Author: Gbenga Mukhtar

BANDITS who abducted eight worshippers during a church service in Omugo community, in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, demanded a ₦1 billion ransom for the release of five of the victims. ‎ News Point Nigeria reports that the victims, members of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), were reportedly kidnapped during a service in the quiet rural community, sparking fear and outrage among residents of the Oro-Ago axis. Three of them later regained freedom. ‎ The pastor of the ECWA church, Reverend Omole Timothy, told News Point Nigeria on the phone that the abductors initially made contact with…

MANY people are feared dead following a bomb explosion involving a commercial bus near Woro Village in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State. According to the military, the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, 23 March 2026, at about 07:43am, when a commercial vehicle travelling from Wurumakoto Village in Kaiama LGA to New Bussa in neighbouring Niger State ran into an improvised explosive device. The driver, identified as Malam Zubairu, was said to have unknowingly driven over the planted bomb, which detonated on impact. The explosion reportedly killed the driver instantly and left several passengers severely injured,…

THE push for the establishment of state police in Nigeria has gathered fresh momentum as the Nigeria Governors Forum formally submitted its contribution to the proposed framework, setting the stage for legislative consideration by the National Assembly. News Point Nigeria reports that the Chairman of the Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, disclosed this on Sunday during a high-level meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his residence in Ikoyi, Lagos. AbdulRazaq explained that the governors’ proposal had already been forwarded to the Office of the National Security Adviser, led by Nuhu Ribadu, as part of ongoing consultations on…

THE Federal Government has announced plans to scrap the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination and introduce a Learner Identification Number to track pupils from primary school through their academic journey. News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Saturday. The Minister explained that the proposed reforms are aimed at improving access to education and ensuring better tracking of pupils across the country. He noted that the common entrance examination would be phased out and replaced with a more comprehensive evaluation system. He said, “It will…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu arrived in Lagos in the early hours of Friday following a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom. According to his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President and his wife, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, touched down at about 1:15 a.m. at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. They were received on arrival by top government officials and party members, including Lagos State Deputy Governor Femi Hamzat and Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside other All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts. The President will join Muslim faithful later to…

THE Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said Nigerians will soon begin to enjoy improved electricity supply as the Federal Government moves to resolve ongoing gas constraints affecting generation. Adelabu made this known in his Eid-Al-Fitr message on Thursday, where he noted that recent interventions by the government are beginning to address persistent gas supply challenges that have limited power generation across the country. According to him, the government is implementing concrete measures to ensure a reliable supply for homes and businesses. “Concrete measures are being implemented to ensure more reliable and sustainable electricity for homes, businesses, and industries. The…

THE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kwara Area Command, under Acting Area Controller DC Najeem Akanmu Ogundeyi, on Wednesday unveiled 1,907 seized items. The seizures included 222 compressors reportedly used for manufacturing explosives, 1,107 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 14 vehicles, and 317 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).  Other intercepted goods included 120 sacks of illegally mined lithium ore, used clothing, tires, and imported sugar, with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N478,171,315. Speaking during a guided tour of the seized goods, DC Ogundeyi highlighted the severe security implications of the compressors. “Do you know what these compressors are…

OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a former two-term councillor in Lagos State and intercepted several illicit drug consignments in multiple states as part of intensified operations against drug trafficking across Nigeria. News Point Nigeria reports that the suspect, 45-year-old Sheleru Sadiq Olalekan, a former councillor at the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council and currently a legislative aide, was arrested at his residence in Ilado, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State. According to the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided his residence,, where 40 kilograms of skunk, a strain of…

THE Federal High Court in Lagos has ruled that the Nigeria Police Force acted unlawfully when it declared human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, wanted in 2025. News Point Nigeria reports that delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Musa Kakaaki held that the police action violated constitutional provisions and amounted to an abuse of power. The court subsequently awarded ₦30 million in damages against the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh. In a decision, Justice Kakaaki reaffirmed that no Nigerian can be criminalised for exercising the…

SUSPECTED bandits have attacked Kakafu community, a remote settlement in the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, kidnapping four persons. News Point Nigeria reports that the attackers kidnapped four residents, including one man, a woman, and her two female children, during the operation that occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, a situation that threw the community into confusion. According to information, the assailants, on arrival, opened sporadic gunshots into the air, thereby causing panic among residents, who scampered for safety. However, a source (names withheld) hinted that the assailants operated unchecked without resistance before they eventually whisked their…

FRESH anguish has gripped Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State after bandits released a video showing 176 residents abducted during a recent deadly attack. Community leaders and families have confirmed the authenticity of the footage, identifying relatives among the captives displayed in the recording. The disturbing development comes days after mass burials were conducted in the community following an assault that left scores dead and over 100 persons initially reported missing. The footage, obtained by this newspaper, reportedly shows dozens of women and children gathered in a forested area under the watch of armed men. Many…

