HUNDREDS of Nigerians attempting to travel to or from several Middle Eastern destinations have been stranded following escalating hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran, which have triggered widespread airspace closures and mass flight cancellations. News Point Nigeria reports that travellers bound for or transiting through Qatar, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were among those affected as major international carriers suspended operations over security concerns. Airlines including Air France, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Air Algérie, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Lufthansa announced cancellations after missile exchanges and airstrikes intensified across the region. On Saturday…
Author: Sadiq Abdullateef
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WEDNESDAY night in Abuja delivered a moment that may well redefine one of Nigeria’s most contentious recent cases. Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa formally took custody of Walida Abdulhadi Ibrahim, marking a decisive turning point in a matter that has steadily grown from a simple missing-person report into a complex legal and human rights battle. What followed was more than a routine handover. The development injected fresh intensity into a dispute that has tested the resilience of Nigeria’s justice system, provoked constitutional scrutiny, and ignited nationwide debate over child protection safeguards and the powers of security agencies. In this weekend…
A DRAMATIC twist unfolded on Friday in the trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that his earlier bail no longer subsists following the reassignment of his case. News Point Nigeria reports that the presiding judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, held that since the matter had commenced afresh before her court, all previous proceedings including the bail earlier granted by Emeka Nwite were legally extinguished. The ruling means the former AGF must file a fresh bail application before the court can consider his release. The Economic and Financial…
OPPOSITION political parties have rejected the 2026 Electoral Act recently passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Bola Tinubu. News Point Nigeria reports that the parties called on the National Assembly to immediately begin a fresh amendment process to remove what they described as “all obnoxious provisions” in the law. Their position was made known at a press briefing themed “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday. In a communiqué read by the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Ahmed Ajuji, the opposition leaders stated:…
GOVERNOR Umar Namadi of Jigawa State on Wednesday night formally took custody of Walida Abdulhadi Ibrahim, the young woman from Hadejia Local Government Area whose disappearance in 2023 sparked widespread controversy and legal battles. News Point Nigeria reports that Walida, who had been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), was handed over to the governor at the Service’s headquarters in Abuja at about 10:40 p.m. after weeks of public scrutiny and mounting pressure from civil society groups. Speaking shortly after the handover, Governor Namadi described Walida as “a daughter of Jigawa State” and assured that the…
THE power structure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano have taken a dramatic turn following what party insiders described as an underwhelming turnout at Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s high-profile reception rally held on February 16. The development has led to a significant revision of the power-sharing arrangement within the party’s state structure, a move that underscores the delicate balance of forces between established APC figures and the governor’s bloc. The rally, which was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, and several governors, was widely expected to signal a massive consolidation of political forces…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Tunji Disu as the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), following his acceptance of the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun, in what appears to be a significant shift in the country’s security leadership. News Point Nigeria reports that the announcement was made after Egbetokun tendered his resignation in a letter dated Monday, citing pressing family considerations. However, a credible source within the Presidential Villa told News Point Nigeria that deeper policy disagreements and mounting security concerns may have influenced the sudden leadership change. In a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information…
THE detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has triggered fresh political tension, with the anti-graft agency denying claims that the former governor suffered a nosebleed while in custody. News Point Nigeria reports that El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 18, following his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where he reportedly spent two nights. The controversy escalated on Tuesday after El-Rufai’s spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, alleged that the former governor experienced an episode of overnight nose bleeding while detained. Adekeye also claimed…
THE Federal Government has strongly refuted allegations that it paid a multimillion-dollar ransom and released militant commanders to secure the freedom of schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State, describing the claims as false, speculative, and damaging to national security efforts. News Point Nigeria reports that the rebuttal follows a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP), which alleged that authorities secretly paid a “huge” ransom to secure the release of 230 pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School in Papiri, Niger State. Gunmen stormed the Catholic institution on November 21, abducting nearly 300 pupils…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed Kayode Egbetokun to step down as Inspector-General of Police (IGP), in a major shake-up of Nigeria’s security leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections. Multiple senior sources within the Presidency and the Police Service Commission confirmed to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday that Egbetokun was asked to prepare his handover notes following a meeting at the Presidential Villa on Monday evening. The president has reportedly approved the appointment of Tunji Disu, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Alagbon, Lagos, as the new IGP, subject to confirmation…
