed the budget on Monday for the governor’s assent. The…

LESS than 24 hours after the Australian government advised its citizens to reconsider travelling to Nigeria due to security concerns, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel advisory for Nigerians planning to visit Australia, urging them to exercise caution due to a rise in reported incidents of harassment and discrimination against foreigners. According to the statement by the Spokesperson MFA, Kimiebi Ebienfa, recent events in some Australian cities have highlighted an increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. The ministry noted that while Australia is known for its multiculturalism and tolerance, certain areas have…

THE Presidency has asked that the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, withdraw his threat to President Bola Tinubu over the tax reform bills. A Monday statement titled ‘RE: We’ll show Tinubu our True Colour’ by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare shared on his X handle, described Mohammed’s threat as “inflammatory”. This was after the governor in a statement said President Tinubu was “calling for anarchy” if he went ahead with the tax reforms. Gov Mohammed made the statement while addressing the Christian community on Boxing Day in Bauchi. He warned that if these policies continued,…

THE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has dismissed report by this newspaper that the Department of State Services (DSS)had raided its Abuja headquarters and arrested the Statistician-General, Semiu Adeyemi Adeniran on Thursday. This was contained in a statement by the Director, Communications and Public Relation of the Burea, Mr Ichedi Sunday Joel, made available to this newspaper shortly after the publication. According to him, There was no invasion of the Bureau, and the Statistician General is currently in the Office at the moment carrying on with his routine activities. The statement read in full: “The attention of the National Bureau…

SENATOR representing Borno South, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has recounted how he was suspended from the 8th Senate without salary and removed as Chief Whip in the 10th Senate for, according to him, “speaking the truth”. Speaking to Deutsche Welle (DW) Hausa service, Ndume also narrated how ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki allegedly betrayed him despite rallying support for his emergence as the 8th Senate President. “I was removed as Senate leader and later suspended for eight months without salary. It riled me up because we played a crucial role in the emergence of Saraki (as Senate President) but he betrayed me.…

THE Army Council has approved the promotion of 108 senior officers to the next ranks of Major General and Brigadier General, respectively. A statement by the Army Spokesman, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, said 35 Brigadier Generals have been promoted to the rank of Major General, while 73 Colonels have also been elevated to the rank of Brigadier General accordingly. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, while congratulating the newly promoted senior officers and their families, also charged them to redouble their efforts to justify their elevation and the confidence reposed in them. He further tasked the newly…

THE ongoing debate surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reform bills has sparked division within the Nigerian House of Representatives, with northern lawmakers expressing concern over the legislation. While some lawmakers are eager to push the bills forward, leaders from northern Nigeria, including former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, are calling for a review of the bills, citing significant concerns that need to be addressed. The bills in question, which were submitted to the National Assembly in October after receiving approval from the Federal Executive Council, aim to overhaul the country’s tax system and improve revenue generation. The four key…

THE National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) has announced removal of use of the dollar for Hajj-related payments, a move aimed at reducing the skyrocketing cost of Hajj fares. The announcement was made by the Commission’s Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Argungu at his palace. The Chairman explained that paying for essential Hajj activities, such as flights, in dollars has significantly contributed to the high cost of Hajj, making it unaffordable for many Nigerians. Saleh commended the Federal Government for its support, particularly the Hajj subsidy, but expressed concern over the late payments of…

IN a rebidding exercise for PPL 303-DO, MRS Oil and Gas Company Limited outbid NNPC Exploration and Production Limited by offering an additional $5 million signature bonus. This brought MRS’s total offer to $15 million. Initially, both MRS and NNPC E&P had offered a signature bonus of $10 million each, the ceiling set by NUPRC for the deep offshore category. NNPC E&P did not offer any extra signature bonus in the tie-break process, resulting in their loss of the licence. According to the rules governing a tie bid, a winner emerges based on a fresh offer of a signature bonus,…

AZMAN Air, one of Nigeria’s domestic airlines, may face sanction over alleged smuggling of two Nigerian registered aircraft to Mahran Air, this newspaper reports. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said it would write to its counterpart in Iran, the Civil Aviation Authority of Islamic Republic of Iran (CAA.IRI) over the status of the two aircraft. The aircraft – Airbus A340-600 with registration number: 5N-AAM and Boeing 737-300 with the registration number: 5N-YSM – were sold without the knowledge of the NCAA. They were sold to the Iranian airline in violation of international sanctions against Iran and the aircraft…

KADUNA State Governor, Uba Sani, has returned two parcels of land in Kaduna city to the family of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, two years after they were revoked and seized by former governor Nasir El-Rufai. The reinstated lands include a property located at No. 9 Abakpa GRA, Kaduna, measuring 2,284 square meters, covered by Kaduna State Certificate of Occupancy No. 30575, and another at No. 1 Degel Road, Ungwan Rimi GRA, Kaduna, measuring 3,705 square meters, with Certificate of Occupancy No. 11458. Reuben Atabo (SAN), the Abacha family’s lawyer, revealed to newsmen that the Right of…

THE National Bureau of Statistics has revealed that Nigerians paid a total of N2.23tn as ransom over the 12 months between May 2023 and April 2024. This sum was paid by households affected by kidnapping incidents, highlighting the growing threat posed by criminal activities in the country. According to the NBS’s latest Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey report sighted by News Point Nigeria, an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents were recorded across Nigerian households in the reference period. The survey showed that the North-West region had the highest incidence of crime, with 14.4 million cases reported, followed by the…