RESIDENTS of Offa, a major commercial town in Kwara State, were thrown into panic late Thursday night after explosions rocked parts of the community, damaging properties and triggering widespread fear, barely hours after the United States announced airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets in northwest Nigeria. The incident, which occurred around midnight on Christmas Day, was reported at two different locations within Offa, heightening anxiety among residents already on edge following news of the US military action in Sokoto State. Eyewitnesses told News Point Nigeria that the first explosion struck buildings around the Eid praying ground area, a densely populated…
Author: Gbenga Mukhtar
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THE Ojibara of Bayagan Ile, Kamilu Salami, who was abducted 25 days ago by bandits, has been released. News Point Nigeria report that the monarch, who was abducted on his farm, fateful Saturday morning, was released on Tuesday night. Residents of the community have been thrown into a frenzy of joy and happiness following the monarch’s release. The palace was bombarded with jubilant residents, who crowded to catch a glimpse of their monarch, and more importantly, congratulate him and the family for their safe return to the palace. Spokesperson of the community, Ayinla Lawal, confirmed the releaseon Wednesday. Ayinla said…
THE Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of two large parcels of land designated for the proposed Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate, following allegations of financial impropriety surrounding the project. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Mohammed Umar made the order while delivering a ruling on a motion on notice filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The application was moved by ICPC counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, and was unchallenged by the defence. Counsel to the defence, Hassan Liman, SAN, raised no objection to the forfeiture request, prompting the court to…
SECURITY agencies have arrested two men suspected of being fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Lagos, raising renewed concerns about the expansion of terrorist networks beyond Nigeria’s conflict-ravaged north-east. News Point Nigeria reports that the suspects, identified as Modu Gana and Ibrahim Dugge, were reportedly taken into custody on Sunday morning by operatives of the Department Of State Security (DSS) in the Apapa area of Lagos State. According to security sources, the arrests were carried out at about 8:45am, after which the suspects were immediately taken in for interrogation. The circumstances leading to their arrest were…
HEIRS Energies Limited, Nigeria’s leading indigenous integrated energy company, has executed a USD 750 million financing with the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank). The transaction was concluded at a signing ceremony in Abuja on Saturday 20th December 2025, attended by Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, Chairman of Heirs Energies, and Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of Afreximbank. The transaction represents one of the largest financings secured by an indigenous African energy company and demonstrates lender confidence in Heirs Energies’ operating performance, governance standards, proprietary brownfield excellence capability, and long-term growth trajectory. Since assuming operatorship of OML 17, Heirs Energies has…
THE Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Theophilus Akeredolu is dead. Akeredolu died on December 9, 2025. A statement issued on Sunday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP, Benjamin Hundeyin sent to News Point Nigeria said, “The Nigeria Police Force announces with deep sorrow the passing of a distinguished senior retired police officer and elder statesman, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Chief Theophillus Adetunji Akeredolu, who passed to glory on 9th December, 2025 “Born on 25th October, 1942, the late DIG Akeredolu devoted several decades of his life to the service of the Nigeria Police Force and the nation at large.…
THE Ekiti State Government has sacked a surgeon, who was accused of removing the kidney of a patient without their prior consent at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH). This was contained in a statement signed and made available to News Point Nigeria by the Commissioner for Health, Oyebanji Filani. It also recommended that all members of the surgical team present in the theatre on the day of the operation are to be suspended from duty for a period of one month, pending further administrative review. This decision followed the detailed report submitted by the seven-member panel of enquiry,…
THE Lagos State Police Command has arrested and detained popular TikTok streamer Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, following a viral video showing him driving and threatening to crash his car while livestreaming. His action resulted in a road crash on the Lekki-Epe Expressway in Lagos. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Wednesday and signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, the force said the arrest followed the circulation of a video recorded on Sunday, in which the 20-year-old content creator was seen driving while visibly distressed, eventually crashing his vehicle. According to the police,…
THE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, on Thursday said poor telecommunications connectivity remains the commission’s toughest challenge in achieving real-time upload of election results from polling units across the country. News Point Nigeria reports that Amupitan revealed this on Thursday at the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room’s Stakeholders’ Forum on Elections in Abuja. He said that despite technological gains, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), weak network coverage continues to limit full real-time transparency, especially in remote areas. He noted that the commission’s strategic response to…
FORMER presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Publisher, Dele Momodu, says a last-minute disruption to his planned road trip to Cotonou may have saved him from being caught in the failed coup attempt in Benin Republic. Momodu stated this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria, explaining that he was originally scheduled to be inside Benin Republic at the exact period the coup scare was unfolding. He said the unexpected setback that stopped his 5 a.m. departure “was what saved us.” Momodu narrated that the entire episode felt unreal, noting that he…
