Author: Gbenga Mukhtar

THE Ogun State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has received commendation from stakeholders and women groups following its adoption of veteran journalist, Alhaja Lateefah Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, as the running mate to the party’s governorship candidate, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, for the February 2027 governorship election. News Point Nigeria reports that among those who praised the decision was the Ogun State Female Professionals Forum, which described the adoption of the respected media professional as a bold, progressive and commendable step that reflects the growing recognition of women’s competence, leadership capacity and invaluable contributions to governance and public service. In a…

FORMER Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has reportedly sought the release of his international passport from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as part of efforts to travel abroad for medical treatment. News Point Nigeria reports that sources within the anti-graft agency disclosed that the former governor recently visited the commission’s office on Awolowo Road, Lagos, in connection with ongoing discussions regarding the retrieval of his travel document. According to the sources, Okowa’s visit was not related to a fresh arrest but formed part of the continuing investigation into allegations against him. They explained that the former governor was…

KAYODE Fayemi, the immediate past Governor of Ekiti State and former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), has congratulated Governor Biodun Oyebanji on his re-election as Governor of Ekiti State, describing the victory as a clear endorsement of his administration’s performance by the people of the state. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday by the Fayemi Media Office, Fayemi said the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election, in which Governor Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) swept all sixteen Local Government Areas of the state, was a resounding vote of confidence that reflected the high…

THE Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) has raised concerns over the worsening plight of hundreds of Nigerians who volunteered to return home following ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa but remain stranded due to delays in the Federal Government’s evacuation programme. NEWS POINT NIGERIA reports that the Federal Government had, on June 7, 2026, announced plans to deploy five chartered evacuation flights through Air Peace to repatriate Nigerians willing to return home from South Africa. However, despite the commitment, only one evacuation flight has so far departed South Africa, arriving in Lagos last Thursday with 258 returnees out of…

AN investigator with the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Stanley Ujilibo, on Wednesday told a state high court sitting in Ilorin that no money was directly released to the former Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, in the allegations of diversion of ₦5.78 billion of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) fund. News Point Nigeria reports that EFCC investigator also said that neither the former governor nor the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) was a signatory to the KWSUBEB account. Ahmed and his ex-commissioner for Finance, Demola Banu, have been standing trial over the alleged…

THE political rivalry between former Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Kwara State Government took a fresh turn on Wednesday as the state instituted a criminal defamation suit against the former lawmaker over alleged comments concerning the educational qualifications of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. News Point Nigeria reports that the case, filed before the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, accuses Saraki of making and circulating statements through social media platforms and newspaper publications alleging that Governor AbdulRazaq did not complete his secondary school education. According to the Kwara State Government, the statements were false, defamatory and capable of inciting…

GOVERNOR Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that he is ready to sacrifice himself if necessary to secure the release of the 46 pupils and teachers abducted in Orire Local Government Area of the state on May 15. News Point Nigeria reports that the governor also assured residents that Oyo State would never witness a tragedy similar to the infamous Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, insisting that every effort was being made to bring the victims home safely. Makinde gave the assurance on Tuesday while addressing protesters led by social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), at…

THERE is growing tension in Ode Oriya Village, Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, following the abduction of the community monarch, Adeniyi Adelana, by suspected gunmen. News Point Nigeria reports that Adelana is the traditional ruler of Ode Eriya village in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State. The armed assailants were said to have stormed the palace of the monarch at about 8:00 pm on Friday June, 13 2026 and took him away. According to information gathered from the locals, the armed assailants, numbering about six, stormed the community and forcefully whisked the traditional ruler away through a…

THE National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has declared the readiness of the Commission for the Ekiti State governorship election. News Point Nigeria reports that Amupitan assured voters, political parties and other stakeholders that all necessary arrangements have been concluded to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible exercise. Amupitan gave the assurance on Friday in Ado-Ekiti during an interactive session with media executives, held eight days ahead of the governorship poll. The INEC chairman, who had earlier led a high-powered delegation comprising National Commissioners, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), and other and senior officials of…