AT least seven grid-connected power plants across Nigeria are expected to face gas supply constraints following the scheduled shutdown of a major gas facility operated by Seplat Energy, a development that could temporarily reduce electricity generation nationwide. News Point Nigeria reports that the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) issued a notice on Thursday warning electricity market participants and consumers that the maintenance exercise, scheduled from February 12 to 15, 2026, will affect gas availability to key thermal power stations connected to the national grid. According to NISO, the planned maintenance will reduce thermal generation capacity and could result in a…

BANDITS who abducted Funke Ogunrinde, wife of a slain forest guard in Oba-Isin town, Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State, have demanded ₦100 million for her release. News Point Nigeria reports that the gunmen invaded the ancient town at about 7:00pm on Wednesday, throwing residents into confusion and panic. During the attack, a forest guard, Mr Raheem Ogunrinde, popularly known as Baba Kafaya, was killed in a gun duel with the assailants. The incident forced many residents to flee to neighbouring communities for fear of further attacks. Security operatives have since taken over the town, which is now under…

JUSTICE Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has rejected two sets of documents tendered by politician and online publisher, Omoyele Sowore, in his ongoing trial on alleged cyberstalking. News Point Nigeria reports that Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that he made false claims against President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as a criminal in posts on his X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts. In the first ruling, Justice Umar declined an oral application by Sowore’s counsel, Marshall Abubakar, seeking the admission of a set of documents comprising printouts of…

NO fewer than 30 persons were killed on Tuesday in separate bandits’ attacks on rural communities in Katsina and Kwara states, as armed assailants renewed violent assaults, razed houses and vehicles, and forced residents to flee their homes. News Point Nigeria reports that in Katsina State, at least 20 people were confirmed killed when bandits invaded Doma community in Tafoki Ward, Faskari Local Government Area. Residents said the attackers stormed the village unhindered, shooting indiscriminately and setting houses and vehicles ablaze before escaping into surrounding forests. Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Faskari Local Government Area, Surajo Aliyu, described the…

THE Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, says no one will be allowed to hold down the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for any other party to be in power. News Point Nigeria reports that the governor stated this during the commissioning and handing over of a new Oyo State PDP Secretariat donated by him and named after a former state chairman, Chief Omokunmi Mustapha, to the national leadership of the party. Makinde had similarly donated a secretariat to the South-West PDP in honour of a former National Vice Chairman (South-West), the late Hon. Soji Adagunodo, in 2024. The event was attended…

TENSIONS have flared between Ogun and Ondo states following President Bola Tinubu’s approval of drilling activities at an abandoned oil well on Eba Island, a coastal territory now confirmed to host hydrocarbon deposits, reigniting a long-simmering boundary dispute between the two South-West neighbours. News Point Nigeria reports that the Ogun State Government has firmly restated its claim to Eba Island, located in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, rejecting Ondo State’s counter-claim as misleading, historically flawed, and capable of triggering avoidable communal tension. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Kayode…

THE Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State, has upheld the death sentences imposed on five men convicted over the 2018 Offa bank robbery, dismissing their appeals as lacking merit. ‎ News Point Nigeria reports that the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the state, Mohammed Akande, who witnessed the proceedings virtually, said that the three Appeal Court judges unanimously agreed on the judgment and affirmed the verdict of the High Court condemning the five persons to death by hanging. ‎ He said, ‎”The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, comprising Hon. Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi JCA, Hon. Justice Gabriel Kolawole…

Says Obinna, Osesua, Others Facing Criminal Charges THE National secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers,  (NUPENG) has dismissed media reports of leadership tussle in the Union, particularly in its Petroleum Tankers Drivers Branch. The NUPENG clarification was on the heels of media reports attributed to a former chairman of its  PTD Branch SOBAZ Unit Calabar, Comrade  Humble Obinna Power who alleged that Comrades Williams Akporeha, Afolabi Olawale, President and General Secretary of the Union, respectively were planning to create industrial crisis in the oil sector through what he called “illegal attempt to conduct PTD Branch…

THE Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has officially opened 50 oil and gas blocks for bidding in the 2025 licensing round, warning that only technically competent and financially strong companies will be allowed to participate in the process. News Point Nigeria reports that the Commission said the licensing exercise is aimed at eliminating speculative participation and repositioning Nigeria’s upstream sector as a transparent, rules-based destination for long-term investment. The Chief Executive Officer of NUPRC, Engr. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this on Wednesday during the 2025 Licensing Round pre-bid webinar, where the regulator unveiled the framework, evaluation criteria, commercial terms, and…