TENSIONS between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have deepened as the refinery halted monthly salary payments to engineers affected by the dispute that erupted in September. News Point Nigeria reports that the salary suspension, confirmed by multiple officials and documents obtained by The PUNCH, affects engineers whose appointments were terminated but who were later offered redeployment to various Dangote Group projects across the country—offers many of them rejected. Investigations revealed that the workers’ salaries were first reduced in October before being completely halted in November. Company officials said the…
NIGERIA is set for a challenging fiscal year in 2026 as the Federal Government on Wednesday unveiled a proposed N54.43tn spending plan under the newly approved Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), with debt servicing alone projected to gulp N15.91tn representing 29.2 per cent of the entire budget. The deficit, estimated at N20.10tn, is now N2.78tn larger than the country’s entire 2022 national budget, marking a historic surge that analysts say could push Africa’s largest economy into deeper fiscal distress if not managed prudently. This year’s proposed deficit is also more than double that of 2025, rising by…
CHAIRMAN of the United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, has cancelled his annual TOE All-White Party in honour of the six staff members who died in the September fire at Afriland Towers, Lagos. The fire, which broke out in the high-rise building on Broad Street, claimed the lives of workers and left the business community shaken. In a message shared via his Instagram story on Tuesday sighted by News Point Nigeria, Elumelu said he and his wife, Awele, made the “difficult decision” to suspend this year’s edition of the much-anticipated December 23 celebration. He explained that the moment calls for…
THE abducted traditional ruler, Ojibara of Bayagan in Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state, Alh Kamilu Salami, and six others have escaped from the grip of bandits. Credible sources from the community told News Point Nigeria that the traditional ruler and six other abductees from the neighbouring community were able to escape following a vicious attack launched on the bandits by the vigilantes who flooded the forests. “The vigilante team launched an attack on the bandits deep in the forests and engaged them in a fierce battle around the Eku Idaji area, close to Igbaja. “Although the Baale and…
TENSION has resurfaced in Eruku, a community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, after gunmen suspected to be terrorists abducted another resident on Sunday. News Point Nigeria reports that this comes just a week after 38 worshippers were freed following a kidnapping incident in the same town. It was learnt that the attackers stormed a farmland along the Eruku–Koro Road around midday. The assailants, reportedly four in number, were armed with AK-47 rifles and cutlasses. A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the attackers struck during routine work hours and whisked away one…
BANDITS have abducted a traditional ruler, the Ojibara of Bayagan Oba Kamilu Salami, in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident has triggered fresh concerns over the worsening insecurity plaguing communities across the state. It was learnt that the monarch was kidnapped on Saturday morning on his farm although details surrounding the incident remain sketchy as of the time of filing this report. Residents said the attack happened suddenly, leaving the community in fear and confusion. Police authorities in Kwara State are yet to confirm the incident.
GOVERNOR Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has renewed the call for a joint regional security outfit and the creation of state police. News Point Nigeria reports that Abiodun made the call on Wednesday at a meeting of southern governors hosted in the state which focused heavily on the escalating security threats across the southern part of the country. Governor Abiodun, who chaired the meeting, emphasised the urgent need for intelligence-driven security systems, digital surveillance, and a region-wide Safe School Programme. He also commended President Bola Tinubu for what they described as transformative leadership. He reiterated their longstanding demand for state…
AS political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has vowed to stamp out all forms of electoral manipulation, including vote-buying and rigging, insisting that the credibility of Nigeria’s elections is “non-negotiable.” News Point Nigeria reports that Amupitan made the declaration on Tuesday during the swearing-in of Prof. Adeniran Tella as the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Oyo State. The ceremony, held at INEC headquarters in Abuja, was part of the commission’s ongoing efforts to strengthen electoral administration across the federation. In his address, Amupitan said…
BANDITS have struck the Isapa community of Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 11 residents. News Point Nigeria reports that the gunmen, numbering more than 20, stormed the community with a large herd of cattle on Monday, firing shots indiscriminately. An elderly woman was reportedly hit by a stray bullet during the incident. A community leader, who confirmed the incident under anonymity, said that 11 people were abducted, with seven victims belonging to the same family. The kidnapped victims include a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several young children. Identities of the abducted individuals have been identified…
SOUTH-WEST governors, under the aegis of the South-West Governors’ Forum, have renewed their call for the creation of state police to tackle the security challenges bedeviling the region and the country in general. News Point Nigeria reports that they made the call on Monday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, after a closed-door meeting held at the Oyo State Governor’s Office. The meeting had in attendance the forum’s Chairman and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Others included Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), and the host, Seyi Makinde (Oyo). However, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, was represented…