GOVERNOR Seyi Makinde has revealed that the students and teachers abducted by suspected bandits in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State are still being held within the vast Old Oyo National Park, nearly four weeks after they were kidnapped. News Point Nigeria reports that the governor disclosed this on Friday in his Newsletter No. 140, providing a fresh update on efforts to secure the release of the victims and reunite them with their families. According to Makinde, intelligence reports indicate that the abductees remain within the wider Old Oyo National Park axis, where security agencies have continued to focus…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced each of the five suspects arrested on May 31, 2026, by the Department of State Services (DSS) for their involvement in the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State, to 25 years imprisonment. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Binta Nyako handed the sentence on Thursday shortly after the five men, including two Nigeriens, pleaded guilty to all four terrorism-related charges pressed against them. The charges bordered on support for the commission of an act of terrorism, breaching both Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention and…

THE Ekiti State Police Command has detained four Pakistani nationals following reports of their suspicious presence in Iyin-Ekiti, located in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state. News Point Nigeria reports that the development reportedly followed concerns raised by residents over the presence of unfamiliar individuals in the community, a situation that triggered tension and heightened security concerns among locals. A source, who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity, said a distress call was received by the Iyin-Ekiti Police Division on June 9, prompting officers to immediately mobilise to the area. According to the source, police operatives intercepted…

RACHAEL Alamu, the abducted principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, has dismissed claims that the gunmen holding her, schoolchildren and teachers captive are demanding N1 billion or the implementation of Sharia law as conditions for their release. In a new video obtained by News Point Nigeria released late on Monday, Alamu said the abductors have made only one demand since the victims were taken hostage, the release of some of their gang members currently in custody. The principal accused those spreading reports that the kidnappers are demanding money, weapons or the enforcement…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) may soon embark on a nationwide strike in protest against the persistent insecurity across the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the warning was issued by the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, who spoke on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, during the ongoing International Labour Conference. According to Ajaero, the labour movement is deeply concerned about the security situation in Nigeria and may be compelled to take industrial action if urgent steps are not taken to address the challenge. Beyond security concerns, the NLC and TUC also called on…

THE Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has continued to provide aerial surveillance support to ongoing efforts aimed at rescuing teachers and pupils abducted from Yawota and Ahoro-Esinele communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by NAF’s spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the representative of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Suleh, on 5 June 2026. According to the statement, Makinde revealed…

THE Nigeria Police Force has rescued Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, alive during a rescue operation carried out around 8:30pm on Saturday. According to a source in the Force who spoke to News Point Nigeria on condition of anonymity, two suspected kidnappers were neutralised in a gun duel with police operatives, while two firearms were recovered from the gang. The victims, including the younger sister of the former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, were abducted around 7:30 a.m. on June 3, 2026, while on their way to drop the children at…

THE Nigerian Police Force has arrested Ifechukwu Dennis, the man identified as the originator of an artificial intelligence-generated voice note that was widely circulated online as a leaked recording of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. News Point Nigeria reports that the development was disclosed on Thursday by the Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who announced the arrest in a post on his official X account. According to Onanuga, the suspect was apprehended by a special police team following investigations into the controversial audio recording that sparked widespread debate across social media platforms. “The IGP crack team has…

FIVE worshippers abducted during an attack on ECWA Church in Omugo, Oro Ago District of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, have died in captivity. News Point Nigeria reports that the tragic development was disclosed by the church’s minister, Rev. Timothy Omole, who informed members of the congregation through a message posted on the church’s WhatsApp platform. He later confirmed the incident during a telephone conversation with this newspaper on Wednesday night. Among those who died in captivity was the pastor’s wife, Mrs. Rachael Oluwaremilekun Omole. The deceased were among eight worshippers kidnapped when armed men invaded the church…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced four members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group to death by hanging for their involvement in the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, which left more than 40 worshippers dead and over 100 others injured. News Point Nigeria reports that the trial judge, Emeka Nwite, handed down the sentence after convicting Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25, on a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services on behalf of the Federal Government. The court, however, discharged…

AS teachers and pupils recently abducted in Oyo State remain in captivity, protests continued across the country on Tuesday, with the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) staging rallies in several states. News Point Nigeria reports that the demonstrations followed a peaceful protest by civil society groups in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday, during which participants demanded the immediate rescue of the abducted victims. In Ibadan, the nationwide protest by teachers today began on a solemn note. The protesters converged at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) office in the American Quarter area of the city, where union leaders addressed…