FocalPoint Reports

The All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress in Ondo State has l turned bloody in Idanre, Idanre council area, as two persons were reportedly shot dead by suspected gunmen during the exercise. Sources added that three persons were injured following the bloody violence that erupted at the congress venue. An eyewitness account said that residents scampered for safety as sporadic gunshots rented the air, creating panic across many parts of the community. It was alleged that the younger brother of the State Chairman of the ruling party, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, who was beaten at the party secretariat on tuesday, was attacked by thugs. A vehicle was set ablaze during the crisis in the town. The Police command spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, had led a team of tactical operatives to Idanre for an on-the-spot assessment and to forestall further escalation. Abayomi added that security had been reinforced in the area to restore calm and mainta...

UMUAHIA – The strength of the Peoples Democracy Party,PDP, caucus in the Abia State House of Assembly, has been reduced to two members following the defection of the lawmaker representing Obingwa West State Constituency, Hon. Erondu Uchenna Erondu Jnr, to the All Progressives Congress ,APC. The PDP which had a majority of 13 members during the inauguration of the Assembly,now only have Chief Solomon Akpulonu(Obingwa East Constituency) and Chief Mandela Obasi (Ohafia North Constituency). Erondu, who chairs the House Committee on Public Service Matters, was formally received into the APC at Nenu, Obingwa council area by the former Deputy Governor, Dr Chris Akomas, alongside party leaders and supporters. Erondu defected alongside former Chairman of Obingwa council, Chief George Ubani; Mr. Chikezirim Monday Orji; and over 5,000 supporters, in what stakeholders described as a major boost for the APC in the State. Speaking at the occasion,Erondu disclosed that joining the APC would enable hi...

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has declared that there will be no extension of the registration deadline for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), warning prospective candidates to complete their enrolment before February 26 or risk missing the examination. In a firm notice issued on Tuesday, the Board announced that the sale of e-PINs, a mandatory requirement for registration, will close at 12:00 midnight on Thursday, February 26, 2026. Registration at accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres for candidates who have already purchased their e-PINs will end two days later, on Saturday, February 28, 2026. As of February 17, JAMB disclosed that over 1.5 million candidates have successfully registered nationwide. Despite this impressive figure, the Board revealed that registration centres across the country are operating at barely 30 per cent of their daily capacity, raising concerns that many eligible candidates are yet to take advantage of t...

Former Cross River State Resident Electoral Commissioner and lawyer, Mike Igini, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reject the newly passed Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026, warning that the proposed law could undermine Nigeria’s democratic process. Igini made the call on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television, following the passage of the bill by the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday after tense debates over Clause 60. “It is my indeed humble recommendation to Mr President that you are a man of history. You were a senior man to very many of us in the struggle at the time when the journey of Nigeria and the prospect of democracy was less certain,” Igini said. “What is going to be presented before you is a recipe for chaos. It’s a recipe to undermine all that you have done when we were in the trenches. “What is put before you? Please take it back,” he added. Igini recalled past political struggles in which election outcomes were determined by voters rather tha...

The Delta State Police Command wishes to notify the public that it will intensify enforcement of traffic laws and other related revenue offences across the State, with immediate effect. This follows official confirmation from the Delta State Judiciary, through the Office of the Chief Registrar of the High Court of Justice, Delta State, on behalf of the Hon. Chief Judge, Hon. Justice T.O. Diai, that designated Mobile Courts are operational across various jurisdictions in the State. These courts are empowered to summarily try traffic offenders and other violators in accordance with extant laws. Consequently, the Command will strengthen surveillance, patrol, and enforcement operations across major roads and urban centres including Asaba, Warri, Effurun, Sapele, Ughelli, Agbor, and other locations within the State. Offences such as reckless driving, driving against traffic, use of unauthorized number plates, driving without registration numbers, unauthorized use of sirens and r...

By Tessy Ogbemi  For more than three decades, oil and gas producing communities of the Niger Delta have waited often in vain for justice promised by the Nigerian Constitution. The 13% Derivation Fund, conceived as compensation for environmental degradation and economic dislocation, has remained largely out of the reach of the very communities whose sacrifices sustain the nation’s economy. The Niger Delta Civil Society Forum (NDCSF), led by Comrade Ezekiel Kagbala, has again placed this unresolved injustice before President and Commander-in-Chief, Bola Tinubu, urging decisive executive order for a derivation board to correct what it describes as a long-standing constitutional and moral failures. The 13% Derivation Fund belongs to oil and gas producing communities, not state governors. The historical record is clear. The struggle for derivation intensified during the military era long before the advent of elected governors. Communities bore the brunt of repression, pollut...