Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

FRESH developments have emerged in the lingering Kano Emirate dispute as the palace of the 15th Fulani Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, formally notified the Nigeria Police Force in the state of plans to organise traditional Sallah Durbar festivities. News Point Nigeria notification comes amid heightened tensions within the ancient emirate and only days before the Supreme Court of Nigeria is expected to deliver a landmark judgment on the protracted legal battle over the Kano Emirate structure. In a letter dated March 7, 2026 and obtained by News Point Nigeria, the emir’s palace informed the Nigeria Police Force in…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Lamido Abubakar Yuguda as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, subject to confirmation by the Senate.  According to a statement  sent to News Point Nigeria by the presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the appointment is in accordance with Section 8(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.  Yuguda’s nomination follows the recent appointment of the erstwhile Deputy Governor, Mr Bala Bello, as Special Adviser to the President on Political Economy.  The President charges them to discharge their responsibilities with renewed dedication, professionalism, and commitment to Nigeria’s economic stability and…

THE Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a petition filed against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, ruling that the complaint failed to establish a prima facie case and fell outside the jurisdiction of the disciplinary body. News Point Nigeria reports that the decision effectively puts an end at least within the LPDC to allegations that Kalu had discrepancies in his academic and professional credentials, including claims relating to his participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), his training at the Nigerian Law School, and his enrollment as a legal practitioner at the Supreme…

FORMER Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has revealed that persistent media attacks against his leadership were largely orchestrated by powerful interests resisting reforms he introduced to sanitise the Nigeria Police Force. News Point Nigeria reports that in a detailed account of his tenure as head of the police, Egbetokun said his administration confronted several entrenched practices within the Force, including widespread falsification of service records by officers seeking to prolong their stay in service. According to him, his efforts to halt the illegal practices and enforce internal discipline triggered backlash from those affected by the reforms. Egbetokun disclosed that one…

GOVERNOR Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has officially resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), barely 24 hours after **News Point Nigeria reported that the governor was considering such a move. The announcement was confirmed on Monday in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the governor’s media aide, Nuhu Anka, who said the decision followed extensive consultations with political stakeholders across Zamfara State. According to the statement, the governor took the step after weighing the political realities within the PDP and the need to ensure stability and…

THE Court of Appeal of Nigeria sitting in Abuja on Monday dismissed appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging earlier judgments that restrained the party from proceeding with its controversial national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025. News Point Nigeria reports that in a series of unanimous rulings, a three-member panel of the appellate court upheld the decisions of the **Federal High Court and ruled that the appeals brought by the party lacked merit. The court also awarded ₦2 million in costs against the PDP, describing one of the appeals as frivolous. The rulings represent…

NIGERIA’s fiscal pressures are intensifying as debt servicing continues to consume a significant portion of the Federal Government’s resources, with payments exceeding capital expenditure by about ₦3.9 trillion over the past two years. A media brief obtained by News Point Nigeria on Sunday from the Federal Ministry of Finance revealed that the Federal Government spent a total of ₦27.2 trillion servicing public debt between 2024 and 2025, underscoring the growing burden of debt obligations on the nation’s finances. The document, prepared by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy on Media and Communications,…

THE Police Service Commission (PSC) has strongly denied allegations that senior officers of the **Nigeria Police Force paid ₦5 million each to secure promotion to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), describing the claims as false and damaging. The commission also warned that it may pursue legal action against the online news platform Sahara Reporters over what it described as defamatory claims capable of tarnishing the image of the commission and the police institution. The allegations had surfaced in a report published by the media outlet, which claimed that some officers paid bribes to officials of the commission…

IRAN has named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader, just over a week after the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in United States-Israeli strikes that plunged the entire region into a sprawling war. Khamenei, who will now be charged with leading the Islamic Republic through the biggest crisis in its 47-year history, was named by clerics as his father’s successor on Sunday. Mojtaba Khamenei has never run for office or been subjected to a public vote, but has for decades been a highly influential figure in the inner circle of the supreme leader, cultivating deep ties to…

THE Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has approved the appointment of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Anthony Placid, as the new Force Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force. Placid replaces Benjamin Hundeyin, who served as the spokesperson of the force and has now stepped down from the position following the latest redeployment approved by the police leadership. The development was announced in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja by Hundeyin, who signed the statement as the outgoing Force Public Relations Officer. According to the statement, Placid is a seasoned police…

