Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested a medical doctor accused of treating wounded kidnappers and supplying medical drugs to armed gangs operating inside forests in parts of Kwara State. News Point Nigeria reports that the doctor, whose identity was still being withheld by security agencies as of press time, was intercepted in the Jebba axis following weeks of intelligence tracking. According to security sources, the arrest followed credible reports indicating that couriers had been moving medical supplies from Sokoto to Kwara, where bandits recovering from gunshot injuries were being treated in remote forest hideouts. Sources familiar with the…

THE Senate on Thursday raised a national alarm over what it called a “widespread and scientifically verified lead-poisoning disaster” devastating Ogijo, a densely populated community straddling the Ikorodu area of Lagos and the Ogun East Senatorial District. News Point Nigeria reports that the Lawmakers said the tragedy, caused by emissions from multiple used lead-acid battery recycling factories operating in the area, has matured into what one senator described as “a full-scale public health emergency that is silently destroying an entire generation.” Tokunbo Abiru, who sponsored the motion alongside Senator Gbenga Daniel, warned that the scale of contamination in Ogijo was…

THE Senate has demanded full disclosure from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the alleged non-remittance of ₦1.44 trillion operating surplus, even as the apex bank declared that the Nigerian economy is now enjoying its most stable period in more than a decade. News Point Nigeria reports that the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, chaired by Senator Tokunbo Abiru, issued the directive on Wednesday during its statutory briefing with the CBN leadership. Abiru said the Auditor-General’s query on the unremitted funds must be addressed with clarity, documentation, and transparency, insisting that institutional credibility depended on…

THE Senate has completed the screening of the three ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the upper chamber by President Bola Tinubu for confirmation. They are Kayode Are (Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo State). The nominees, who appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs chaired by Senator Sani Bello (APC, Niger North), were screened by the panel. The committee’s report is expected to be presented at plenary for consideration and possible confirmation in due course. Speaking during the session, Senator Bello disclosed that Ayodele Oke had addressed and cleared all allegations previously raised against him. President…

THE Senate has summoned key members of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to explain the alleged collapse and mismanagement of the Safe School Initiative, a multi-million-dollar programme created to secure schools from attacks across Nigeria. News Point Nigeria reports that the summons was issued on Wednesday during the inaugural sitting of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee probing the failure of the scheme. The committee, chaired by former Abia State governor and Senator for Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, is expected to receive the ministers next Tuesday. Others to appear…

THE Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday began the screening of three ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the upper chamber by President Bola Tinubu. News Point Nigeria reports that the nominees, Kayode Are (Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo State), were earlier transmitted to the Senate in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary last week. This newspaper reports that the three-man list was released ahead of 32 additional names from the President. Their appearance before the committee, chaired by former Niger State Governor, Senator Sani Bello, marked the beginning of their legislative…

FORMER Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs in Kano State, Muhammad Garba, has sharply criticised the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) led government over what he described as an “embarrassingly poor and unacceptable” execution of the 2025 budget, accusing the administration of prioritising propaganda over governance. News Point Nigeria reports that Garba, who serves as Chief of Staff to the former APC National Chairman, was reacting on Tuesday to a budget performance review published by Solacebase, which revealed extremely low capital spending across critical ministries between January and September 2025. According to the report, the Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry…

SENATOR Danjuma Goje, representing Gombe Central, has clarified that there was no rift between him and Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s rowdy session, describing the incident as a routine parliamentary procedure. News Point Nigeria reports that Goje offered the clarification during Wednesday’s plenary, a day after he confronted Akpabio over what he called an “unparliamentary act” during proceedings. The senator, who had raised a point of order citing procedural rules, said his actions were misinterpreted by sections of the media. “My intention in calling that order was not to go against the Senate President personally or to fight him,”…

THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has not yet submitted the 2025 Hajj report to President Bola Tinubu, six months after the pilgrimage. This breaches the NAHCON (Establishment) Act 2022, insiders have said. The Act requires that the commission submit a Hajj report within three months of the pilgrimage. Section 20 (1) states that, “The Commission shall, not later than three months after Arafat Day, prepare and submit to the President, under whose Office the Commission shall operate, a report on the pilgrimage for each year.” Subsection 2 (a) specifies that the “Commission shall at the end of each…

AMID renewed national security challenges, the Senate has announced a major shake-up of several standing committees, fulfilling its earlier pledge to reconstitute the committee on National Security and Intelligence. News Point Nigeria reports that the announcement was made during plenary on Tuesday by the Senate Selection Committee chaired by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio. Under the new arrangement, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi of Kebbi State is now named Chairman of the Senate committee on National Security and Intelligence. He previously headed the committee on National Planning. The Senate also restructured the committee on Livestock and animal husbandry, appointing…

