Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

THIRTY years after the tragic plane crash that claimed the life of Ibrahim Sani Abacha, eldest son of Nigeria’s former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, the incident remains one of the most haunting and controversial tragedies in Nigeria’s modern history. As Nigeria marks three decades since the disaster, News Point Nigeria, revisits the events of January 1996, a moment that froze the nation in shock, ignited rumours of sabotage, and left behind unanswered questions that still linger in the country’s political memory. On Thursday, January 18, 1996, newspapers across Nigeria carried the same grim headline: Ibrahim Abacha is…

SECURITY operatives have arrested Nollywood filmmaker and actor, Stanley Amandi, over his alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration, deepening revelations surrounding a foiled coup allegedly involving both military officers and civilians. News Point Nigeria gathered that Amandi, a former Chairman of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Enugu State chapter, was taken into custody in September 2025, although the arrest only became public months later as authorities expanded their probe into the alleged conspiracy. According to sources familiar with the investigation, the actor was allegedly engaged as a propagandist by elements behind the plot, with…

A FRESH wave of religious and political tension has erupted following a declaration by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) that it will not recognise any election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under the leadership of its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, a move that has drawn sharp reactions from Christian groups and divided public opinion. News Point Nigeria reports that the Shari’ah Council made the declaration on Wednesday during its annual pre-Ramadan lecture and general assembly held in Abuja, where it openly called for the immediate removal of Prof. Amupitan, citing what it described as…

THE Presidency has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent claim that Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is worse than the era of military rule, describing the comment as historically distorted, reckless, and deeply contradictory. News Point Nigeria reports that Atiku made the remark while speaking at a political event organised by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he alleged that the current administration represents a form of governance more oppressive than Nigeria’s past military regimes. Reacting to the statement, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, dismissed Atiku’s assertion as untenable and…

THE Nigerian military has officially confirmed that some of its officers were involved in a plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, marking the first formal admission by the Armed Forces following months of speculation and denials. The confirmation came after the completion of an internal investigation into allegations that surfaced in October last year, when reports emerged that several serving officers ranging in rank from Captain to Brigadier-General had been arrested and detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) over an alleged coup plot against the civilian government. On Monday, News Point Nigeria reported that the panel constituted to investigate…

THE Kano State Government House has taken on a new political outlook as flags of the All Progressives Congress (APC) replaced those of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), signalling the imminent return of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to the ruling party. News Point Nigeria reports that the change comes ahead of the governor’s formal reception into the APC, an event expected to take place at the Government House and already generating intense political anticipation across the state. A visit to the Government House on Monday revealed APC flags and colours prominently displayed across the premises, marking a visible shift…

THE Nigerian military has submitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the report of its investigation into what it officially described as acts of indiscipline and breach of service regulations involving 16 detained military officers, amid renewed claims that the case is linked to an alleged coup plot against the administration. Credible security and Presidency sources confirmed to this newspaper that the report, compiled after more than two months of interrogation and internal investigations conducted by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), has now been formally handed over to the President, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Although the…

THE Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) could significantly weaken its chances in the 2027 general election if it drops a Northern Muslim from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election ticket. Musawa gave the warning during a recent episode of Mic On Show with journalist Seun Okinbaloye, amid rising speculation that the ruling party may consider altering the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket that powered the APC to victory in the 2023 elections. The minister cautioned that replacing Vice President Kashim Shettima or removing a Northern Muslim from the ticket would pose…

FOR more than a month, Kano State has been gripped by intense political drama, speculation, defections, counter-accusations and high-level negotiations that now appear to have altered the state’s political trajectory forever. What began as quiet rumours of a possible defection has snowballed into one of the most consequential political realignments in Kano’s recent history, pitting long-time allies against each other and testing the very foundation of the Kwankwasiyya Movement. Investigations by News Point Nigeria online newspaper reveal that the developments culminating in Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s resignation from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) were not sudden, but the product…

WHAT was meant to be a routine diplomatic posting turned into one of the most puzzling controversies in Nigeria’s recent governance history. In a span of just a few hours, the name of Usman Isa Dakingari Suleiman, former governor of Kebbi State, surfaced as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Turkey, only for it to be quietly removed in a subsequent presidential statement without a clear explanation of how it appeared in the first place. For diplomats, legal experts, academics, and ordinary Nigerians who spoke to News Point Nigeria, the issue goes far beyond a simple administrative error. At its core lies a…