THE Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said that the recent fluctuations in fuel pump prices across Nigeria are a direct consequence of market dynamics under the country’s deregulated downstream petroleum sector. The authority explained that the variations in petrol prices currently being witnessed nationwide reflect the realities of supply and demand within the deregulated system rather than regulatory intervention. The spokesperson of the authority, George Ene-Ita, stated this while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday as he reacted to the latest increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol.…

A DEEPENING political crisis is unfolding in Kano State as the state’s deputy governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, faces a looming impeachment battle amid allegations of financial misconduct and intensifying political rivalry within the government. The unfolding drama, which has sent shockwaves across the state’s political landscape, comes against the backdrop of shifting political loyalties following the defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from the New Nigeria People’s Party to the All Progressives Congress, a move that has sharply divided political actors in the state and altered the delicate balance that previously held the administration together. As tensions escalate, in this…

VICE President Kashim Shettima has vowed that the Federal Government will bring an end to insurgency in Nigeria’s North-East through what he described as the “decisive and overwhelming force of the Nigerian State.” His remarks followed a series of renewed attacks by insurgents in Borno State that resulted in casualties among security personnel and civilians. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President said the Federal Government would not be intimidated by the latest wave of violence, which included coordinated assaults on military formations…

HUNDREDS of Nigerian Muslims preparing for this year’s Umrah pilgrimage have been stranded after the escalating United States–Israel–Iran conflict disrupted major air routes across the Middle East, forcing several international airlines to suspend operations and leaving intending pilgrims and travel agents facing losses running into millions of naira. Investigations by News Point Nigeria revealed that many of the affected pilgrims had already secured visas and paid for flight tickets and accommodation in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina before airlines abruptly cancelled flights due to the worsening security situation in the region. Umrah, a lesser pilgrimage performed by Muslims…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the deployment of dozens of Nigerian ambassadors to diplomatic missions across the world, assigning key envoys to strategic countries including the United States, Iran, Israel, China, and the United Kingdom. News Point Nigeria reports that the postings involve 31 career diplomats and 34 non-career political ambassadors, completing the diplomatic corps whose nominations were earlier confirmed by the Nigerian Senate in December. The appointments are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic presence globally and deepen bilateral relations with major international partners. Among the most notable postings, former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lateef…

THE Defence Headquarters has clarified that Nigeria’s military cooperation with the United States is strictly focused on professional training, operational capacity building, and intelligence sharing, stressing that there are no plans to establish a United States military base in Nigeria. News Point Nigeria reports that the clarification was made by the Director of Defence Information at the Defence Headquarters, Major General SM Uba, during a Twitter Space discussion organised by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare. According to the military spokesman, the collaboration between the Nigerian Armed Forces and the United States Army…

FORMER Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has issued a formal petition and pre-action notice to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding N15.6 billion in damages over what he described as his illegal detention and several alleged violations of his fundamental rights. The petition, dated March 4, 2026 obtained by News Point Nigeria, was filed by a law firm led by Ubong Akpan and submitted to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. The move marks the latest twist in the escalating legal confrontation between the former governor and the anti-graft agency. News Point Nigeria had earlier reported…

VICE President Kashim Shettima has said the federal government’s ongoing tax reforms are designed to improve the lives of Nigerians and reduce the burden on small businesses and low-income earners, rather than impoverish them. News Point Nigeria reports that Shettima made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja while speaking on behalf of President Bola Tinubu at an interfaith breaking of fast held at the State House to mark the observances of Ramadan and Lent. According to the vice president, the tax reforms are aimed at eliminating multiple levies and charges that have long burdened small businesses and ordinary Nigerians. He…

MOJTABA Khamenei, the son of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is among the leading contenders to succeed his father as the new head of the country. Khamenei’s successor is set to be named by the top clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, with one of its members, Ahmad Khatami, telling Iranian state media on Wednesday that they hoped to vote “at the earliest opportunity”. Contenders for the top position include Alireza Arafi, one of the three members of the interim council running the country, hardliner Mohsen Araki, and even Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the country…

THE United States Embassy in Nigeria has cancelled all visa appointments scheduled for Wednesday, March 4, 2026, citing a high potential for protests in Abuja amid escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran. Disclosing this in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Wednesday, the embassy warned of “potential demonstrations” in the Federal Capital Territory, calling on American citizens to remain indoors. “The U.S. Embassy in Abuja informs U.S. citizens that there is a high potential for protests in Abuja tomorrow, March 4, 2026, due to the current conflict with Iran,” the statement read. “Previous protests by some…