THE United States House Appropriations Committee will host a joint congressional briefing on Tuesday to examine the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria. US Congressman Riley Moore shared a notice on X sighted by News Point Nigeria, confirming that House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chair Mario Díaz-Balart will lead the session. He will be joined by colleagues from the Appropriations Committee, as well as members of the Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committees. The briefing will also feature input from representatives of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and other subject-matter experts. According to the…

FORMER Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has firmly ruled out the possibility of accepting a vice-presidential slot in the 2027 general elections, insisting that he is solely in the race to become Nigeria’s next president. News Point Nigeria reports that Amaechi’s position comes amid growing speculation following comments by media entrepreneur and political ally of Atiku Abubakar, Dele Momodu, who recently suggested that the former Rivers State governor could be considered as a running mate to the former Vice President—especially if Peter Obi declines a joint ticket with Atiku. Momodu, speaking in an interview, argued that many Nigerians underestimate Amaechi’s…

FORMER National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, has formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing neglect by his former party during his years of political and personal travails. News Point Nigeria reports that Metuh announced his defection on Sunday during a thanksgiving service in Abuja to commemorate his 60th birthday, marking his return to active partisan politics after publicly withdrawing from the political scene three years ago. The event drew a high-powered delegation of political heavyweights from across party lines, including the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma; former President…

KANO State has come under yet another deadly attack as armed bandits stormed Yankamaye village in Tsanyawa Local Government Area, killing an elderly woman and abducting several residents in a renewed wave of violence gripping parts of the North-West. News Point Nigeria reports that the attack, which occurred late Saturday as villagers prepared to retire for the night, is the latest in a series of incursions by criminal gangs fleeing intensified military operations in neighbouring states and allegedly emboldened by controversial peace deals across the region. According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen rode into the area on motorcycles, parking them at…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has raised questions about the recent coup in Guinea-Bissau, saying that it was strange that the ousted president, Umaro Embalo, announced the military takeover. News Point Nigeria reports that according to him, what happened in the West African country was a “ceremonial” coup. “What happened in Guinea-Bissau, I wouldn’t call it a coup. It was not a coup. For want of a better word, I would say maybe because it was a ceremonial coup, because it is the president, President Embalo, who announced the coup before, later, the military man came up to address the world…

THE Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Friday, reserved judgement in the appeal and cross appeal filed by Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio. News Point Nigeria reports that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan is challenging a lower court’s decision in her suit seeking to stop the Senate’s investigation of her alleged misconduct. A three-member panel of justices of the appellate court reserved the judgment after counsel for the parties adopted their processes and argued their case for and against the appeals. The senate president had approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the Federal High Court judgment that invalidated the…

THE Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by Tigran Gambaryan, former Binance Head of Financial Crime Compliance in Nigeria, against the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). News Point Nigeria reports that Gambaryan, through his lawyer, had sued the NSA and EFCC over alleged unlawful and prolonged detention. Delivering Judgement, Justice Mohammed Umar, held that the Binance agent’s fundamental rights enforcement suit constituted an abuse of court process. Justice Umar held that the NSA had acted within his mandate under the law and that no court had…

MARICEL Romero Cantillo has been reappointed as the Honorary Consul of Colombia to Nigeria, extending her tenure for another four years. Her reappointment reinforces Colombia’s confidence in her diplomatic work and acknowledges her growing role in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. News Point Nigeria reorts that the announcement comes just months after the historic visit of Colombia’s Vice President to Nigeria—a visit that focused on deepening cooperation in areas such as trade, culture, education, and people-to-people exchange. During that visit, both nations committed to expanding engagement across multiple sectors, opening new doors for collaboration between Latin America and…

THE Senate has passed a resolution classifying kidnapping as an act of terrorism, stipulating that an amendment to the Terrorism Act be made to impose the maximum penalty of death. News Point Nigeria reports that the resolution was made during plenary on Wednesday. Under the new law, according to the upper legislative arm, once a kidnapping conviction is established, the death penalty must be applied. Nigeria suffers from a persistent security crisis fuelled by attacks and violence by “bandit” gangs that raid villages, kill people, and kidnap for ransom. In response to recent kidnappings and attacks by terrorists, President Bola…

FORMER Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, on Wednesday said bandits were threatening and planning to abduct members of the National Assembly. News Point Nigeria reports that Idris stated this during the resumption of debate on national security in the lower chamber, calling on President Bola Tinubu to review his directive on the withdrawal of police operatives attached to Very Important Personalities (VIPs). Tinubu had on Sunday ordered the withdrawal of police officers at a security meeting in Abuja, attended by Service Chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services. The President directed the police…