Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

A PROSECUTION witness in the ongoing trial-within-trial involving suspects charged over an alleged coup plot to topple the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has told a federal high court in Abuja that the defendants made their confessional statements voluntarily and without coercion. News Point Nigeria reports that the witness, an officer of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police, gave the testimony on Tuesday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who is presiding over the matter. The trial-within-trial was ordered after defence lawyers challenged the federal government’s attempt to tender video recordings of the defendants’ statements, arguing that the confessional statements…

NO fewer than 72 people were reportedly killed after a military air strike hit Tumfa market in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Sunday, according to sources who spoke with News Point Nigeria. A community leader, Garba Ibrahim Mashama, confirmed the incident, stating that some of the victims’ bodies were “blown beyond recognition.” “The actual death toll is hard to establish at the moment. Everybody, residents and bandits, goes to the market. People are at the mercy of the bandits. There is nothing they can do,” Mashama said. A local source also told this newspaper that the Tumfa…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released the list of the top-performing candidates in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, with no candidate from Northern Nigeria appearing among the top scorers. News Point Nigeria reports that leading the ranking is Owoeye Jesudunsin from Ekiti State, who scored 372 out of 400 marks after sitting for the examination in Ogun State. Speaking on Monday during the 2026 admission policy meeting in Abuja, JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed that the candidate selected the University of Lagos as her first-choice institution to study Medicine and Surgery. According to Oloyede, the 372 score…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed that more than 1.4 million members of the National Youth Service Corps will be deployed for the 2027 general election across the country. This was contained in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, following a courtesy visit by the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle O. Nafiu, at the Yakubu Gowon House, headquarters of the NYSC in Abuja, on Monday. Prof. Amupitan described the meeting with the NYSC senior management…

IN a state where political power has historically revolved around influential personalities, entrenched structures and carefully cultivated alliances, the battle for Jigawa Government House ahead of the 2027 governorship election is already emerging as one of the most intense and politically explosive contests in the state’s modern democratic history. What initially appeared to be a routine re-election journey for Governor Umar Namadi is rapidly evolving into a high-stakes political confrontation fuelled by shifting loyalties, growing internal tensions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the resurgence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the quiet but increasingly visible alignment of…

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) screening exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections recorded the notable absence of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, even as the party screened over 14 governors seeking re-election and other elective positions. Also screened was President Bola Tinubu’s sole challenger for the APC presidential ticket, Stanley Osifo, who described the exercise as rigorous but fair. News Point Nigeria reports that the APC commenced the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms on April 28, with the process officially closing at midnight on May 6. The screening of serving governors began on May 8 and…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, wanted over alleged abuse of office and diversion of public funds, intensifying efforts to bring her before the court in an ongoing high-profile financial misconduct case. News Point Nigeria reports that the anti-graft agency, in a notice published on its official website on Saturday, called on members of the public with useful information about the whereabouts of the former minister to contact any of its offices nationwide through the phone numbers provided. According to the EFCC, Umar Farouq, 52, is…

Minister Of Culture and Tourism, Hannatu Musawa, Only Cabinet Member Present On All Five Major Platforms IN a country where millions of young people spend hours daily online discussing politics, governance, the economy, entertainment, and national issues, an updated report revised from an earlier 2025 edition and obtained by News Point Nigeria Weekend has exposed what experts now describe as a widening digital disconnect between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet and the Nigerian public. The report, released by COLUMN, a digital communications and strategy firm, paints a troubling picture of a federal cabinet struggling to establish meaningful online engagement in…

SOME concerned senior deputy directors of the Bureau of Public Enterprises have petitioned Vice-President Kashim Shettima amid growing disquiet over what they described as an “unpopular and obnoxious” promotion exercise in the agency. In the petition obtained by News Point Nigeria and addressed to Shettima, who also chairs the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), the aggrieved officials alleged that the promotion of two deputy directors to directors violated extant public service rules as well as the BPE staff manual. According to the petitioners, the NCP, during its meeting on April 23, 2025, approved the appointment of “Saratu Gafai and Grace…

THE Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) has corrected the official appellation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following recurring errors by some organisations and media outlets. News Point Nigeria reports that the clarification was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the SGF, Yomi Odunuga. Odunuga disclosed that the clarification was personally signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume. According to him, Akume urged the public and media organisations to verify official titles before publication in order to avoid what he described…