IN a major political shake-up that could reshape Kano State’s political landscape forever, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has resigned from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), alongside a large bloc of elected officials across the state. News Point Nigeria reports that the governor’s resignation was announced in a formal letter addressed to the Chairman of the NNPP, Diso-Chiranchi Ward, in Gwale Local Government Area, with the decision taking effect from January 25, 2026. The development was confirmed on Friday in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, who said the move followed…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has set aside the appointment of former Kebbi State governor, Usman Isa Dakingari Suleiman, as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Turkey, barely hours after the State House officially announced his posting. The sudden reversal was confirmed in a revised State House press release sent to News Point Nigeria early on Friday, which omitted Dakingari’s name from the list of approved postings and clarified that no ambassador has yet been designated for Turkey. In the earlier statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu had approved the posting of four ambassadors-designate from…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the posting of four ambassador-designates to strategic foreign missions in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Turkey, marking the first phase of ambassadorial deployments following the Senate’s confirmation of nominees late last year. The approval was confirmed in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria late on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the statement, President Tinubu approved the posting of Ambassador Emmanuel Ayodele Oke as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to France, and Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (rtd) as ambassador-designate to the United States of America. Also…

THE Supreme Court of Nigeria has formally dismissed the attempt to reopen the murder trial of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), the former Chief Security Officer to late military ruler General Sani Abacha, over the assassination of Hajiya Kudirat Abiola. News Point Nigeria reports that apex court held that the Lagos State Government abandoned the case after failing for nearly a decade to take any concrete legal steps to prosecute its appeal, despite being granted permission to do so in 2014. During proceedings, the Supreme Court observed that Lagos State neither filed any legal process nor appeared in court, even though…

KANO State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has shed light on the issues discussed during his recent closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, even as strong indications emerged that the encounter may have cleared the path for his long-anticipated defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Governor Yusuf said the strategic engagement with the President focused on security challenges, infrastructure development, and strengthening Kano’s partnership with the Federal Government. According…

THE legal and political troubles of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, deepened on Saturday as operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested him shortly after his release from Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja. News Point Nigeria reports that Malami was taken into DSS custody after fulfilling bail conditions imposed following his earlier arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of money laundering. The EFCC had earlier arrested Malami alongside his wife and son, following an extensive investigation into alleged financial crimes. The trio were subsequently granted bail in…

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has firmly ruled out the granting of automatic tickets to governors who recently defected from other political parties or are planning to join the ruling party, declaring that all aspirants must earn their mandates through competitive party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections. News Point Nigeria gathered that top leaders of the party, including members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), disclosed that defection into the ruling party does not confer special privileges or guarantees of re-election, regardless of political status or incumbency. A senior NWC member, who spoke on condition of anonymity…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced an investigation into a petition filed by the President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, against the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, over alleged abuse of office and unlawful expenditure of public funds. Findings by News Point Nigeria indicate that the anti-graft agency has begun preliminary investigative steps, including writing to relevant local and international institutions named in the petition, notably a Swiss secondary school where Ahmed’s children are reportedly enrolled. Dangote had initially submitted a petition in December 2025 to…

NO fewer than 10 state governors across Nigeria may receive a combined N140bn as security votes in 2026, following a sharp and consistent rise in the funds released for the controversial expenditure item over the past two years, News Point Nigeria’s findings have revealed. The projected figure is based on an analysis of states’ budget implementation reports and spending trends, amid worsening insecurity marked by persistent killings, kidnappings, and terror attacks across several parts of the country. Findings by this newspaper showed that more than 30 states annually earmark between N300m and N32bn as security votes. However, a core group…

TENSION erupted at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on Monday as members of the Kano business community staged a protest at the Ethiopian Airlines office over alleged tampering with luggage and theft of valuable goods by airline staff. News Point Nigeria reports that the aggrieved businessmen, many of whom trade in electronics and imported goods, accused the airline of long-standing negligence and repeated theft from passengers’ checked baggage, particularly on flights routed through Addis Ababa. The protest followed the arrival of passengers from Saudi Arabia via Addis Ababa on Sunday. According to the protesters, their flight was diverted…