FORMER Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has approached the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja seeking an order to quash the criminal charges filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS), describing the case as unconstitutional, incompetent and a gross abuse of court process. News Point Nigeria reports that in a motion challenging Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 dated February 16, 2026, El-Rufai urged the court to strike out the charge in its entirety and discharge him completely. The matter is scheduled for hearing on February 25, 2026, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. According to court documents, El-Rufai’s legal team…
FORMER Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has instituted a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the anti-graft agency of unlawfully invading and searching his residence in Abuja. News Point Nigeria reports that the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, was filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja. In the originating motion, the former governor is asking the court to nullify a search warrant issued by a magistrate court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on February 4, 2026. According to court documents, the disputed warrant authorised ICPC operatives to…
AS Nigeria’s political temperature rises ahead of the next electoral cycle, the legal and political travails of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, have become one of the most riveting national stories. From attempted airport arrest and EFCC interrogation to DSS charges and an ICPC raid on his residence, the unfolding drama cuts across law enforcement, national security, party politics and long-standing elite rivalries. In this Sunday Politics feature, News Point Nigeria examines the sequence of events, the legal implications, the political undercurrents, and the broader questions they raise about power, accountability and opposition politics in Nigeria. The Department of…
WHEN President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appended his signature to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026 at the Presidential Villa, it marked the culmination of months of debate, division, protests and political brinkmanship. For many Nigerians, it was more than a ceremonial act. It was a defining moment that could shape the credibility of the 2027 general elections. In this weekend feature, News Point Nigeria examines how the bill journeyed from heated committee rooms and rowdy plenaries to presidential assent and why one clause, more than any other, continues to dominate public discourse. President Tinubu assented to the bill during a…
THE Department of State Services (DSS) has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, nearly seven years after the Kaduna-based academic and social media commentator was declared missing. A security source confirmed that the agency is set to invite individuals linked to the case as part of renewed efforts to unravel the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma in Katsina State, was reportedly abducted on August 2, 2019, by unidentified gunmen as he arrived at his residence in Barnawa, Kaduna. His whereabouts have remained unknown since then, despite…
OPERATIVES of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have searched the Abuja residence of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, intensifying developments surrounding his ongoing investigation by anti-graft authorities. News Point Nigeria reports that the search of his Aso Drive residence reportedly took place late on Thursday, a day after the commission confirmed that the former governor was in its custody. El-Rufai’s latest encounter with the ICPC followed his earlier arrest and subsequent bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He had honoured an invitation by the EFCC on Monday and was granted bail…
THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has firmly dismissed allegations that $2,000 was distributed to some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) as an “attendance fee” during its recent engagement in Maiduguri, describing the claim as baseless and unsupported by any evidence. The controversy, which surfaced shortly after the association’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Borno State, sparked widespread debate within legal and public circles, with insinuations that dollar-denominated payments were made to certain senior members of the Bar. However, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Thursday by its National Secretariat, the NBA categorically denied receiving or authorising…
THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is currently in its custody in connection with an ongoing investigation, deepening an already dramatic series of legal and security developments surrounding the outspoken politician. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria late on Wednesday and signed by the Commission’s Head of Media and Public Communications, Mr. J. Okor Odey, the ICPC disclosed that El-Rufai remained in its custody as of the close of work on February 18, 2026. “The Commission wishes to state that Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, the former…
THE legal and political troubles confronting former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai escalated Wednesday night after operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), also known as the State Security Service (SSS), arrested him shortly after his release from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). News Point Nigeria reports that El-Rufai had been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission since Monday over corruption allegations linked to his tenure as governor. He was granted bail at about 8:40pm on Wednesday. However, sources told News Point Nigeria that armed DSS operatives were waiting at the EFCC…
MINISTERS overseeing critical infrastructure and service-delivery agencies are grappling with a severe funding crisis after new figures revealed that less than N1tn was released for capital projects in the first seven months of 2025. An analysis of data from the Budget Office of the Federation shows that while N18.53tn was appropriated for capital expenditure for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and related entities in 2025, actual releases between January and July amounted to just N834.80bn. The figure represents only 7.72 per cent of the pro-rata benchmark of N10.81tn expected within the seven-month window leaving a staggering shortfall of nearly N9.98tn.…