ABDUL SAMAD Rabiu, founder and chairman of BUA Group, has reportedly overtaken South African billionaire Johann Rupert to emerge as Africa’s second-richest individual. News Point Nigeria reports that Rabiu’s rise follows one of the biggest wealth gains recorded globally this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The latest Bloomberg ranking showed that Rabiu’s net worth climbed to $18.6 billion, placing him 138th on the global wealth list and representing a year-to-date increase of about $8.47 billion. According to the report, the sharp rise in his fortune was driven by stronger valuations across his industrial holdings. Rabiu’s wealth had recently…

GOVERNOR Dikko Radda of Katsina has alleged that there are moles within government circles, security agencies and local communities who supply information to bandits, thereby aiding criminal operations across Katsina State. Speaking during an exclusive interview with Channels Television monitored by News Point Nigeria, the governor said the fight against insecurity in the state was being seriously undermined by individuals leaking sensitive security information to criminal groups. Radda specifically mentioned a notorious bandit identified simply as Mohammed, explaining how informants within government structures and communities allegedly provide intelligence that helps the suspect evade arrest and frustrate security operations. “This notorious…

THE Nigeria Police Force and the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) have successfully tracked, arrested and repatriated a Chinese fugitive, Xu Qing, who was allegedly hiding in Siun Village, Ogun State, over his involvement in a suspected $245 million Ponzi scheme and large-scale illegal absorption of public deposits in China. News Point Nigeria reports that the suspect, who had reportedly fled China in a bid to evade arrest, was traced to a factory in Olowotedo, Siun Village, located in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, following what authorities described as sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance operations by operatives…

THE National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Arewa Consultative Forum has suspended the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Bashir M. Dalhatu, over alleged breaches of the organisation’s constitution. News Point Nigeria reports that the decision was reached during an emergency NEC meeting held in Kaduna on Wednesday amid heightened tension following the reported restriction of access to the ACF headquarters by police operatives ahead of the gathering on Tuesday. Addressing journalists after the emergency meeting, the National Publicity Secretary of the forum, Tukor Muhammad-Baba, disclosed that delegates from about 18 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) eventually…

THE Federal Government on Wednesday announced a ban on recipients of honorary degrees from prefixing “Dr” to their names in official, academic, or professional usage, declaring that such practice amounts to a misrepresentation of academic credentials. News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents on two approvals granted by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) but not announced during the April 30 cabinet meeting. Alausa, who appeared alongside the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, said the FEC approved a uniform national policy regulating…

THE crisis rocking the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) deepened on Tuesday after operatives of the Nigeria Police sealed off the headquarters of the socio-cultural organisation in Kaduna ahead of a planned National Executive Council (NEC) meeting. News Point Nigeria reports that the ACF secretariat, located along Sokoto Road in Kaduna metropolis, was barricaded, with police vehicles stationed at the entrance as of 7pm, effectively preventing access to the premises. Members of the NEC, led by Barrister Mamman Mike Osuman, SAN, were scheduled to hold an emergency meeting at the headquarters on Wednesday. In a statement personally signed on Tuesday night…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has paid glowing tribute to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on the 16th anniversary of his death, describing him as a “servant leader” fondly remembered by Nigerians as the “Gentleman President.” News Point Nigeria reports that in a statement shared on his Facebook page on Tuesday, Jonathan reflected on his close working relationship with Yar’Adua, under whom he served as vice president, noting that the late leader embodied humility, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to justice and democratic ideals. “Today marks 16 years since our nation lost a dear hero, an icon of integrity, a selfless…

TWO of the six defendants standing trial over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday admitted in court that they were aware of the alleged coup plan but failed to report it. News Point Nigeria reports that the admissions were contained in video recordings played before the Federal High Court in Abuja during proceedings in the ongoing trial. The recordings, stored in a hard drive tendered by the prosecution, captured separate interview sessions with three defendants  Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired Navy captain; Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector; and Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major-general. In…

BARELY hours after former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and ex-Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, formally joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the party has been dragged into fresh controversy over alleged irregularities surrounding its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The latest development followed threats by a leading promoter of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Umar Ardo, who has challenged the registration of the NDC in court, alleging that the party failed to comply with constitutional and procedural requirements before it was granted recognition. The controversy comes shortly after News Point Nigeria reported that Obi and Kwankwaso…

THIRTY-TWO states and the Federal Capital Territory accumulated nearly $1bn in fresh external loans in 2025, pushing subnational foreign debt sharply higher despite increased allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). Data obtained from the Debt Management Office by News Point Nigeria showed that the combined external debt stock of Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT rose from $4.80bn as of December 31, 2024, to $5.68bn by December 31, 2025. The figures represent a net increase of $884.66m or 18.43 per cent year-on-year. A breakdown of the data indicated that 33 out of the 37 subnational entities recorded increases…